AT THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON THE HARDING PRESENCE ON WORDS Hannah Hitchcox I I PHOTOS Abigail Cooper Across Harding's campus during fall 2017, three departments collaborated co create the H arding App, which launched Monday, ov. 27. Additionally, representatives from organizations like campus life, communications and marketing, information systems and technology, and the Center for tudent Success made up the Harding App Team (HAT) that worked towards creating a functional app that would serve the needs of students, faculty and prospective tudents. According to fike Chalenburg, as istant vice president of information systems and technology, the team worked with fodo Labs, an application management company that gave HAT the software platform and direction needed to build the app. ''.At that point, we tarted getting ideas together as far as the tructure," Chalenburg said. ''.Academics, campu life, spiritual life, personal life - we put [all ofj that togeth r." With a diver e team that brought different per pectives to each meeting, decisions had to be made about which fearures to include in the initial launch. According to Logan Light, director of campus life, the team was trying to determine what taples the app needed to have in order to be appealing in the initial release. "We [wereJ fully aware that if we don't include some area in the first roll out, students will be turned off from the fir t initial look," Light said. Since HAT's inception, junior Kaleb Turner had also been involved in APP IS A CAMPUS NEW the development process as a student repre entative. From his perspective, Turner had been able to help differentiate between vital and non-essential parts of the app for students. "There are things people think that [all) websites, apps or social media campaigns need, [but] student just don't care," Turner said. "On the app development, I've been working [on] figuring out what content students specifically need and then helping to build that content." Overall, the app was a hub for every need a student could have, including link to sign-out forms, grades, ticket sales and important campus phone numbers. Beyond the initial launch, Chalenburg hoped that the app would expand to include features for parents, alumni, prospective students and friends of Harding. "We would have a page for Homecoming, pring Sing, Bible Lectureship or tampede in the summer," Chalenburg aid. Because each member of HAT had a specialized background, the app combined both functionality and aesthetic appeal. ccording to Turner, representatives from Modo Labs commented on the positive collaboration between departments they witnessed through working with Harding. "It has been great to know that there are people from all over campus working together to make this a reality and to make sure it is the best that it can be," Turner said. I The new Harding App 1s a way for students to connect to all things Harding from the palm of their hands. It was created and launched by student, faculty and staff representatives from around campus in fall 2017. II Photo by Abigail Cooper z m ~ ~ I C
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