Twitterbot Makers’ Statement:
Introduction:
Link to Twitterbot: @exploreslo
As students in Engl 421 (Technical and Professional Communications), we were tasked with creating a Twitterbot: a programmed software that controls and posts on an automated Twitter account without needing human delivery. Our bot was supposed to be tailored to our fellow students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, so we decided to program a hike recommendation bot- aimed at providing Cal Poly students with streamlined options for better exploring the trails of the SLO area. In this document, we discuss our epic user story, design process, intended audience, affordances of the Twitter platform, style choices, ethical concerns, and future improvements to our Twitterbot.
Epic User Story:
An epic user story is an industry term used to explain software’s ultimate purpose (i.e. the void it fills for its users). A user story describes the type of user, what they want and why (e.g. As a <role>, I want <feature> so that <reason>). Here is our Twitterbot user story: As a nonlocal Cal Poly student, I want helpful and funny recommendations for hikes, so that I will be motivated to improve my mental and physical health, explore San Luis Obispo (SLO), and feel more connected with the community.
Group Design Process:
When my we began brainstorming what function we wanted our Twitterbot to serve, we developed a list of problems that our bot could potentially solve. As a collective, we agreed that we wanted to take better advantage of the beautiful community we live and go to school in (i.e. San Luis Obispo, CA (SLO)). Furthermore, we all value the potential mental and physical health benefits of outdoor activities. Combined, the previous problem and value inspired us to create a bot centered around guiding new hikers on the best trails to try out in SLO. After this, we brainstormed what could hinder a person’s hiking journey. Three main issues we centered in on were inadequate hiking experience, poor knowledge of the SLO area, and lack of motivation. In response, we decided to advise our users of basic hiking etiquette and safety, a variety of hiking locations, and motivational coaching on the benefits of hiking. Finally, we used a list of hikes compiled by information specialists at the SLO Chamber of Commerce to decide which hikes to include in our bot.
Intended Audience and Purpose:
Our intended audience for our Twitterbot is nonlocal Cal Poly students. More specifically, students who want simple, effortless and entertaining reminders and recommendations to explore SLO’s stunning trails.
The purpose of our bot is twofold. First, the bot is intended to serve as an accessible and uncomplicated informational guide to hikes in SLO. From our groups’ personal experiences, as well as our peers’, we noticed that it can be both time-consuming and overwhelming to navigate a plethora of confusing Google results and reviews for hike recommendations. We hope that our simple list of the top hikes in SLO and associated fun facts, will simplify and make effortless the act of looking for hike recommendations for busy Cal Poly students. The second purpose of our bot is to promote students’ mental and physical well-being with a list of the benefits of hiking. In addition to providing accessible and uncomplicated information, we want this bot to motivate students.
Audience Consideration and Platform Affordances:
While creating our bot we considered what was needed by Cal Poly students that would be easiest to address on twitter. In choosing a “hike suggestion” bot, we thought that this would give students new activities to do and better connect with the SLO area. Using twitter to provide this information seems like an appropriate fit because of its simplicity, and most students are already twitter users and have a good grasp of how the format works. Our bot lets the user know what’s available to them in simple terms with minimal overhead, understanding that the majority of users will be able to navigate themselves to each trail using their phone GPS. In considering what ways our bot would be more effective than an internet search, we valued personality and the local insight. On twitter, the information can be relayed in a fun and amusing way that will catch users’ attention. And unlike Google, our twitter bot not only relays information but is also cognizant of what information is appropriate for San Luis Obispo residents. The bot is someone who knows the community and the hikes on a more personal level.
Style Choices and Bot Persona:
Choosing two different bot personas was important to fulfilling our stated purpose. First of all, we wanted our motivational voice to be friendly and encourage users to get outside in a positive, inviting way. Our second persona is more humorous, which we thought would be appealing and appreciated by our peers. Uncle Grizzly is gruff and snarky to tap into some of the humor we wanted to include with our bot.
Ethical Concerns:
Our major ethical concern in creating a hike suggestion bot was accessibility. We wanted to include hikes for all abilities, and be respectful of those with physical limitations, like those who use a wheelchair, so we tried to include trails of all levels. Another concern was economic accessibility. Some of our hikes require driving to the trail, but we also wanted to do our best to include information on hikes that are accessible on public transport. Freshman Cal Poly students are not allowed cars this year, and there are others in the community without access to a car, so we wanted to include information about which bus stops are nearest to certain trails and hikes that are walking distance from campus.
Peer Feedback and Next Steps:
To understand what our intended audience thought about, as well as how they interacted with our Twitterbot, we conducted informal usability testing with our peers. Overall, we received positive feedback on our bot’s intended function. Our peers also liked the Uncle Grizzly persona, and some suggested we use this persona exclusively. As creators, we decided to keep our informational and motivational tweets as a separate voice from Grizzly. We have two distinct bot personas, but because of the positive feedback for Uncle Grizzly, we chose a Twitter profile picture that prominently features Uncle Grizzly.
Although not feasible currently, in future iterations of our Twitterbot, we would like to incorporate more complex coding that would allow us to supplement our bot’s hike suggestions with hyperlink locations, pictures, etc.
Conclusion:
We hope you enjoyed learning about our Twitterbot! Remember to follow @exploreSLO if you want to get active and explore SLO!
