#GRTC

[davidpasqualone]

The Lunatic Left Attacking Our Children at School! with Larry Downs Jr. and Gene Valentino

The Lunatic Left Attacking Our Children at School! with Larry Downs Jr. and Gene Valentino

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[steelandcotton]

No matter how challenging the Push Hands, you can always smile.

Tallinn, Estonia Branch GRTC

[deepsharktraveler]

Just beat Dead Space

I think there's two things meant by Gotta Respect the Classics

There's GRtC cause they're still the shining exemplar, like they're still on par with other stuff we've made since and in a way we're always chasing what it did (I'd put Sailor Moon, Pride and Prejudice, Half Life 2 here

Then there's GRtC because they did it first, we stole all the good stuff we did, and now its industry DNA and the thing that now defines the classic if you go back to it, sadly, isn't what it excelled at, but what it did badly, because that's the only distinction it still holds since it shook the world (Singing in the Rain, maybe SAO? [Haven't seen SAO, I'm guessing], whatever CoD one personally considers the most influential)

Dead Space lands solidly in the second for me, tragically. It wasn't scary because the horror stuff it did well has been studied and surpassed in stuff since (even the "enemy who chases you and can't die" wasn't fleshed out enough, despite it and darkness and weird screams being the best horror to get me), the gore which it's known for is now standard for, like, CoD, and Doom Eternal does it more extreme as a power fantasy, and the entire "drag this box around FOREVER" was done better as a joke side challenge in the Half Life Episodes

Limb severing was cool but once they stopped introducing new enemies it just became a task, which was heartbreaking for such an interesting mechanic

I hated the zero G and vacuum sections, just gave me headaches

Also philosophically I think survival horror as a genre should make you think you're about to run out, but there should never be a point where you outright run out of options and have no way to salvage it. There were points in Dead Space where I just took my hands off my controls and let the enemies kill me

I can see how Dead Space could have changed everything when it came out, but now that it has changed everything, it's just not that interesting anymore

(friend told me if I had played this before I got into a lot of other horror, I'd have thought it was scary, but I played the first hour and a half a decade ago and got bored. I played Gone Home around the same time and thought it was a much scarier experience, much more effective atmosphere building)

[avantmidlothian]

Modern Comfort

People searching for one bedroom apartments in Midlothian will find Avant an excellent choice. Offering one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes, this community is designed for modern living. Residents can enjoy a community vegetable garden, perfect for growing fresh produce. The 24-hour package room with cold storage ensures perishables are kept safe. Select homes feature EV charging stations and private garages, adding convenience and sustainability. For car owners, the carwash station with a vacuum makes maintenance easy. Pet owners will appreciate the on-site pet park, providing a dedicated space for their furry friends to play. Avant offers ideal apartments in Midlothian, combining luxury, comfort, and a sense of community.

The Transportation System in Midlothian, Virginia

Midlothian, Virginia, features a well-connected transportation system that makes getting around convenient for residents and visitors. The area is served by major highways like Route 288 and Powhite Parkway, providing easy access to nearby cities and attractions. Public transportation options include bus routes operated by GRTC, offering reliable service throughout the region. Midlothian also has bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly paths, promoting active lifestyles and alternative commuting methods. For those traveling by air, Richmond International Airport is just a short drive away. The transportation network in Midlothian supports commuting to work, shopping trips, and leisure activities, enhancing the overall accessibility and livability of the community.

Historic Woolridge Road in Midlothian, VA

Historic Woolridge Road in Midlothian, Virginia, is a charming stretch known for its scenic countryside and historic homes. It winds through peaceful landscapes, offering picturesque views of rolling hills and old trees. The road is lined with historic houses that reflect the area's rich heritage, providing a glimpse into the past. Historic Woolridge Road is popular among locals and visitors alike for its beauty and tranquility, making it a favorite spot for leisurely drives or walks. Whether you're interested in history or architecture or simply enjoy scenic routes, Historic Woolridge Road offers a peaceful retreat and a chance to experience the timeless charm of rural Virginia.

Marshalls Store in Midlothian Moving to Westchester Commons

Marshalls is a popular store known for its concept of offering brand-name clothing, accessories, home goods, and more at discounted prices. It's part of the off-price retail model, which means they buy merchandise from manufacturers and department stores at a lower cost and pass the savings on to customers. Marshalls carries a wide range of products, including fashion for men, women, and children, as well as items for the home, like decor, kitchenware, and bedding. The store's layout encourages treasure-hunt shopping, where you can find great deals on well-known brands in a variety of styles and sizes. Marshalls is a favorite among bargain hunters looking for quality items at affordable prices.

Link to map

Grove Shaft Ventilation Building 13301 N Woolridge Rd, Midlothian, VA 23114, United States Head east on N Woolridge Rd 0.5 mi Turn right onto Walton Park Rd 1.1 mi Turn right onto Queensgate Rd 0.1 mi Turn left onto Walton Bluff Pkwy 1.4 mi Turn right onto Lucks Ln 0.4 mi Turn left onto Evergreen E Pkwy 0.2 mi Turn left 0.1 mi Avant at Midlothian 12801 Lucks Ln, Midlothian, VA 23114, United States

[sidewalksurgeon]

Sprint 5 Overview

Sprint Recap:

For our fifth and final Sprint, our main goal was to focus on the distribution of our posters and messages to as many places as possible. Last Sprint, we were in the process of printing our posters and had submitted our posters to multiple VCU distribution services such as Cabell Library, VCU Social Media, etc.

The first thing accomplished during this Sprint was printing and distributing our posters around campus. Lillie, Alo, and Dalton split the printed posters amongst themselves and put them in places such as nearby bus stops and inside school buildings. Most of the posters were taken down immediately, but some stayed up until the end of the semester.

While the posters spread the word about picking up the e-scooters, they didn’t bring much engagement to our Link-tree. We decided to post our poster design along with our Link-tree link to the r/rva and r/vcu subreddits. We wanted to receive feedback about our poster designs to ensure they came across as we intended.

Both posts received lots of engagement almost immediately after we posted them. r/vcu ended up getting 33 upvotes and 22 comments. r/rva was even more successful receiving 67 upvotes and 104 comments. As expected from websites like Reddit, lots of the comments were either jokes or mean and unhelpful comments. The Redditors leaving helpful critiques all had similar things to say about our design. They all pointed out how our team's goal of making the sidewalks more accessible didn’t come across well in the poster. Redditors only knew about our goal to help those with mobility issues when I added an extra comment clarifying why we were doing this. Most assumed we were trying to do the scooter companies' jobs for them. They recommended we add some sort of blub or design on our poster indicating that this is to help the community rather than corporations.

Thanks to this feedback, we also decided we would distribute Dalton’s old poster design that talked about mobility issues and scooters. This poster showed how fallen scooters can make it hard for wheelchair users to use the sidewalks safely.

Even if the reaction to our posters was mixed on Reddit, it still shot up our engagement on Link-Tree. We got a total of 29 views that day, 24 unique views, 25 total clicks, 13 unique clicks, and a click-through rate of 86.21%. 

Along with our poster distribution and Reddit postings, we also submitted our designs to VCU distribution sites. We initially submitted our designs to VCU’s social media page, the Student Commons digital screens, the Commonwealth Times, the Cabell Library digital screen, the Stall Street Journal, and Telegram. We also messaged Byrd/Lime about putting our posters on their story and were even told by GRTC that they would put up posters on their bus stops and post us on their story.

The first ones to get back to us were the people in charge of the Student Commons digital screens. They sent us an email letting us know that our design was in their rotation of images and should play in the Commons. However, when I went to check, I noticed our design never came up. I sat for over half an hour while the screens kept repeating the same messages. I emailed the people in charge of the digital screen but they weren't able to help us fix the problem before the end of the semester.

VCU social media got back to us almost immediately and let us know that they would post our poster and Link-tree link every week on the official VCU Instagram story until the end of the semester. I’ve checked back every week and can confirm that our message plays weekly on their story. 

When we messaged the Commonwealth Times about putting our poster in their newspaper, they had already printed their last volume of the year. While we weren’t able to be posted in the physical release, they let us know that they would post us on their digital newsletter on December 1st. When December 1st came, they indeed posted us in the newsletter. We were the very first image when opening up the newsletter. 

The Cabell Library digital screen, Telegram, and Byrd/Lime never responded to our requests. Stall Street Journal also didn’t put us in an issue but they are focused on mostly mental/physical health issues so it makes sense why scooter safety wouldn’t fit in with their usual articles. Even though I spoke with Henry from the GRTC’s marking team and he approved our ideas, he never responded to any of my follow-up emails so we couldn’t do anything officially with the GRTC.

Towards the beginning of Thanksgiving Break, I got an email from Susan Sutphin (MPC Campus Coordinator) that Corey Beyers (University Relations) and Molly Case (Communications) would love to meet with us after the break to help us distribute our poster designs. 

Once break was over, we met up with everyone over Zoom. I let both Corey and Molly know about what we were doing for our project, what our goals were, and what we had accomplished so far. They both congratulated us on how much we had done already and were unsure how much more they could help us with. Since Corey has direct connections with VCU’s police, she told us she could create a “Geofenced Alert", which is when an alert pops up on your phone when you approach a specific area. She told me to give her 6 locations on campus where students would automatically receive a message telling them to pick up scooters if they stepped near those areas. This was all to be done through the Livesafe app which is a safety alerts app that VCU suggests all students download. She also said she would post us on all of the VCU police social media on December 4th. We agreed and she set up the Geofence to run December 4th-6th.

Molly told us there wasn't much more she could do for us since we submitted to almost all of the VCU distribution sites. She was the one who suggested we submit it on Telegram but when we did, we were denied.

On December 4th, VCU police posted us on their Instagram, Instagram stories, X (Twitter), Facebook, and Threads.

On Wednesday, December 6th, she shared with us all of the stats from the three days the posts were active. VCUpd’s Facebook reach and engagement reached 311, Instagram reach and engagement reached 508, Instagram stories reached 122 views, Twitter reach and engagement reached 188, and Threads reached 0. Corey informed us that the VCU police Threads account doesn’t ever get engagement since Threads isn’t as popular as other social media. 

The Geofence alert ran for three days as well and was set up at Cabell Library, The Student Commons, Harrison Street Cafe/Village Cafe, Monroe Park, Cary Street Gym, and Bowe Street Deck. I walked in these areas to test this out and can confirm that I received the alert on the Livesafe app. 

Corey also shared the stats for the Geofence alert and told us that it reached 423 users in the 3 days it was up.

Around when all of these posts and alerts were put up, we also received a large increase in our Link-tree engagement. We got a total of 23 views, 17 unique views, 16 total clicks, 8 unique clicks, and a click through rate of 69.57%.

Towards the end of our project, we also attempted to do an in-person survey at Cabell Library. We set up a table near the library and put out a large candy bowl. We would give people free candy if they completed our survey. The survey consists of questions asking the person if they have seen our posters around campus, if they use a scooter, and if they’ve had scooter related issues in the past. Sadly, we had very limited engagement. We only had 7 people fill out our survey since it was one of the coldest days of the year when we did this. Most people wanted to be in and out as fast as possible.

The very last thing we did during this project to spread our message was distributing even more posters around campus. Since a lot of our older posters were removed, we decided to put up even more. This time, we did a mix of our original scooter posters and also our accessibility issues poster as requested by many people on Reddit. We put them up on poles all over campus, Cabell library, outside apartment complexes, and just anywhere where they had an unlikely chance of getting removed. Like last time, some got removed almost immediately while some still stand even today.

Final Results:

By the end of the semester, we got a total of 145 views, 86 clicks, and a Click-through rate of 59.31% on our Link-tree. We put up over 20 posters around the VCU campus, were posted to VCU’s official Instagram story weekly, and were featured in the Commonwealth Times. We were also posted to VCU Police’ Instagram Stories (122 views), Instagram (508 reach and engagement), Facebook (311 reach and engagement), Twitter (188 reach and engagement), and Threads (0 reach and engagement). We were able to reach 423 users in 3 days with a Geofence alert in 6 locations on campus. We got 33 upvotes and 23 comments on r/vcu and 67 upvotes and 104 comments on r/rva. We were able to get the attention of VCU’s Monroe Park Campus Coordinator, VCU Police, GRTC’s marketing head, and VCU’s head of communication while trying to spread our message. We also got 7 people to fill out our survey during in-person polling. 

Towards the end of the Sprint, I got an email from Susan who let us know that she thinks our campaign made an impact on campus. She said that ever since we started our scooter campaign, scooters are no longer as scattered and fallen over like they used to be. She said she no longer sees them in weird places like bushes. 

Reflection:

I feel that our project was a success. We were able to distribute our message through many different platforms and methods and were able to reach hundreds of people. Susan who pointed out this scooter problem to us in the first place told us how she believes that our scooter campaign was a success. I feel like this entire project taught me such important skills that I wouldn’t have learned anywhere else. I feel like I learned how to network, learned how to properly advertise, distinguish helpful critique from unhelpful critique, learned how to continue on when things don't work out like they should, and also learned how to properly manage a project that goes on for this long. Even though my major doesn’t have anything to do with product design, I feel that everything I learned in this class can be applied to any career and skills

A couple of things that I wish we did differently would be to start reaching out to people earlier. I feel like we should have tried a more manageable goal from the very beginning rather than trying something so ambitious. We wasted a lot of time trying to contact people and find solutions to a problem that obviously couldn’t be solved in a semester. If I were to redo this project, I would greatly reduce the amount of time we took to plan our project. Because of this, we were very late on reaching out to people to help us distribute our projects. If we began that stage earlier, we could have been able to get our poster printed in the physical version of the Commonwealth Times and have the GRTC distribute our posters.

Overall, I think both the failings and successes of this project will prepare me for future projects in and outside of design. 

[digitalcreationsllc]

Central Virginia transit system affected by cyber incident

The organization that runs the transit system for central Virginia dealt with a computer network disruption due to a cyberattack around the Thanksgiving holiday. The Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) provides bus and specialized transportation services for millions of people across Richmond, Chesterfield and Henrico Counties. A spokesperson told Recorded Future News that around Thanksgiving…

[adamalkhateeb]

Sprint 5

Sprint Recap

During this final sprint, my team and I individually gathered usability data to determine what aspects of the linktree could use improvement. While initially planning to test fellow students and people who live in RVA, we realized we would be better off testing family members who do not live in RVA over thanksgiving break, as these people would not have any prior knowledge to work with when navigating the site and this would be most similar to the situation of a new/transfer student. Below are the results of all the tests.

After gathering data we were able to determine the main issues being a lack of understanding with language and the parking map. Terms such as "GRTC" and "RamSafe" were not understood when a user was tasked with something involving these surfaces. There was also an issue of understanding that RVA has multiple scooter brands around the city and our site can be used to compare prices.

To fix this I redesigned the scooter section to better showcase that the names Lime, Byrd, and Spin were different brands.

On top of this, the language used in the accordion tabs was changed from specific names such as GRTC and Ramsafe to Public Transit and VCU Late Night Bus.

Further adjustments were also made to the scrolling abilities of the site to allow easier navigation on the mobile site.

Furthermore our team got into contact with the Director of the Orientation Team and the Director of the Transfer Center. From these contacts we were able to receive feedback and we were also offered the possibility of having our site be used for the orientation modules freshmen see when preparing for school.

Reflections

During this sprint my team and I were able to learn how a new/transfer student might interact with the site and what issue they may have with it. Using this information we made the adjustments we could within our timeframe.

Due to the feedback from the Director of the Orientation Team the realization that maintenance to the site information would be necessary quite often if we were to implement it in collaboration with VCU. Due to this, the decision was made to remove the one aspect that had the most frequent change, that aspect being the scooter prices.

[thesidewalksurgeons]

Sprint number 4

sprint recap-

For this sprint we focused on finalizing our poster designs and printing them to get them out into the world so we could start receiving feedback. Lillie and Dalton really worked on contacting different print places so we could get the best deal at an appropriate time. I know Lillie had some trouble, which she expressed in our group chat. There was issues from the printing places, they kept saying that they hadn't received our poster design and it ended up taking longer than we wanted it to. Nevertheless, we were able to get ten posters printed. We started to brainstorm places in which we could hang them up at. We wanted to reach as many people as possible so we each got a general area in which we would try to distribute them at. After meeting up and each getting a couple of posters, we split up and started to hang them up. That was it for the physical distribution of posters, but we also worked on distributing them digitally. We were able to get it on the commons screen, so our poster is part of their playlist as of right now. We were also able to get VCU social media to post about our cause on their Instagram, every week until the end of the semester! so that is excellent news for us. This way we can reach a larger audience on an already established platform. We couldn't end up putting up our posters in the bathrooms or the GRTC busses due to specific regulations, and it would all take too long. We did get some feedback from Henry, he said he could help us out. He said we could pick 6 bus stops we feel have the most issues with scooters and he cane help us put posters up without having them taken down. He requested using zipties so no one takes them down. In terms of scooter companies, Lime and Bird companies did not answer us so that is a done deal. Aiden posted about our poster on Reddit, the responses weren't what we expected but we gained some insight and we are discussing changing our approach. A lot of people didn't seem to care about the scooters, they felt like they were being told what to do. There were a couple of people that mentioned that we should make our posters more sentimental. What they mean by that, is that we should emphasize how important it is to pick up scooters because of accessibility reasons. People suggested we add a person on a wheel chair to our posters so that it appeals more to the audience. We were chatting in our group and we decided that for the next round of posters, it would be a good idea to go back to an old design idea we had. Which incorporates mobility and accessibility issues. For most of this sprint we really focused on getting our posters acknowledged by the people around us. We have been keeping an eye out on anyone that wants to post our posters online as well. As of now, Susan messaged us asking if we could all meet after break. She will bring two other VCU connections with her and we will have a meeting on how they can further support our project and some of the common communication tactics at VCU. We are all excited for that and are hoping to hear some good news!

what I did this sprint-

I mainly helped with the Linktree again, I didn't like the way it looked before so I made some edits to the page and I think it looks a lot cleaner now. I made a logo on Canva and I enjoyed the way it came out. I also added our poster designs to the Linktree under the " how to park a scooter" tab just to bring more attention to our design. I also worked on putting up some posters. I put one up on a lamp post on Broad street because I always see scooters in that area. I also went down to Bowe street, and into the AFO building. I handed it to one of the front desk employees and asked if they could hang it up somewhere. I also decided to put one up at a bus stop near the library since there is a lot of scooters in that area as well. Sadly enough, one of the posters got taken down and the other one was placed somewhere where it is not fully seen. Good news is that the Linktree analytics seem to tell me that people are viewing and clicking on our page, so I hope it is useful to them.

what is next for us?-

As I mentioned earlier we are excited to have that meeting with Susan and her colleagues, I think this meeting will open up some more opportunities for us in terms of getting noticed by the VCU public. We plan on touching up our designs and we want to print more out of course. After leaving the posters up for some time, we want to work on doing an in person polling. We plan on bringing a foldable table with some sort of table covering, and a bowl of Christmas themed candy, along with our survey with a small list of questions. We were discussing printing out the survey, to have a physical copy of people's answers, but I am not too sure where we stand with that as of now. We will continue to keep track of people's comments and of the Linktree analytics.

reflection-

We are reaching the end of our project and I feel good about where we stand as a group. I think I have improved in the sense that I can share ideas more easily now, and if they are rejected I can move on easily. I feel that everyone else has improved in the same way. Working with my team has taught me that there are many different ways to problem solve in a group setting. It feels nice to be able to rely on my group mates as well. I feel a sense of familiarity and trust with my team, I am learning that it is an important aspect of team work. I feel like I can organize myself a lot more easily after taking this course as well. It gets me into the feel of how deadlines work and how important they are when you work in a group. Overall, this sprint was quite fun!

[ariadnasakura]

November 14th, 2022 Problem Solving GDES with Ryan Shriver

Sprint recap

This sprint recap the team focused on the construction on the box. We received more responses from the poster left at the bus stops however 10 of those posters were removed shortly after we have posted them. We went to lowes and art plaza to collect supplies to start construction. We decided on a main color , chartreuse , for the box and sanded , primed , and later spray painted the box. The team then attended the Problem Solving field trip at Shriver's office. I wasn't able to attend due to still being ill , unfortunately. However, my team relayed the feedback we got to me so it helped me suggest changes to the box and discuss additional ideas needed. I was also informed about another connection we could communicate with to help with our box development. Overall this sprint has heavily been collaborative, with not one person solely working on a specific task. This "all hands on deck" attitude helped us discuss the specifics of the project better as well as effeicentaly come to design conclusions. Everyone has been very responsive during discussions and bringing good ideas for how we should finalize the box.

Next sprint plan

Our next steps is to finish the box by next week so we are able to document the usage of the box to present on our last sprint presentation. This week we are planning to finish construction on the box and to send out the final designs for the type to be printed with the vinyl sticker maker at the go lab. We are also going to attend a 3D printer orientation to help us manufacture dispensers to house our supplies in the box. I might also distribute more poster but I'm worried they will be taken down, again. We also might discuss the idea of creating a zine to use as a way for riders to learn more about why we decided to create the box and additional information about the future of GRTC.

Reflection

Unfortunately, following our last sprint I fell ill with ether a bad cold or the flu so I wasn't able to make progress on the project for over a week. Not having the box finished has caused me some stress as we near out last sprint. Originally, I wanted the box to be finished 2 weeks ago but time complications with the rest of the team prevented us from working on the box. Due to the amount of work needed , it was hard to have individual progress on the box. We continued discussion through our group chat about matters such as the development on the box. We even scheduled a time to attend a 3D printer orientation but the instructor was not there to teach the workshop so we weren't able to get our certification. Physically building something is very demanding and hard to coordinate between 3 other people. I've realized. I honestly just want to put something out already so the community can use it and hopefully have it improve their experience at the bus stop. I'm not losing my steam yet and I'll get pushing forward until we satisfy the project.

[wingeddelusionturtle]

Blog Post # 3

Sprint RecapFor this sprint, me and Carlee tried to take the initiative to speak more during the presentation as Ariadna and Eleanor are usually the most vocal. Me and Ariadna presented a series of posters that we had created and printed out. We each created four posters, each one relevant to a subproblem. Carlee had created a few posters as well, but Eleanor and Carlee focused on the what the care-box should look like. So we presented prototype designs for the care box as well as our series of posters. We had asked the class to critique our posters and let us know what we should do to improve on them.

Plans for next sprint After that sprint, the next class we talked about what we should do next. We devided that me and Ariadna were going to create some more finalized posters and hang them up at nearby bus stops and document it, and we were going to get things for the carebox. We all decided to go to fantastic thrift together to get things for the box. We bought a wooden piece of furniture that we plan to use for the care box. We plan to work on the box as a group and set it out at a nearby bus stop and take turns to see if it has been used. ReflectionsFrom the sprint where the class critiqued my posters, I realized I should not make my posters affiliated with GRTC as me and my group are not affiliated with them and it make it more likely to get my posters taken down. I was also made aware to make the text bigger on the posters. 

[steelandcotton]

Thanks to Apprentice Students Paul Andrews and Gavin King for once again helping out at the Leeds Chinese Sword Academy GRTC Seminar last weekend in Leeds, UK. The 1st Photos shows Gavin King, sporting his GRTC Manchu Shirt instructs new students in the basic Ci (Thrust Drill), and the proper deflection with the Blade Flat. In the 2nd Photo, Paul Andrews in blue executes a Pi Cut to Tom Daley's wrist as he controls the centerline.

[4vrrumple]

GRTC Bus Stop - RVA

[davidpasqualone]

Gene's Candid Conversation with Kay Mary Weathers: A Psychic with Paranormal Experiences | PART 3

Kay Mary Weathers explores with me the world underground and “Ball Lightning”.  Supernatural or natural phenomenon? Kay Mary Weathers works during the day in a government job in the Panhandle of Florida.  K surprised me when we met with her immediate understanding a factors in my life she could not have know on such short notice.   We decided to “wing it”.   She agreed to let me do an interview with her, limiting my ability to do any meaningful advance research.   I was stunned with the insight she had in various aspects of my life, politics, and her personal psychic experiences, UFO’s, life from other worlds, and related paranormal activity.   Please enjoy this insightful conversation….

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[sidewalksurgeon]

Sprint 4 Overview

Sprint Recap:

For our 4th Sprint, our main goals were to finalize our poster designs, get them printed out, and have them put up around the VCU campus. We also wanted to start submitting our poster design to all the digital screens like the Cabell Library, Student Commons, etc.

The first thing we accomplished during this Sprint was finalizing our poster designs. Lillie and Dalton tweaked the original yellow poster design and added the last bit of information we were missing such as the QR code. They also made another yellow scooter poster we could also put up.

Alo continued working on our Linktree. She researched information about all three of the scooter companies in Richmond and added a section where people can report each company's scooters if they have fallen over. She also looked into how the scooter companies keep track of the scooters and how they try to incentivize people to pick them up.

Something Susan brought up during our last Sprint was that it would be a good idea for us to add information about how to use the kickstands on the scooters somewhere on our poster. We noticed how confusing it can be to locate and push out the kickstands, especially when people are in a hurry. We think that could be one of the reasons why so many people leave them on the sidewalk or prop them up against trees. My group had the idea to make a GIF showing how to use a kickstand and have it be in our “How to Park a Scooter” section in our Linktree.

I decided that I'd work on making the GIF. We wanted to make something very straightforward and easy to understand. I went out and located a fallen Bird scooter. I set up my phone with my water bottle and started recording. I picked up the fallen scooter and used my foot to attempt to kick out the kickstand. I had to retake the video multiple times because I struggled with kicking out the kickstand. It was pretty rusty and stuck in place on the scooter. Finally, I got footage of me kicking out the kickstand in one try.

I then downloaded a GIF-Making app called Gif Maker. I trimmed the video to only have the clip of me kicking the stand down. I then sped up the gif in the app and looped it. It was a straightforward and quick GIF that showed a simple way to kick the stand down. My group agreed but felt that something was missing. I briefly got the free trial for the paid version of the app and added a bright yellow arrow pointing to the kickstand in the GIF. We felt that this conveyed the instruction more simply and made our GIF stand out a little more. Alo added the GIF to Linktree and we finally had the website finished.

Lillie and Dalton worked on alternative designs for our poster that could go on the various digital screens around campus. All we needed to do now was print our posters, put them around campus, and start submitting our poster designs to digital screen forms online. Last Sprint, I started to research how submitting these forms worked. We decided to submit our poster designs to the Cabell Library digital screen, the Student Commons digital screen, the GRTC bus stops + inside the bus and the Stall Street Journal. We also wanted to look into reserving tables to poll outside the Cabell Library.

I started to work on submitting our posters to these forms because all of the websites stated that it takes about two weeks to process everything and have it displayed. I started by emailing GRTC about possibly having our posters in their buses and at bus stops. Susan sent me the marketing department's email and phone number last Sprint. I both texted and sent out an email.

I got a text almost immediately from Henry that stated that he could meet with us sometime next week to discuss this further.

We talked and decided to meet on Zoom on Wednesday, November 15th, 1:00 PM-1:30 PM.

After this, I started to fill out the form for the Cabell Library. Since Lillie was the one who designed the final poster, we both decided it would be good to put her information into the form. She was very busy that day so I filled out the form using her information. I wrote a brief statement about what our poster is about and why we want to have it displayed. A problem we ran into was that our original poster was not the correct size for the Cabell screen. Even though Lillie was very busy that day, she took time out of her schedule and instantly made a version of our poster that fit on the Cabell screen. I appreciate that! We submitted the form and are still awaiting a response and approval.

I then started filling out the form for the Student Commons screen. Again, I wrote a paragraph explaining our goal with these posters and how we have connections to the VCU faculty management. We did this to increase our credibility and raise our chances of getting selected. Again, we resized the poster to fit on the Student Commons screen. Lillie redesigned the poster in a longer format and we submitted the form. A couple of days later, we got a response stating that we got the approval and that they were going to start playing our ad on their Student Commons screen.

I also looked into the Stall Street Journal but judging from their form, it seems they only accept topics that have to do with mental and physical health. Our ads would not work with the type of subjects that they cover.

I also looked into the table polling but we decided to set this up during break since it says to fill out the form two weeks before the tabling event. Since it is still early, we will wait a bit before filling it out.

Dalton and Lillie submitted our posters to multiple printing places around Richmond. Almost none of them got back to them or stated they never received their poster for printing. This delayed us a lot because we wanted to have our posters up this Sprint. Lillie finally got a confirmation from Richmond Printing when she resubmitted the files that they would print our files. However, they stated that they would have them by Friday, which is one day after this Sprint ends.

Plans for Sprint 5:

For Sprint 5, our main goal is to have these posters up and around Richmond. We are supposed to get them back from the printing company on Friday and will put them up immediately. We want Sprint 5 to focus on spreading our posters in as many places as possible and getting lots of engagement on our Linktree. We will also try and submit our posters to even more websites and forms. We will contact multiple VCU social media outlets and try to get them to advertise our posters on their story or posts. We will also post our posters on r/rva and r/vcu on Reddit to get feedback and spread more awareness.

I am also meeting with Henry from GRTC marketing on November 15th and hope this will be a step forward in getting our posters up in the buses. We need to schedule a meeting with Susan this Sprint as well to update her on our progress and discuss what else we can do to spread our posters message even further.

Reflections

I feel that we accomplished a lot with this Sprint. Not only did we finish the Linktree but we also submitted our poster design to many websites and digital screens for approval. We even got accepted for the University Student Commons digital screen already. I feel that the pace we are working at is good and we are already spreading our posters to so many places.

Something that I learned during this Sprint was how to create a GIF. I have never made my own GIF before and when I was asked to make one for our Linktree, I was a little nervous. I thought it would be a lot more complicated than it was. All I had to do was edit parts of the video to make sure it was a good length, capture the most crucial parts of the video, and then insert it in the GIF-Maker. I also had to stick some stickers on the GIF but that ended up being very easy as well.

I've also improved at connecting with different people and getting projects approved. I didn't realize before this project how easy it could be to set up meetings with people such as the GRTC. I assumed you had to already have connections and wouldn't be able to get too far. In reality, however, if you simply just send them an email, they are willing to meet with you. I've gotten approval and help from many different people during this project that I didn't realize were so accessible.

Something that I wish we had done differently with this Sprint was submitting our posters for printing earlier. We assumed that the turnaround time would be quick with these printing places so we submitted pretty late to each of them. While we did take into account how long printing would take, we never considered submitting even earlier if things went wrong. Things indeed did go wrong and we ended up not having our posters during this Sprint. For the next Sprint, we need to make sure we are submitting things ahead of time just in case anything goes wrong again. We need time to think of alternatives and backups in that case.