A new social media platform for students in Aberdeen is being launched.
Developed by students at Robert Gordon University (RGU), the platform called ‘Student Sins’ acts as a dedicated planner for students in Aberdeen.
Based on seven integrated applications (app), the platform is designed to help students plan a night out, budget their finances, create food and fitness plans, manage their academic studies, edit photos and apply for jobs.
‘Lust’ is the platform’s first app which has recently been launched and acts as a social planner for students by keeping them up to date with the latest social scene in Aberdeen, informing them of what is going on across the city, what peers are heading out and who is going to what.
Students who sign up to the app create a profile page where they can connect with other users by mutually ‘following’ each other, viewing and posting updates on social plans and commenting on other users’ statuses to help them plan a night out.
Andrew Garden, a fourth year International Business Management student at RGU who is spearheading the platform’s development, explains: “Student Sins is a social and planning platform for students designed by students.
“It essentially emulates the decision making process that students go through in their university life from socialising and planning nights out to budgeting, organising responsibilities, shopping and sharing pictures.
“I first developed the concept when I was at school as an organiser for students as I was struggling to organise exam dates, study plans, activities and my social life. The idea was that the student would input all of their information and the planner would bring everything together.
“During my first year at RGU I decided to take my idea forward and conducted focus groups with a team and surveyed over 100 students which highlighted that respondents were also interested in other aspects such as a night out app. From that point, I decided that the concept would cover every aspect of a student's life.”
In addition to ‘Lust’, the platform will soon launch its full suite of integrated apps which are named in line with the seven deadly sins: ‘Greed’ the budget app; ‘Crave’ the food app; ‘Envy’ the photo app; ‘Wrath’ the health and fitness app; ‘Pride’ the job app; and ‘Sloth’ the academic organiser app.
Andrew, who is now leading a team of 20 students responsible for the platform’s development, adds: “My course in International Business Management has been a major influence on the development of the project.
“Models I’ve studied on consumer behaviour have helped shape the ‘Lust’ app by facilitating each of the stages of the decision making process.”
Hundreds of students have signed up to ‘Lust’ following its launch earlier this month. Additionally more than 30 nightclubs, bars and pubs in Aberdeen have signed up to it which each manage their own profile page which every user automatically follows.
Student Sins is open to any higher education student in Aberdeen, and has the potential to be rolled out across other cities in Scotland.