Project Idea

The software project that I have come up with is basically a desktop assistant, called G’day Mate. This assistant will be Aussie themed. It will be installed and run as a program on your computer. The G’day Mate application will be your best mate when using your computer, whether you’re writing up an assignment, working, surfing the net or playing your favourite game. Mates look out for each other, and that’s exactly what G’day Mate is there for. The application will start off with a character named Gazza, ideally this would expand to a few character options. Gazza will deliver you the most important tips to help keep your life on track and healthy, when focused on your task.

Anyone who has ever been gaming, chatting on the net or so focused on work while on their computer, might have noticed hours just flying by. That’s where G’day Mate comes in. Personally, I have noticed that when using my computer, I lose track of time, I don’t drink enough water and I forget about important things I need to get done away from my computer. Who even knows what happens to my posture, and sometimes I have no idea what it’s like outside. G’day Mate will be there to remind you of some important things that are easily forgotten. Originally this idea came about when I was spending a lot of time gaming and thought it would be fun to have something like the old Microsoft paper clip, to let me know what the time is. From there I further developed the idea into a health tips type of application for people who spend a lot of time on their computers.

The G’day Mate software application will have many features. These features will be, to remind you when to drink water, to make sure you’re blinking and to take breaks looking away from your screen. G’day Mate will remind you to check your posture and Gazza’s animation will show you know how stretch and reset. The application will also let you know what the time is, so you stay on track. It will be linked to your calendar so that your reminded of your appointments. Another feature will be the daily local weather, so you don’t miss the chance to get some sun on you for the day.

Let’s break the features down.

- Reminders of, water intake, blinking/take breaks from the screen, check posture and how to reset and the time will be features of G’day mate that can be suggested in a half hourly – hourly time intervals, depending on user preference.

- Appointment reminders will be linked to your calendar. It will use your Microsoft calendar. This ensures that its versatile and receives information from the calendars linked to your email.

- The local weather will source information from a website such as

The application will also have an Options section. There you will find account information such as login and password details and it will be where the user can customise and personalise the features of G’day Mate. This will give the user the option of lessening or increasing frequency of each feature individually, as well as disabling anything the user finds not useful. Also, once further developed, the choice of different characters will be an option.

G’day Mate will also make recommendations to improve your health and wellbeing. Some examples are, making sure not to use plastic water bottles, and then prompt you questions like if you would like to know more? Giving you the option to either choose yes or no. If yes is chosen, it will explain why you shouldn’t use plastic bottles, then it will suggest a healthier alternative like using a glass or metal vessels instead. Another tip will be to ask if you have any form of posture aid for your desk space and a similar option will appear. This time if no is chosen, G’day Mate will suggest some things to improve posture like lumbar support pillow, an under-desk footrest or even a height adjustable desk solution.

The on-screen character of G’day Mate will have the ability to recommend products to the user. These product recommendations will also be linked to its own website, where users will have the option to purchase directly. This is a way that the application could become monetised. The application would be released as a free download. If users choose the easy option of clicking a simple product link suggested by G’day Mate, it would be the fastest way to purchase suggested products. The way this would be achieved is, by making the purchase in as few clicks as possible. No signing in would be necessary as the user would already have a login and be signed in when using the G’day Mate Application. If chosen by the user, shipping and payment options will be saved for an express checkout experience.

In order to successfully execute this software application, I will need the use of Git, GitHub and Atom. I would use Git to create the files I need and save any progress, as well as push progress to GitHub. This will ensure I have varied save points that I could access if need be. To write the code necessary for G’day Mate, I will use Atom. Atom is a source code editor that can be used with any programming language. GitHub would be where I will save the most current form of the software should I have anyone else assist or view the construction of G’day Mate.

To create a software application such as G’day Mate, I would need to have a high understanding of programming. Although I’m not proficient in programming yet, it seems most likely that it would be written in Python. Python appears to be a favorited coding language for developers to use. According to (codingem.com), this is because is easier to use and learn. I will likely need to outsource the character animation design work. The project would be difficult, and a massive workload for one person. This is where the ability to work as a team leader would be an asset. As well, if I was to extend the development and attach an online ecommerce store for ease of access to product recommendations, I will need to use HTML to design the website. An understanding of Ecommerce would also be necessary for a venture of that type.

Should this project be successful, I believe it will be of great value to anyone who spends extended periods of time on their computer. It will encourage its users to keep their reminded of their overall health that can easily be forgotten when focused in on whatever task it is they are committed to. Users of G’day Mate will be reminded to stay hydrated, take care of their eyes and posture. They’ll never forget that appointment they need to meet and on top of that they will be reminded that it’s a beautiful day outside, no matter what the weather is doing.