A nice thing about taking the skyways: you can walk around with your phone in front of your face and not worry about getting hit by a car.
A pair of local developers have created a free iPhone app to help people navigate and explore the Minneapolis skyway system.
The
Minneapolis Skyway app, by
Frypan Digital, includes a map and business directory that lets users search for stores, see reviews and save favorites.
Co-creator Casey Holley says the app has been downloaded more than 3,000 times since it was posted in the App Store a few months ago. They're hoping downloads will pick up some when winter arrives and more
people are using the skyways to avoid the elements.
"We've had a real steady number of downloads," says Holley. "I think it's just iPhone users saying man, this is confusing, there has to be an app for that."
One of the biggest challenge so far has been keeping information up to date. With around 400 different retail spaces, there's a fairly regular turnover among tenants. They're relying largely on the crowd to keep track of changes, which has worked well so far.
Holley says they've had lots of requests for an Android edition. That's in the long-range plan, but for now their focus is increasing use of the iPhone app and then building out services for skyway business owners to advertise and promote specials.
Source: Casey Holley, Frypan Digital
Writer:
Dan Haugen