Drew Cogbill | Thesis Blog

There were some issues with Pigeon numbers and pins beginning with 0’s, which have now been resolved.

Pigeon can also now skip a message when 7 is dialed.  I’ve got something like 20 contacts now, and want to be able to skip through messages to play my favorite one for someone to hear or to find new messages.  This could be useful if you have 3 contacts as well.  Soon new messages should be cued to the top of the message pile.

A little under 50 people have signed up and been testing Pigeon so far.

I edited my original Pigeon video about 2 weeks ago but didn’t post it to the blog. The edited video (by happy accident) is just over 1 minute.  In a future edit, I’d like to emphasize the amount of information that I was able to fit into the video in just one minute (the same amount of time given for each Pigeon message).

Pigeon from drewcogbill on Vimeo.

Also available on YouTube.

/***Edit 2 April 2009 - Pigeon now has an official home online. Please visit callpigeon.com.

I’m looking for people sign up and use Pigeon, my thesis project.  Pigeon is a social network that you access through a phone call.  Pigeon gives you one voice message that lasts one minute to tell your world what’s up.  You can think of your Pigeon message as a voice status update, an audio micro-blog, or space for citizen journalism.  To learn more about the idea of Pigeon watch a video I’ve made on youtube or on vimeo.  Sign up for Pigeon by calling (713) 574-9488.

Once you sign up, you will need to add contacts, so feel free to send this along to any friends along with your new Pigeon number.  My pigeon number is 888-888.  Add me so I can hear what’s going on in your life and you can hear what’s up with me.

Of course this the system is still under development, and I’m excited to have user contribution shape my steps moving forward.  Any and all with an opinion and a little patience are invited to join.  There is currently only one US Pigeon access number - (713) 574-9488.  I also have a Skype code that can be used to call in; please contact me if you are interested in the Skype code.

Feedback about the system can be recorded on Pigeon by dialing “6″ at the main menu.  The comments you record will be sent straight to me.  Any comments about what you like and what you don’t like is greatly appreciated.  At certain times, I will prompt for specific feedback.

I’m also interested in observing people at different stages of Pigeon use (sign up and after using the system for a certain amounts of time).  If you’re interested in that observation, please contact me (and maybe I’ll contact you).

Pigeon from drewcogbill on Vimeo.

Also available at YouTube.

Pigeon could be used by US undergraduates studying abroad; here’s a storyboard exploring this idea as a user scenario:

More recently, I’ve been considering Pigeon for use in a developed context, and I think this has confused my work a bit.  This issue also came up in my crit.  In talking to Colleen, she said “if you design for the developing world, it could be useful for the developed, but if you design for the developed, it will probably not be useful for the developing.”  I’m really going to focus on developing areas moving forward.  Furthermore, I’m going to spend my next prototyping cycle exclusively considering how to communicate about Pigeon.  I’m going to develop other storyboards, other stories, and perhaps a short “commercial” explaining Pigeon.

I want future presentations of Pigeon to be much more narrative.  Any explinations of technical developments need to be embedded into a story about how this idea for a new system will impact people’s lives.

• a minute to leave a voice message telling your world what you’re up to
• a minute voice message telling your world what you’re up to
• one voice message to tell your world what you’re up to
• one voice message telling your world what you’re up to, in a minute or less
• one voice message for all your friends and family
• one voice message for one minute, connecting you to your world
• one voice message for one minute telling your world what you’re up to
• what you’re up to in a voice message
• tell your world what you’re up to: one minute, one voice message
• one voice message, one minute: tell your world what you’re up to

The simple online presence of Pigeon now allows you to both sign up for the service and sign in if you are a member to add contacts and accept or decline contact requests.

Below is a kind of “script” for signing up for Pigeon and adding contacts via SMS.

If first words sign up or signup (any variation of capitalization should be accepted):

1. Response text: What would you like your 9-digit Pigeon number to be?
2. [9-digit Pigeon number]
3. Response text: What would you like your 4-digit PIN to be? Your PIN will keep your account safe. - or - Response text: Oops! That Pigeon number is taken! What would you like your 9-digit Pigeon number to be?
4. [4-digit PIN]
5. Welcome to Pigeon! Your Pigeon number is XXX-XXX-XXX. Call 713 574-9488 to make contacts and record your Pigeon message telling your world what you’re up to.

If first words sign up or signup (any variation of capitalization should be accepted) and then numbers:

1. sign up [9-digit pigeon number] [4-digit PIN]
2. Response text: Welcome to Pigeon! Your - or - Response text: Oops! That Pigeon number is taken! Please text your sign up again with another number.
3. Welcome to Pigeon! Your Pigeon number is XXX-XXX-XXX. Call 713 574-9488 to make contacts and record your Pigeon message telling your world what you’re up to.

If first word add or addcontact or add contact or addcontacts or addcontacts (maybe addquick?):

1. add [your Pigeon number] [your PIN]. [others Pigeon number]
2. [Pigeon numbers] will be asked to add you as a contact when they next log on.

Or:

1. add (or other version) [your Pigeon number] [your PIN]
2. Response text: Text back all Pigeon numbers you would like to add as contacts.
3. [Pigeon numbers] will be asked to add you as a contact when they next log on.

I’m going to test these by just having people text my phone and signing them up myself.  I’ll use the online dialog for quickly signing them up.  I wonder if there will be any trepidation in sending the PIN number in a way that is not secure.

I’ve created a simple implementation prototype of Pigeon online sign up.  The script currently does not completely validate the form values.  It checks if a member number exists, but doesn’t check if a 9-digit Pigeon number is given and a 4-digit PIN is given.

Both online and SMS sign up don’t allow you to record your Pigeon name, so the phone system will need to prompt you to record it at log-in.  Currently, if there is no Pigeon name recorded on contact playback the system will fail.  This needs to be corrected. (Edit 7 Oct 11:36am) You are now prompted to record your Pigeon name at login if it doesn’t exist.

I want to explore other methods of web and mobile sign up to and distribution of Pigeon.  I imagine the Pigeon web site interaction consisting of a main page for logging in or signing up, a page with a little more information about the system, and a logged in page where contacts could be added and you could listen to your messages.  Also online, content could be delivered to other places such as Facebook or Google Chat away messages.

Wireframes of: home page, logged in page.

One day in class when discussing sign up, Colleen through out the idea that maybe someone would go around communities setting up temporary kiosks for signing up and making contacts or perhaps that an operator could exist which would set these things up for you.  Either situation, at some level, could be mediated through this web interface.  Would these types of activities be carried out by Pigeon proper or could they be small, side businesses by local entrepreneurs?