The Discover Jesus App: Status 2023 Jul
Gary is working on assignment of each completed image to the completed essays.
Discover Jesus Updates
By Mike Robinson
PREPARING FOR IC23
We are excited to share the Discover Jesus app with attendees of the Urantia Book International Conference (IC23) in Chicago from July 24-28!
This will be the first time that we are sharing a live version of the app with a broader audience. Attendees will be invited to engage with the app using a laptop at the Center for Unity booth and during a workshop that Gabriel will be delivering during the conference.
While this will be a beta version of the app, it will include just under 100 articles on people, groups, events, locations, and topics from Part IV of the book. These articles are published in Wikipedia style entries and include images and hyperlinks to related content throughout the article and on the right side of the screen.
It’s an interactive delight that is only growing as we continue to develop essays and images. We are about 15% of the way to our goal of approx. 700 total articles!
DEVELOPMENT PROGRESS
Fraser and Lisa are working hard to prepare our version of the Discover Jesus app for IC23. Both are working to implement a user interface and user experience that is the best it can be in this early stage of development!
We plan to have working popups that appear when a reader’s mouse is over each hyperlink that shows an image and brief description of the term (person, event, location, etc.) so readers can either glean a brief overview or click in the box that takes them to the full article. Just like Wikipedia!
After IC23, we will shift to finishing development of the search bar within the app and a Journey mode for an interactive experience of select topics. After that, we will work on developing a mobile version of the app for use on smartphones as we know that internet usage continues to shift in this direction and is particularly true of younger users!
CREATIVE WRITING
The writing team is also working hard in preparation for our first public opportunity to use the app. In addition to Tracey K. who was announced as an addition in our last update, Lisa C. has also joined the team. Welcome, Lisa!
We are prioritizing the writer’s work to complete some of the most commonly referenced articles first. As a reminder, each essay represents an original new exposition of a Person, Group, Relationship, Event, Location, or Topic from part IV of The Urantia Book.
MEDIA CURATION
Gary has continued to paint for the app. He is using the Midjourney AI program to produce a draft and then completes the work himself. In our drive to prepare for IC23, Gary is working on assignment of each completed image to the completed essays. It’s the less-exciting part of his artistic work and yet so appreciated so we can ensure we utilize all his amazing artistry!
WE NEED YOUR HELP
As you can imagine, this is a huge project and we have a team of enthusiastic Urantia students working on it. Lisa is creating the pages, functionality, and the look and feel of the Discover Jesus. Fraser is developing the app to work on smartphones, tablets, and computers in both Apple and Android.
Please help us with a $25/month donation. Our goal is to reach 500 donors to sustain the development of the app!
Look for the Contribute button at the top of this page, or donate below.
Thank you!
