Creating a Mobile Phone App

Lesson 1

• Investigate how the mobile phone app industry has developed over recent years

• Identify the criteria for what makes a good mobile phone app

• Design and create your own mobile phone app that meets a target audience – considering information required, layout and design

• Finally, evaluate your app for suitability and pitch it to an audience

In this unit we will...

The Mobile App Project Brief is available from Moodle under Year 9 Curriculum

• By the end of this lesson you will:

• Be able to describe what a mobile phone app is

• Understand how the mobile phone app industry has developed over a relatively short period of time

• Be able to identify the criteria for what makes a successful mobile phone app

Lesson 1 Objective:

• Think of an app as a software program for your mobile phone

• They range in size and complexity - simple torch application to a medical reference guide.

• There purpose is to …. Entertain, Inform, Communicate

• What apps do you use?

What is a mobile phone app?

Activity 1 - Your Top 3 Apps• In pairs, decide on your top 3 current apps

• How many times a day do you use an app?

• For what purpose - Entertainment, Information or Communication?

• Some examples for you!

15 Mins

• Does any one know when the 1st mobile phone was available to be sold to consumers?

• 1983 - It was not very mobile!

• Weighed about 1 kilo - 1 bag of sugar.

• Made by Motorola. Cost around £2k plus contract charges

• Talk time was 30 minutes max

• Took 10 hours to recharge!

Timeline for Mobile Phones & Apps

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• 2011: 29 billion apps downloaded globally

• 2014: 77 billion apps expected to be downloaded. Projected worth £23bn!

• Most popular apps (2011) : Facebook, Google Maps, News and Weather apps e.g. the BBC and Weather Channel

The Size of the Market

• 1G mobile phone- smaller, cheaper, longer battery life• 2G launched - Moved to digital – better quality of signal and

more information can be sent

• Apps begin to take off• 3G – Faster, better security, improved coverage• 4G – Even faster, high definition• 5G – Even faster, high definition

Timeline for Mobile Phones & Apps1983

Early 90s

Mid 90s

2003

2012

End of c.20

1st mobile phone

1G

Rise of www.

3G2

G

4G

Future 5G

Consider the following things:

• Is the information relevant to the target audience?

• Is it clear, up to data, accurate and unbiased?

• Are the images meaningful?

• Is the font size suitable?

• Is the site easy to navigate and use?

• Does the site contain useful links?

What Makes a Good Phone App?

Activity 2: Evaluate a Phone App• Working in pairs

• Chose an app you use daily/ weekly. Discuss why you use it (using the criteria we identified earlier). Identify one thing you would like to improve.

Task: write a short paragraph identifying: 1. The app2. Explain why you have chosen it3. Identify what you would like to improve

I use this phone app a lot because...

To improve it I would ...

20 Mins

Plenary - Recap Game – what’s the answer?

In pairs, grab a sheet of paper and record your answers!

How heavy was the 1st mobile phone?

What did it weigh?

In which year was the 1st commercially available mobile phone sold?

What generation of phones has recently been launched in the UK?

How many mobile phone apps were downloaded in 2011?

Name the 3 main purposes of a mobile phone app?

How heavy was the 1st mobile phone?

It weighed the same as a bag of sugar = 1Kg

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In which year was the 1st commercially available mobile phone sold?

1983

What generation of phones have recently been launched in the UK?

4G

How many mobile phone apps were downloaded in 2011?

29 billion in 2011

Name the 3 main purposes of a mobile phone app?

EntertainmentInformationCommunication

Have we met today’s objectives?

• By the end of this lesson you will:

Be able to describe what a mobile phone app is

Understand how the mobile phone app industry has developed over a relatively short period of time

Be able to identify the criteria for what makes a successful mobile phone app

Additional/ Support Slides

What makes a good mobile phone app?

Good Mobile Phone App

Has a meaningful purpose for the target audience

Contains useful links

Information is up to date,

accurate and unbiased

Font size is clear

It is easy to use and navigate

Images are interesting

and relevant for the target

audience

What percentage of apps are only used once?

25%

• It is who the product/service is aimed at. It is usually defined by the following attributes:

• Age

• Gender

• Occupation

• Location

• Income/Wealth

• Level of education

• Interests

What is meant by target audience?