Do you live in the San Francisco Bay Area? If so, you might want to jump on the opportunity to get one of 50 Alpha invites to Waze (www.Waze.com) – a pretty cool Android Application concept that is about to launch private alpha. Here is how Daniel Feldman, a member of the Waze team, explained the app:

Waze is aiming to create the first user generated live driving map through the use of Smartphones. Our goal is to empower drivers to create, share and use real-time information (such as Traffic updates or road accidents) straight from their Smartphones. This has been both very popular and efficient in Israel, where we first began. Waze is currently seeking 100 alpha users in the Bay Area who’ll be the first users to participate in building this exciting project.

Lets start out with the cosmetics, I love the name “Waze”. Short, sweet and brandable while conveying exactly what the application is/does.

Based on the top picture, it looks like Waze users are rewarded for reporting accidents, traffic jams and other vehicular time-killers through use of the application. And in the general use of the application, you can see problem areas along your route and confirm/deny their accuracy. A great idea in concept… and it is a concept we’ve heard before.

I can see a few potential problems with this application, but that is exactly why you identify apps as being in Alpha/Beta. I’m hopeful that the application will be helpful right off the bat, but I’d be lying if I said critical mass wasn’t needed for an app like this to earn max value and popularity. Hopefully Phandroid readers can help with that.

So keeping in mind my understanding that the app is in Alpha, here are my concerns:

User Interface

The first screenshot seems pretty busy and if those little icons look itty bitty on a blown up pic, I can only guess the app will be a bit crammed in actuality. Stripped down. Simple. Intuitive. That is what people want – something that works. A lot of time all the bells and whistles only drag things down. The app should allow you to see accidents/traffic and report accidents/traffic… keep it simple.

Reporting Accidents

I really really hope that you don’t have the ability to take a picture of the accident scene as the second picture makes it seem. That will only increase rubberneckers, increase traffic and cause even more traffic. If anything, you should be able to select what type of accident it is with a list of already identified scenarios… bumper to bumper, car fire, overturned car, etc… it WOULD be interesting for people to see pics of the accident and I’m sure they could tie this into their website by providing a stream of live accident coverage. But that is stooping a little low if you ask me. Less informative and more for entertainment. Again, keep it simple.

Reward System

There appears to be a point system of sorts for accurately reporting accidents and other incidents. This is a great idea in theory, but how it is employed will make a big difference. Do users “get” anything beyond a pat on the back? While it is “cool” to have a high score in arcade games, I’m not sure how many people will be addicted to identifying the most accidents. But then again there are some weird people in this world.

What Gets Reported

On the Waze website they identify the following information available through Waze:

traffic

road construction

accidents & incidents

police traps & speed cams

available parking

All of those are awesome… except for available parking. Unless they are only identifying parking garages as being open or full, I think that is a pretty impossible challenge to conquer. I’ll be interested to hear what “more” includes and I’m sure that will change as the application grows.

Sign up for the Alpha!

The first 50 San Francisco Bay Phandroids who sign up through our link will be automatically enrolled in the Alpha Testing program. For those that sign up, make sure to report back to us with your reviews of the application so we can report to everyone else!