Doing laundry as a college student can be a challenge. Running to check which washer or dryer is available can be stressful and inconvenient. But now, students can do laundry without the guesswork of figuring out which machine is available. CycleTag is a student-made app created to track and notify when your laundry is ready, and what machines are available. This innovative solution is meant to bring a new and convenient experience for students doing laundry. The creator, Woobensky Pierre ‘27, shares the story of the creation behind CycleTag.
There are many inconveniences that college students face doing their laundry, such as forgetting loads, checking the laundry rooms multiple times to see which machines are available, and trying to get in contact with the owner of the load. “I realized that a lot of the issues were linked to the tracking system that we used, the whiteboard, where you put your name, the time you started, and your phone number.” Woobensky explains, “But this is a privacy concern for many, and you still aren’t reminded to come for your load, since it’s very easy to forget your load on a busy day.”
Woobensky did what most entrepreneurs do: he saw a problem, and he solved it. He says, “I noticed that the process would be much more efficient and private if it were digitized. By simply scanning a code on the machine and setting an estimate, CycleTag will notify you when it’s ready. You can also be contacted from within the app without sharing your number. Students can also see the status of the machines from anywhere, making the experience more seamless.”
Woobensky’s solution was proposed to Chris Carlson, dean of student life. “He really liked the idea, and he provided his support connecting me with RDs and CTS to integrate it in Nyland as a pilot,” says Woobensky. “I started developing it around July [2024]. For the first week, I walked through the laundry process and listed out the different features the app could have to improve the laundry experience. I decided to implement the most important features only: Tagging a cycle, seeing availability, getting email notifications, and being able to log in using your school account.”
When the 2024 school year started, Woobensky worked with Regina Miyares, RD of Nyland, to pilot CycleTag. It ran during the last 2-3 weeks around the end of the semester. “During the pilot, more than a thousand cycles were tagged, and we sent a survey, asking students which features they would want to see implemented as the app goes to the larger campus. Such features include: SMS notifications, email, app chat, availability chart, notifications when a machine is available, etc. Students also wanted to be able to navigate the app without their names being visible to everyone. So that influenced the new feature where you can have a laundry pseudonym or remain completely anonymous, while still being contactable.” Woobensky explains, “In the summer, during the Computer Science summer practicum, MuChen (Philemon Zhang) and I worked on implementing those requested features, ahead of launching the app in the other dorms”.
CycleTag has been an innovative solution for students to do laundry. When asked what’s next for CycleTag, Woobensky shares his idea: “We’re continuing to monitor how students use CycleTag, gather feedback, and refine both the features and overall experience. We do hope to expand beyond Gordon. The next stage is exploring adoption at other colleges and in the surrounding areas.”
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