GoodSamaritan was a mobile app prototype developed as part of my graduate coursework in Knowledge, Media, and Learning (KMD 2003) at the University of Toronto. The project set out to reimagine how technology could strengthen ties within local neighbourhoods, countering the isolating tendencies of virtual communities by using digital tools to foster real-world connection, assistance, and collaboration.
At its core, GoodSamaritan used an Augmented Reality (AR) layer and location-based services to make visible the “invisible” needs of a community. These needs, framed as “opportunities,” represented areas where support from nearby Good Samaritans could make a tangible difference. The project drew conceptual inspiration from the AR game Ingress, which I was actively playing at the time, but extended the model beyond entertainment to address social good.
The application centered on personalization, location-awareness, and gamified collaboration. Upon registering, users created a profile of their skills and interests, enabling the system to highlight relevant opportunities ranging from education and science, to small chores, pet care, or social causes. The in-app social currency, “karma,” served as both an individual and collective motivator, with rules that encouraged teaming up and sharing responsibility. Notifications and customizable alerts further supported responsiveness and engagement.
My contributions to Good Samaritan focused on conceptual design, gamification mechanics, and the structuring of its collaborative features. Working closely with my design partner, Sarah Zheng, I co-developed the application concept and helped shape the user experience, including how “opportunities” would be represented visually in both the AR and GPS views. I designed the core incentive system, introducing the app’s social currency and determining how it could be earned, spent, and leveraged to encourage meaningful engagement.
A central part of my work was structuring the platform’s social architecture, which balanced formal teams of friends with ad-hoc teams of nearby users, ensuring that collaboration valued diverse skills and abilities. Through these contributions, I focused on aligning the application’s mechanics with its central goal: strengthening local connections through technology-driven, gamified collaboration.
Although developed as a prototype, GoodSamaritan was a powerful exercise in translating social needs into digital design. The project deepened my expertise in gamification, incentive structures, and AR-based UX design, while also raising critical ethical and practical considerations. For example, the team explored safeguards against “gaming the system” through frivolous opportunity creation, and envisioned protocols for fairness and accountability.
The design also anticipated future integrations with emerging technologies, such as wearables that could alert users when passing nearby opportunities, or social media streams to track the progress of community projects. Plans for iterative development included user testing, cognitive interviews, and design workshops to refine the mechanics and assess impact.
More broadly, GoodSamaritan demonstrated the potential of location-based augmented reality as a catalyst for civic engagement and collective action. By combining personalization, gamification, and collaborative structures, the project highlighted how digital tools can be designed not only for entertainment or efficiency, but to strengthen the social fabric of communities.
Alisa Acosta 