A mobile application specifically tailored for campus life has been reworked, refitted and re-released as the brand new MyState app.

Released for Android and iOS, MyState is a free application that stems off of the university’s previous official app, called ISU CoE. While MyState looks very similar to the old app, which launched in January 2012, new features have been added to make it an upgrade from the ISU CoE app.

Travis Ballstadt, digital media coordinator for the College of Engineering, is very optimistic about what’s being done with the new application.

“Shortly after the original app was released, we were contacted by the [Government of the Student Body] about doing an app for the whole of the university, and we thus morphed into MyState after deciding to essentially improve the old app by releasing a new one,” Ballstadt said. “Users will find it similar but improved.”

Both applications feature beneficial tasks and options that are especially accessible for anyone with a smartphone, as a constant data connection will allow full, uninterrupted use of the services provided.

Among these services are various icons that lead to different sources of information. There are news, events, laundry, directory, athletics, navigation, CyRide and dining icons to choose from, in addition to others that are equally as helpful.

Accessing these different icons allows the user to get a better understanding of anything having to do with campus. For instance, tapping “Map” opens an up-to-date campus map that looks very similar to the default map system on the device being used. The map is different from others, however, because it has been designed with students in mind.

Every individual street, building and important location is labeled. Even parking lots are designated on the map, and more or less information can be viewed by pinching to zoom.

Additionally, a “Locations” tab lists every building and location on campus, listed in alphabetical order with a search feature as well. Choosing a location will display a drop pin on the map, which will show a student how to get to where he/she needs to go. The map also utilizes the device’s native GPS to locate and display where a student is on campus, making getting around a breeze for new students or visitors.

Speaking of transportation, the CyRide feature of the app is beneficial for those that want something more advanced than a folded up map in their back pocket. With options like “Today’s Routes” and “Route Maps,” the app constantly updates with the most current routes in relation to time of day and location. Selecting a bus color will show the locations and times of where that bus will go. Using the color maps in combination with the interactive mapping system creates an experience sure to ease the stress of getting around campus.

Another feature unique to the app is the “Laundry” icon, which opens up a menu of different laundromat locations on campus. Selecting a location brings up a list of all washers and dryers in that building, along with their actual availability and how long each will take before they are open. Using this part of the MyState app allows residents to check the laundromat without even leaving their couch to see if a machine is available.

Development for these two diverse and informative applications requires the attention of numerous students, organizations and officials. In a collaboration between GSB and the College of Engineering, support for the ISU CoE app was dropped (leading to the app being removed from the iOS mobile platform) because it was felt the app had the message it was only useful for engineering majors instead of the entire student body. After GSB and College of Engineering teamwork regarding development, the MyState app is catered to help anyone regardless of their study interests.

Though the first app is now gone, the ideas and motives behind it still linger and influence its successor today.

“Years ago when the Apple app store opened, it was suggested that an app be developed by computer engineering students as a sort of senior project,” Ballstadt said. “This was when Tyler Bell came onto the scene and helped propel the app into existence.”

Bell, senior in computer science, has been working with the College of Engineering developing iOS applications since spring 2011. 

He developed both the ISU CoE and MyState apps, along with the Innovate app as well. As the sole iOS developer with the College of Engineering, Bell is responsible for designing, testing and fixing any and all applications (and their respective updates) having to do with the College of Engineering.

Bell said development has certainly been different this time around for MyState compared to the ISU CoE app.

“The original app had features that every student could use and enjoy, but the CoE branding made it appear to be a CoE-only application. The new MyState app is geared up and ready to help any student or individual with their on-campus needs at Iowa State,” Bell said.

“With the CoE app, we were developing [it] for ourselves at the College of Engineering rather than the whole of campus,” Bell said. “With MyState, we worked with the GSB to bring in new minds and discuss the potential of what MyState is and will be.”

Bell’s iOS development is paralleled with senior in computer engineering Joshua Schroetter’s work as the lead Android developer, as one of the MyState app’s improvements over its predecessor is that it is now on Google Play (previously known as the Android Market) as well as the iOS app store. For Bell and Schroetter, the collaboration between the College of Engineering and GSB has made their development ultimately possible. Likewise, GSB and College of Engineering are content with what their agreement has produced for the university.

Jared Knight, president of GSB, said they did not have the personnel to make a successful application for many years. When Ballstadt and his students came along, a partnership was made, and the MyState app was born.

“The CoE app quickly made us realize that student-wide availability was definitely possible and practical,” Knight said.

Students are encouraged to try out the app on their Android and iOS devices.