With the first round of midterms under way, and libraries beginning to fill with anxious note card flippers and coffee-fueled all-nighters, many students are just now feeling the sting of getting distracted in class, as they realize all they missed while their eyes were glued to their phone screens.
Pocket Points, an app launched this semester at UW-Madison, aims to eliminate that problem by rewarding students for keeping their phones locked during class. Students earn points that can be redeemed for deals at local restaurants and businesses.
Founders Mitch Gardner and Rob Richardson initially launched the app in California last fall, but it quickly expanded to include 75 major institutions across the country by fall 2015.
Gardner said in a little more than a month on campus, more than 5,000 students have used Pocket Points in Madison, logging more than 200 years of time total off their phones.
“We wanted to go to all the biggest colleges across the country,” Gardner said. “And not just the biggest but also the most school-spirited ... so [The University of] Wisconsin was kind of a no-brainer for us.”
Product Development Admin Brent Glowatch, one of just 10 full-time Pocket Points employees, said the app creates a “win-win-win” situation by benefiting teachers, students and local businesses.
Although he hasn’t redeemed any of the points he has racked up in the past few weeks, UW-Madison junior Thomas Houghland agreed, saying the app not only helps students pay attention, but also helps nearby restaurants gain new customers.
“Pocket Points is a great way for companies to be better known,” Houghland said. “I think it’s a really good way for local businesses to make their way into campuses.”
UW-Madison junior Anna Hauer added that while earning points is fun and motivates her to stay off her phone during class, she hasn’t found the rewards to be useful because she doesn’t often eat at restaurants.
Gardner said his next goal is to use local sales representatives who know campus to continue adding new businesses every day and hopefully get more people excited about redeeming their points.
