Question 1. This is a great idea, but what motivated the designer to go to such a big effort to design this app?
Answer. Designer: "On Australia Day four years ago my four year old daughter wandered off into a massive crowd. When my wife and I finally noticed, we set off searching for her in every direction. We had our two younger daughters on our hips.We co-ordinated by phone but there was no obvious place to go, nor an obvious direction to take.The Police were barely more equipped to search than we were. Ten minutes passed and the pressure was mounting... then my phone rang. A lady had found my daughter 400 meters away and called the phone number I had written on her arm before the event. So this plan had worked and our relief was immediate but we felt a bit bruised afterward. When I later looked on the app store for a good lost and found app I found nothing. Since I knew exactly what was needed I decided to design an app. The design is based around the concept of immediately giving 'finders' and 'losers' the information portal they need. iLost&Found will work fantastically well when someone has penned your wandering dog or cat in their back yard. All they need to do is list the pet and all you need to do is look and call. The drop pin makes it even easier." ---
Question 2. That about covers the motivation, but why so much effort?...
Answer. "The search power and the features of iLost&Found can be attributed to a minor OCD issue." ---
Question 3. What stops someone from collecting an item I have found and listed, when they are not the actual owner?
Answer. This problem exists with all lost property services whether it be a newspaper Lost and Found service or an internet lost and found service. The easiest way to prevent false claims of ownership is to not upload a photo of the item and instead ask the claimant for a description of the item when they make contact. To facilitate this, we have made the 'Photo Upload' feature in iLost&Found non-mandatory. ---
Question 4. Why would I pay to download an App after I have found something?... Where's the gain?
Answer. There is no need to download the app at all. However, if you would consider driving to the local Police station or visiting shopping centre management to register your find, you may see iLost&Found as a less expensive and more convenient option for ensuring found property is returned to its owner. We figure it will pay for itself via first use. Local Police will appreciate the reduced workload too. ---
Question 5. Why does this app cost money whereas other similar apps do not?
Answer. Permanence. You get what you pay for, a very professionally designed and easy to use lost property app. iLost&Found is clean.The focus is on effectiveness, convenience and simplicity. In the face of criticism from marketers, the designer insisted that the functionality of iLost&Found is not compromised by distractions or post download money gouging. With iLost&Found there are no hidden costs or extra costs. After making a one-off payment at download, you can permanently exploit this powerful app without ever having to face 'in-app' purchases, advertising and banners. ---
Question 6. How do I get the app?
Answer. The best way to get the app is by using your smart phone to open the Home page. Then tap the app store buttons. They will take you directly to the app in the respective app stores. Alternately iLost&Found will come up high in a search for 'Lost Property' on the Apple Apps Store. We're still working on lifting its ranking on Google Play. ---
Question 7. What is the little man symbol in the top left corner of the maps for?
Answer. This opens Google Street View. Just drag the man to a chosen location and let go, you will see the street view of the selected location. ---
Question 8. Why the frog?
Answer. It's a long story. ---
Question 9. Why can't I register a lost child?
Answer. For security reasons. The best way to control 'who is searching for your child' is by co-ordinating your search through local authorities. That said, if your lost child has been found and listed by someone, the app will tell you (via push notification). ---
Question 10. Why the catchy green and gold colours?
