FYP23039

Project Title: Instant Messaging Software for Academic Consultation

FYP Computer Account Name: fyp23039

Supervisor: Dr. Chim, Tat Wing

Students: Fung Ka Ho (3035902635), Chan Chin Hung (3035780879)

Background

To keep up with our increasingly fast-paced world, communication requires a much higher efficiency, which has given rise to the surging use of instant messaging software.

Figure 1: Number of mobile phone messaging app users worldwide from 2019 to 2025

According to the research conducted by L. Ceci in 2023, there were 2.56 billion mobile phone users making use of instant messaging software to converse with others in 2019. This number of users is still increasing. By 2025, it is estimated that the number of instant messaging software users will reach 3.51 billion.

The convenience and facileness of using instant messaging software are the key attributes that attract users. Unlike traditional face-to-face communications, instant messaging software allows users to chat freely whenever and wherever they want. Moreover, instant messaging software provides functions that allow users to converse with others through text or multimedia elements, like voice messages, emojis, or photos.

Figure 2: Percentage of survey participants think emojis are effective way of communication

According to the research conducted by Professor Priya Chandran in 2018, over half of the survey participants reported that using emojis can effectively facilitate their conversation. It indicated that mixing text and multimedia elements in the conversations significantly increase communication efficiency and productivity as app users have multiple ways to express their ideas or even facial expressions, which cannot be done solely with text.

Motivation

Currently, sending emails or face-to-face meetings are the two major approaches for the student to consult their teachers. Compared to using instant messaging software, both approaches are relatively inconvenient and time-consuming as they require students to present at school or draft an email with a serious tone and formal formatting. Email in particular is conventionally used for discussing a particular subject but not casual chatting on more than one subject. Therefore, by designing instant messaging software for students, they will be allowed to talk to their teachers more easily and conveniently, and communication will become much more efficient and productive.

In addition, a lack of interaction between teachers and students during lessons is a common circumstance nowadays. The discourse pattern in most lessons remains a one-way communication between teachers and students. Being with most of the time in the lesson is occupied by the teacher to deliver the lecture content. This situation leads to a reduction in students’ learning efficiency and productivity. By making use of the real-time chatting feature in the instant messaging software, teachers are allowed to create interactive quizzes on the software during the lesson. By showcasing the quizzes on the software, students can be further engaged in the class by focusing on answering the quizzes. Hence, the learning efficacy of students can be improved as they would be more focused in class.