MFA Review
The Interaction of the Object Focus
Social Network Service Website
Yu-Wei Fu
Savannah College of Art and Design
Interactive Design and Game Development

Overview:
1. Thesis Abstract
2. Project Description
3. Prototype
4. Referenced Sites
5. Project Plan
6. Reference and Blog

1.Thesis Abstract

Social websites can be categorized into two groups: focusing
on objects or focusing on people.

The general socializing concept of an object-focused website
rarely emphasize on actual physical interaction.

The next step on improving social network website is to
combine three concepts: objects, social network service, and
physical interaction.

Members post desired items with special meanings from a
particular region, and search for other members that are
traveling from the particular region back to the user's
location.

Travelers act like couriers by bringing back the desired items
and the experience of the trip

Couriers not only fulfill receivers’ desires, but also bring back
nostalgia and cures receivers’ homesickness

2. Project Description

Story Behind The Thesis:

Meanings of GoHitchhike:
• “Go” means the action of transportation.
• “Hitchhike” means the item “hitchhikes”.
• Delivery love and support from friends and family.
• Cheer people when they receive their specific item.

TheGoals ofGoHitchhike:
• Next step of the social network website.
• Get close to friends.
• Share item story and trip experience.
• Save shipping fee.
•Make earth green.

ThesisGoals:
•Create an object focus social website.
•Merge the site into exciting social network service websites.
• Cooperate with programmer to develop the back-end.
• Analysis users’ behaviors of GoHitchhike
• Analysis users’ physical face-to-face interactions.

Technical Specs:
• Html, CSS, Php, and MySql
• Interaction design and information Architecture
• Interface Design and Information Design
• Visual Design

3. Prototype

Site Map:

Why Use Us:

How To Us:

Personal Info:

Item List:

Item Info:

Item Story:

Browse Trips:

Bookmarks:

Trip List:

Trip Info:

Trip Story:

Forum Categories:

Forum:

4. Referenced Sites

Social Network Sites:
• Analysis Facebook, Friendster, Hi5, and Orkut, friend search
functions.
Conclusion:
The best social network sites focus on legitimate friend that
users know and tend to keep in touch with them.

Casual Courier Sites:
Casual Courier is an everyday traveler that informally
delivers packages for shippers.
• The Casual Courierbrings the world together by connecting
senders of packages with independent traveling couriers.
Air Courier works for traditional courier companies as an
employee and may receive discounted airline tickets.
• Courier.org is an International Association of Air Travel
Couriers serving Casual Couriers Around the Globe.

Sharing Travel Experience Sites:
•Dopplris an online service for traveler. Dopplr helps you
share your future trips privately with friends and colleagues.
•Citiportis an online community based on travel and living.
People share their travel and living experiences in each city
all over the world.

Merging into Social Network Sites:
•Zimride is an online social rideshare and carpool matching
systems in North America.
• Created an application for Facebookand makes sharing a
ride safer and easier.

5. Project Plan

Thesis Timeline:
• Studio I:
Decide thesis direction, research,
Complete wireframe, layout
• Studio II:
Develop project front-end and back-end,
Complete alpha version, debug
• Thesis:
Publish beta version, user test
Analysis user interaction
Write thesis

Measure project:
• Open beta for SCAD students.
• Promote to SCAD
Chinese Student Association,
Korean Student Association,
Japanese Student Association and
International Student Association.

6. Reference and Blog

Reference:
• “Everyone is at most six steps away from any other person
on Earth.” Guare, John. Six Degrees of Separation, 1990.
• Six Degrees.com, Andrew Weinreich, 1997-2001.
•Hoschka, Peter. The Social Web Research Program. GMD
German National Research Center for Information
Technology. Sankt Augustin, Germany, 1998.

Blog: Gohitchhike Blog

Thank You
Contact info:
Yu-Wei Fu Interactive Designer
fuwax@hotmail.com
www.yuweifu.com