Alumnus Designs Efficient Mobile Software

Mass discussions facilitated with new technologySophie MattsonTHE SANTA CLARAOctober 31, 2013[dropcap]Q[/dropcap]uad, an application created specifically to organize communication for large groups on college campuses, allows up to 200 people to message each other in a collective space. Users can send voice clips, photos and stickers as well as share locations with each other. The app was designed by Appsurdity, a mobile application development company founded in 2012 that was the brainchild of Matthew Murphy, a 2002 Santa Clara alumnus. “College groups are the main way of shaping a student’s college experience, and since communication is so key for how these groups make things happen, we needed to build a better communication vehicle for these groups and it needed to be mobile,” said Murphy.The idea for Quad was first conceived following discussions Murphy had with his interns over the summer, where it was recognized that campus organizations primarily communicate with their members using email and Listserv, a program that allows emails to be sent to specific lists of people. The fact that mobile communication applications such as Groupme do not allow chats of more than 50 people prevents groups from using them as a substitute for email.According to Murphy, other mobile communication applications limit the number of people in group chats, and only allow users to establish connections with people they already know.Murphy finds this cumbersome, especially if a user is a freshman on campus who wants to meet new people. Quad solves this problem by allowing users to communicate with others who aren’t in their address books. There are also different kinds of spaces in which communication can take place depending on the type of conversation, including public quads, private quads and hidden quads, in which users must be invited.After taking three months, Appsurdity launched Quad in September, just in time for the new school year. Quad is currently used by a total of 2,000 schools across the country.Appsurdity utilizes the university brand ambassador program. Students are assigned missions every week, which include reaching out to club presidents, teachers and teacher assistants to recruit new Quad users. Santa Clara currently has two brand ambassadors from Appsurdity, which Murphy hopes to expand. “We would like to have four or five ambassadors at Santa Clara from many different kinds of organizations to work together and help spread the word,” said Murphy. “We like people who are energetic, social in nature and that are excited about Quad’s mission to transform groups on college campuses.”Santa Clara senior Kate Treacy, a social media intern for Appsurdity, thinks that Quad is an ideal resource for Santa Clara because of the capabilities it gives students. “Santa Clara students want to make things happen, make a difference and make their mark in the world. But they also want to have fun, make friends and express themselves,” Treacy said. “This is exactly what Quad wants to give students: a powerful platform for connecting, mobilizing and doing big things.” Contact Sophie Mattson at smattson@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.