A new mobile app called Nimble is looking to help ISU students save face and give them experience.

James Don-Carolis, who has a master’s degree in biophysics from Carlton University, thought of an app that any student or professional can utilize.

The app is designed to automatically change a person’s ringtone, volume and wallpaper by simply walking into a lecture, workplace, campus or any professional setting. After the class or meeting is over, the previous settings would be restored.

“It’s a cool way of personalizing your phone,” Don-Carolis said. “It allows users to set up their phone the way they want it.”

Because the app automatically changes these settings, users will not have to stress about their phones making loud noises and “embarrassing” or unprofessional backgrounds being seen by others.

Don-Carolis realized that people use their phones differently depending on their location. The user’s locations determines the volume, ringtone and wallpaper.

“There was a limitation on how people could customize their phones,” Don-Carolis explained. “We want people to have the freedom to be more personable.”

After one and a half years of working with users, evaluating, testing and managing the business and development aspect of the app, it was recently ready to be released.

It is now available to download for Android users from the Google Play store.

“It was difficult to develop the app well for the Android,” Don-Carolis said. “We hope that the app will be available for all platforms in the future.”

Although the app is only available to Android users, Don-Carolis clarifies that they have multiple target audiences, which include students, working professionals, older demographics and for home and personal life.

Don-Carolis had the help from his co-founder, Hanna Farah, who is finishing a Ph.D. in software engineering at the University of Ottawa.

With a background in software development and working experience with International Business Mission [IBM], Don-Carolis said Farah was the perfect candidate to help develop the app.

Farah mainly specialized in the development of the app, while Don-Carolis handled the business side.

“We evaluated every piece of the app many times,” Farah said. “We probably had about 100 versions that ended up changing to make the best and final product for the user.”

Farah also said that lots of testing was involved, which included feedback from individuals who tested out the app. Feedback determined whether the app needed to be fixed so it was easier to navigate.

The duo is currently looking for one or two ISU students interested in the marketing field to intern with them. The interns would be responsible for getting feedback from those who test the app and gathering data to see what users liked or didn’t like about the app.

In the future, Don-Carolis and Farah hope the app will have more features that will benefit users and cause them less stress and become more professional.

“Many people have requested this type of app,” Farah said. “It’s rewarding to develop an app that many people get to use.”

Don-Carolis’ main objective of this app was to make it as easy as possible to use.

“It’s fun, exciting and available,” Don-Carolis said. “From the beginning, we decided to make the best app possible.”

Currently, Don-Carolis and Farah are still deciding on a name for the app, but it was last named Nimble.