UseMore is the kind of big idea we’ve come to expect from Zeus Jones. It’s social media meets sustainable living meets good old-fashioned sharing and practicality – all re-imagined for a brave new greener world and powered by nerds.
For Phizzpop’s finals, teams had two weeks to develop an interactive solution using existing Microsoft technology and social media platforms to promote sustainable living in Austin, Texas, host city of SXSW. Rather than addressing what people buy and throw away, we developed Zeus Jones’s idea of Usemore, which helps people use what they already have more effectively by sharing it – and in turn, getting what they need – all through social media.
Our team’s Usemore application helps people share what they already have – but aren’t using – via a Twitter-like platform built on Microsoft’s Silverlight. For example, cars usually ride with unused capacity. Using Usemore, people make informed choices about picking a driver through social media just like they would through seller ratings on eBay or friend recommendations on Facebook. Riders can connect throughout the city using their mobile GPS. Usemore uses Microsoft’s Window Live ID for IM and Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. Users of Usemore gather points that become currency for goods and services from civic and business partners, and socially-conscious people can vote with their dollars.
We, The Nerdery, feel blessed to have agency partners who let us get our nerdy hands on the kind of intriguing projects web developers dream of. It’s not hard to be humble about the awesome opportunity to advance important ideas online.
Granted, Usemore isn’t being used – not yet. But we think it’s a great idea, just waiting to be implemented in your community. What a wonderful world it would be.
See it here, and hear more from its creators here.
Read more about Usemore in Twin Cities Business magazine’s story about bringing it all back home.
My role was making the design work online by creating the database to store all the data displayed on the screen. I worked on the more complex animations like the list views and map. The mobile application was also my responsibility and it came to life just a short time before the presentation. Partnering with Zeus Jones gave me the best seat in the house, and it's a thrill both personally and professionally to execute their interactive marketing ideas.
programmer, Nerdery Interactive Labs
