PUSH notifications let websites and/or apps extend beyond the browser and are an incredibly powerful way to engage with users.  The purpose of this project is to investigate methods of engaging with users through the use of such geo-fenced notifications.

Geo-fencing allows you to establish a virtual fence around a predefined geographic area.  When a user enters (or exits) the area, an app can generate a PUSH message to the user.  This method of communication is used in multiple contexts, including retail to share sales updates with nearby customers.  In higher education this model could be utilised to deliver contextual and relevant content to an individual when they are within the virtual fence, to add value and deliver a better experience. 

Aligning to the Personalised Experiences theme of the University Web Strategy (2018), this project will investigate the use of improving the user experience through location triggered content on campus.

It will look to determine possible use cases and pilot one of these with the technology to deliver such content, using a proof of concept Progressive Web App. Within the Web Interfaces Team alone there are two Services which would benefit from the output of this research and technical implementation; the MyEd Portal and Notifications Service.

Continuing on from the success of employing two Employ.ed interns within the team during the summer, this proposal should also be seen as an opportunity to allow for a student to work alongside and gain experience on how Services transition through a continual service improvement process, through running UX sessions to deploying a tangible proof of concept web app