Tag Archives: apps

Be a beta tester of the new Michigan App

U-M students, faculty, and staff can sign up to be part of the beta group for the release of the new, highly anticipated Michigan App. The new Michigan App is a cloud platform app that allows for a more modern interface, along with new features that streamline daily activities (bus, class schedule, dining, maps) and support success in… Read More »

Ride-sharing apps affect car market

By | August 18, 2017

New research involving U-M’s Transportation Research Institute found that apps like Uber and DriveNow may be doing to cars what the web already did to newspapers. Two academic studies published this year have shown that people say they will reduce their use and ownership of private cars when they have access to ride-sharing or car-sharing apps. The U-M study of… Read More »

The aces of Spade

By | May 10, 2017

Growing up in Los Angeles, U-M student Jake Fleshner and his brother liked to visit a local deli, and then nearby stores before heading home. These local businesses often attracted similar customers, so why weren’t they promoting each other to their customer bases? That question eventually led to creating Spade America—a mobile app that lets consumers scan discounts as… Read More »

App helps with food allergies

By | March 23, 2017

A project started by U-M students Ish Baid and Michael Copley can make daily life easier for people with food allergies or special diets. They are the co-founders of the Edible Project app that helps people with diet restrictions find restaurants and meals they can enjoy without worrying about allergies or ingredients. The idea was prompted by Copley’s severe dairy allergies. Edible Project… Read More »

Crystal visions

By | March 23, 2017

Joanna Millunchick, professor of materials science and engineering, is working to change the way people visualize crystal structures. In the video below, Millunchick and her development partner, Duncan Abbot, CEO of Gwydion Inc., explain how an app that centers on virtual and augmented reality, technology more frequently used for video games, can create a new affordable platform that… Read More »

App helps patients with medical decisions

By | March 8, 2017

Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher and his colleagues at U-M developed a web-based application that allows health-care providers and researchers to create icon array graphics that help patients make informed decisions about their care. Their research found that presenting information in such formats can help patients better understand their treatment options and the associated benefits and risks. His research also… Read More »

Just wait…trust me

By | February 23, 2017

Eytan Adar, a professor of information and computer science at U-M, explains why some apps and software packages will build in artificial wait times as a way to improve the user experience. He calls it “benevolent deception,” a term he coined in a paper he published in 2013 with a pair of Microsoft researchers. For example, TurboTax employs… Read More »

Love & tech: It’s complicated

By | February 13, 2017

Only a decade ago, Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone. The mobile app boom came afterward, helping to make services like Uber, Twitter, Instagram, and Tinder household names. We’re still feeling the effects that technological change is having on our culture and relationships, says Nicole Ellison, a professor at the School of Information. We may reach a point where… Read More »

Growing pains?

By | February 12, 2017

Snapchat’s ability to court a young demographic has been one of its defining characteristics and the pillar of its success. But as the company prepares for its stock market debut, the photo and video messaging app’s reliance on users under the age of 25 could also be one of its biggest liabilities. “It’s the rocks many ships have… Read More »

JOOL: App for a “purpose-driven life”

By | January 17, 2017

Want to find purpose in your life? Sleep better, eat better, lose weight, increase energy, decrease stress? Well, now there’s an app for that. JOOL Health is a new Ann Arbor-based digital health solution company led by CEO and founder Vic Strecher, professor at the School of Public Health and director for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship. JOOL integrates the science of… Read More »

SafeRide adds mobile app

By | January 16, 2017

In an effort to meet increased requests from the university community, SafeRide recently launched a mobile application. During fall and winter terms, you may request a ride through the TapRide mobile application: Download for Android or for iTunes. Select “University of Michigan SafeRide” from with the app. Login with your UMICH username and password to request a ride and… Read More »

Water app offers essential info

By | December 15, 2016

A team of researchers on the Ann Arbor and Flint campuses have developed a new Android app to help Flint residents during the ongoing water crisis. MyWater-Flint is an interactive guide that lets people pinpoint homes with a greater risk for lead, and also shows where lead has been found in city water. Users can see where pipes… Read More »

Health apps #fail

By | December 15, 2016

A study published this month in the journal Health Affairs found problems with many smartphone health apps. Most concerning was what happened (or didn’t happen) with information that should have drawn warnings from the app—like selecting “yes” when the app asked if the user was feeling suicidal, or entering extremely abnormal levels for blood sugar levels. Only 28… Read More »