Ottawa start-up creates app for new drivers

Written by Amira Elghawaby

Published in Stories

A start-up company called Radiant Design has recently come up with a nifty application to help new drivers learn the rules of the road. It's just one more offering from the start up that's got an impressive roster of clients including Carleton University, SPG Group, World Skills and ielp.

Shamima Khan, its Studio Director, talked with the Muslim Link's Amira Elghawaby, about the company's new product.

Tell me about your app. What does it do?

Our G1 Ontario Safety League app is a fun and educational iOS mobile application designed to help new drivers prepare for their G1 Ontario driving test. It is also designed to help all drivers, not just new ones, improve their knowledge of rules of the road and traffic signs commonly used in Ontario. We think any of your Muslim Link readers with an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad who want to get their G1 license, especially teenagers and newcomers to Ontario, would benefit from our Canadian driver education apps.

They are educational and fun apps which include a learning module, challenge mode, traffic sign game and hundreds of practice questions based on the MTO G1 Ontario Driving written test. You can get them on iTunes or through the app website at www.learnplaydrive.com. Our app is officially endorsed by the Ontario Safety League - the provincial road safety authority.

Why did your company decide to introduce this?

We come from a video game background (our game designer previously co-designed the Grand Theft Auto games among others) but we wanted to try to use games for good not evil! So we now focus on developing mobile apps that use game elements to make learning enjoyable and interactive. We also wanted to make apps that are useful and not just fun. Members of our studio were concerned about road safety in Ottawa and wanted to do something constructive about it.

How much work goes into creating something like this?

It's a surprising amount of work, especially to conform to Apple's requirements for iOS apps. We also had to learn new mobile technologies. But we were passionate about making this app which made it fun to work on the project. It took us about 3 months to implement the app including design, development, graphics and music.

What sort of demand have you found with it so far?

It's been great so far! We get a regular number of downloads daily. The best part has been getting emails and Facebook notifications from people all over Canada who discovered our app and found it extremely helpful.

How are you getting the word out that it's available now on ITunes?

We started with grass roots marketing: local supermarkets, high schools, newspapers, skateboard parks and libraries as well as our networks. The Ontario Safety {sidebar id=3}League has introduced our app on the provincial level. It will be advertised at all the Drive Test centers across Ontario. All driving schools certified by the Ontario Safety League will be able to introduce it to their students. The Ontario Safety League is also working with media such as theToronto Star and CTV to launch the app.

How do you measure success with this?

On a personal level, success would be helping people pass their test with the app. We recently got an email from someone who has struggled to get their license just using the official handbook. Unlike the book, our app is interactive and provides dynamic feedback. There are unlimited randomized practice tests and many different innovative ways to practice your knowledge within the app.

For our company, success would be an impressive number of downloads and users enjoying the app and telling their friends about it.

Tell me about your company. How long have you been around, and what other projects are you working on?

We founded Radiant Design Studio in 2010. Our team has been working together since 2007 (under other companies). We specialize in compelling user experience (what people see and how they interact with it) and interface design for web and mobile apps. We have worked on a wide variety of interactive applications, games and digital media. Right now we are busy implementing a radio streaming mobile app and an online application for a UK university among other design projects.

How can people who are interested in the company or in the app find out more information?

Our website is Radiant Design Studio and our apps are available at Learn Play Drive.

This article was produced exclusively for Muslim Link and should not be copied without prior permission from the site. For permission, please write to info@muslimlink.ca.

Amira Elghawaby

Amira Elghawaby is Muslim Link’s Editorial Advisor. She is providing professional guidance and training to the Muslim Link team and writers. Amira is also developing relevant newspaper and website policies and a style guide. Amira obtained a degree in Journalism and Law from Carleton University in 2001. Since then, she has worked as both a full-time and freelance journalist and editor, writing and producing stories for a variety of media including the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, CBC-Radio, Rabble and the Middle East Times. She is the History Editor for New Canadian Media. Find her on Twitter @AmiraElghawaby.