REFLECTION
Looking back at the project, I am pleased to some degree of what I produced and achieved however there is always room for improvement. Firstly I would of maybe chosen a different avenue to explore “ELearning” and solely concerted on either learning difficulties or the language barriers.
Initially I idea was to create a media product that could assist young children with either a learning difficulty or a young person who struggling with the language barriers with the hopes of getting the parents and the school more involve via technology. Looking back at my final product, there isn’t much elements that would off formed a strong working bond with parents and schools.
I wanted to create a product that would have been much help to relatives when growing up, I have a personal encounter with having a learning difficulty and my older siblings learning English in year 6. My older sister started to learn English in year 6 as we just migrated from Somali, speaking to her she spoke about the difficulties she faced whilst in school and the one thing that stood out for me is that she felt frustrated because she was given work at a lower grade just because she didn’t speak English. That made me think what is the root of this, and we both agreed that just because you don’t speak the language it doesn’t take away from you knowing the answers just in a different language. This notion was what I based my product behind.
Morever, as I personally suffer from a learning difficulty I often lack confidence in educational settings. For example growing up when the teacher used to ask the most dreaded question that wants to read out the first paragraph. Being dyslexic reading and writing has always been a challenge for me and being asked to read out loud did nothing but knock my confidence. So looking back at this project I really should of dedicated a page for the users to speak about their personal shortcomings such a chat forum. Speaking to other individuals who may be going through the same issues could somewhat act like a support system.
I really enjoyed the challenge of designing the interface and the adverts, I really wanted to make a simple application that is easy for anyone to use. The colour scheme was carefully throughout to ensure it was visually appealing but also research shows that people who suffer from a learning difficulty are more likely to retain information with the use of colours.
Overall, I believe that I completed the project to the best of my abilities but would loved of explore the possibility of adding a chat forum so that the user can gain confidence. With that being said I believe that I listen to the findings of market research and implemented then correctly. Doing so has given me the skills to adapt to any given scenario.
Research 2: How to Make An App
In this post i will be researching how to create an app from scratch with zero to beginner knowldge and skills. The reason being is becuase it will give me a better understanding and knowledge of all the steps it will require and what it entails.
I was enticed by a few different articles which had fundamentally the same advice, that acts as a guide in app making. Due to the advancement improvement in technology, app designers are in high demand and companies charge thousands and thousands of pound to create an app; whereby some entrepreneurs can’t afford to pay the prices for their services.
What Is Your Role/Aim?
Before anything can begin you must define the purpose and mission your App. There are several question you should ask yourself when coming up with the initial idea:
What will the App do? (Functioality of the App)
What problem will it solve ( the app) after doing extensive research to reach a underlaying issue/problem.
Research
The second step is probably the most reading you will have to do. Research is paramount to ensure your idea is original and gain targeted market research. Doing market research will give you inspiration and idea’s. The technical requirement of the app such as if your proposed idea is feasible and the market strategy.
Development
Get you ideas down on PAPER !! Sketching your interface will act as foundation for your interface. It will also help visually conceptualise your IDEA, helping you decide on features and the layout of your App.
Wireframe the game.
Create a wireframe to describe how your game will look like (https://marvelapp.com/pop/). Wire framing is in other words the mockup/prototype of your App using
softwares such as Balsamiq, Moqups, and HotGloo.
Storyboard
Create a storyboard of the different pages of how the app.
Programming
As stated above, to commission an App deleveloper can be costly. Which can lead to a financial restriction to some entrepreneurs. To resolve any feasibility issues there is a free software called “Xcode” which are available on Mac’s. This software allows you to make your own app by learning the language called “Swift”.
REGISTER AS DEVELOPER
FEEDBACK FEEDBACK FEEDBACK ! It is vital you do some market research of your own app getting people to use your app, to check for any technically difficulties. iTunes developer community is a service whereby it allows other people to test run your apps for their feedback about the design and any technical difficulties. This service cost $99 per annum. This last stage will double check everything is ready launch.
Doing all this research it made me realise what are the steps and stages of the app design process even though i will not be making a fully functioning app. I gained so much knowledge and has opened my eyes to how important it is to do research, market audience and feedback.
Sites Used:
A 12-Step Guide to Building Your Very First Mobile App: Part 1
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231145
A 12-Step Guide to Building Your Very First Mobile App: Part 1
https://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2013/11/14/how-to-build-your-first-mobile-app-in-12-steps-part-2/#2de5751ba282
http://codewithchris.com/how-to-make-iphone-apps-with-no-programming-experience/
https://fueled.com/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-develop-an-app/
Budget And Advertising
When thinking about my budget I must also consider the cost of advertising. There are different media platforms that I can use when thinking about marketing and advertising.
Print Advertising and Marketing
I first asked myself is it worth adding more cost to my budget if i choose to do print advertising and came to the conclusion of not going down this route as my intended audience are less going to see or hear about my app. Also because of new media, print has become somewhat outdated.
TV Advertising and Marketing
Then I went onto researching the cost of TV advertising, however the cost vary depending on several different factors. Diagram below shows the different factors that could effect the cost.
New Media
Youtube has over a billion users worldwide meaning more people are exposed to my app. The advantage of advertising on YouTube is that the a fee only occurs if the viewer watches the whole advert from start to finish. However because more people have ad blocker software on their desktop this could mean my advert will not reach as much people as I would want it. But on the other hand it will decrease cost for advertising.
And the winner is?
After reviewing all my options i will be making my app by myself using the Market payout route. This will give me to earn money after a month from the launch date. I will be making a advert on after effects which will be then marketed on Youtube, as i feel my intended audience are more likely to be engaged with. Lastly I will be using the cloud service “Google Play” to host my app and take care of the end systems. Google Play charge a $25 registration fee to become a member. The reason why I didn’t to go with Apple App store even though its $99 annual membership fee, the market payout option works best with Google Play.
Sites Used:
https://developer.android.com/design/index.html
https://developer.apple.com/support/compare-memberships/
https://www.itvmedia.co.uk/files/2514/5675/1084/ITV_Spot_Costs_-_2016.pdf
https://www.itvmedia.co.uk/advertising-opportunities/broadcast-advertising/rates
Project Proposal
PROJECT PROPOSAL
Working title: Fun2Learn
What is the intended idea / concept behind the proposed project?
To assist young children who are still in school who struggle with school due to the language barrier and any learning difficulites. It will break down the language barriers in school so they are able to learn the lesson plan in more depth by using different teaching techniques and the option to convert the lesson plan to their chosen dialect which will be tailored to their specific needs.
Justify the idea / concept in terms of the needs for its existence (if purely for entertainment, state this and how the output will be innovative/original and creative):
This concept will hopefully allow these individual’s who face learning difficulties the ability to learn at their required speed. It will also give them the independence and the ability to learn outside the classroom, which will hopefully show an postive increase in their grades. Family member can also benefit by knowing that their child has extra curriculum support they ultimately need as the teacher may be not able to give them the support they need in class. The app will also have a monitoring page so they can see their child/s progress. This concept will act as a bridge between the language barriers and eduction. This App is not limited to just student who do not speak English, it can also hep students with learning difficulties.
The App should greatly impact the student academic progression as it will give the the extra tome and resources to help learn in different ways that is tailored to their needs.
This concept can be used on smartphones (Apps) and computers (website). This means it has more than one way to access the publication.
Describe the intended audience:
The intended audience will be children with learning difficulties and children with a language barrier which restricts them from learning.
How will this project extend your or your team’s creative and technical skills?
In order for this project to manifest i will need to conduct extensive research on my chosen targeted audience, outlining what their needs to ultimately help me to produce an app tailored to their needs. To make the App i will be using Adobe XD to create the App interface. As i am not familliar with this software, which mean i need to ensure i leave enough time to watch youtube tutorials on how to create interfaces. This will really test my technical skills
Outline how the practical work will be carried out by you / the team (division of labour) and the time-scales involved for each task:
Upon completing my initial research i will move onto to sketching and brainstorming design ideas for the application. The App must be easy to understand and navigate for the intended audience. I also want to use bright colours to make the app more fun and ending. These initial ideas may have change in the development phases as i will be getting feedback from potential users.
After the initial interface design is complete, I will begin to start on the animation element of the app. Using the Adobe software “After Effects, Photoshop and Illustrator” I aim to make an advert to promoate the proposed product.