FEED: Blog post 3

Personal reflection:

As discussed in my previous blog posts, we were given the task to create our own media platform/app/prototype. This was quite a daunting task, having never made an app or experienced coding with such a broad range of routes to take, I knew there was going to be plenty to learn throughout this experience.

To make this app a success, required commitment and dedication from both members of the group. Given the current climate of Covid-19, it was a challenge to be able to work together without the face-to-face interactions we were used to within-group work. However, to tackle this problem Sam and I would Zoom call initially two to three times a week, before increasing to almost daily with updates on our process, ideas, and developments. We found this effective as it meant we kept in touch and informed on our own ideas further being able to merge them, thus creating FEED.

Working as a team always has its challenges, due to the different methods of learning people operate within. The dynamic between me and Sam was one that once we understood each other’s learning style, worked well. This was due to Sam being an imaginative creative force and myself being an organised, structured closer. Expanding on this, Sam tended to continuously come up with new ideas and questions for research, this was great in terms of exploring and developing the project. However, to ensure we stuck to targets I put deadlines in place for us to meet to keep on track and move onto the next element. This working relationship worked well, as Sam brought out the creative elements in me and myself bringing organisation to Sam.

It was my role within the group to design the app itself. As this was the main demonstration of our ideas, I knew this would require a lot of time and dedication. I have never previously used any app designing or coding software, therefore I wanted to find the simplest and effective software possible. After browsing the internet (using Ecosia, of course), I came across MIT App Inventor and watched a few tutorials, and quickly got going with the software. When I began making the app and developing features, I discovered that MIT has a limit of 10 screens that can be used for app design. This was a problem, as FEED required more pages due to the vast elements we had included. This led to us cutting out some of the “less important” pages to keep all the key elements included. This is something in the future when the app was made “professionally” we would not have to sacrifice.

Many phases within the app development process demanded changes and alterations, which required repeatedly going in and editing the app. As you can see from the comparing videos, the app went through many changes and alterations to get to the final product. Against all the hours of editing, we ended up with a product I am ultimately, very proud of.

Overall, despite the challenges and doubts, faced throughout this process, to have a final working product, extensive research, and business plan in place is a huge achievement where there is room in the future to develop and expand on these now existing ideas.

INITIAL IDEA AND APP MOCK-UP:

FINAL COMPLETED APP:

Blog post 1 HERE

Blog post 2 HERE