Bluespots Card Generator
Published 1 year ago
Project Timeframe
September 2007 through November 2007
Motivations
The Bluespots Card Generator project was an interesting one. The application was to be designed using the Bluespots API, in development stage at the time, which allowed for Bluetooth communication between mobile devices and Bluetooth enabled Hubs (the Bluespots, which in turn communicated with a central server where all the data was stored). This essentially allowed for quick and seamless content distribution in event-type situations.
The Card Generator was to be developed for the 2007 edition of the SAPO Codebits event, as a quick and easy to use browser tool that allowed the event sponsors to create basic promotional cards and send it to everyone who had Bluetooth turned on.
Interface Design
In order to create a slick, usable application, a clean design which guided the user throughout all the steps flawlessly was in order. Consisting of three menu items, the application allowed you to create, edit, and send cards (either to all devices, a given number of random devices and a specific device). The building interface is the most involved one, because of all it allows the user to do, but the experience is both streamlined and pleasing.
Most of the interface was built using Javascript and AJAX (using the script.aculo.us Javascript library) to build the card dynamically and without page refreshes. The user could add images (which he uploaded himself, all through the application interface), text (it was possible to hand-pick both color and font), or select a background image or color for the card.
The backend was programmed in PHP, following the MVC structure somewhat closely. The Bluespots API was fully accessible through SOAP-based web-services.
Final Thoughts
In the end, the application did not go live at the event, due to complications with the Bluespots API. However, it was a very interesting learning experience, as at the time I was fresh-off learning basic PHP and Javascript, and the high standards set for this project helped me further my skills greatly.
