Lesson 1: Playground Basics

Why are apps so popular?

In my opinion, apps are popular because they help make our lives easier, for example, getting information from just one place and immediately, they are also useful for communicating, as you don't have to send letter or emails anymore, you can just open WhatsApp or Messenger and the message will arrive to the other person in less than a second; this makes it makes our life and communication faster, allowing us to solve problems easier.

What purpose do apps serve and what about them makes people keep wanting more?

I think the purpose of apps is to help us, and entertain us, for example, when you're on Instagram or Snapchat you get entertained looking at the pictures of your friends or famous people, or just jokes, and you can spend all the time you want there. But there comes a time when you get bored of the same, and it is time for the app to update, just as Snapchat updated with its filters and Instagram with its brand new logo design. Or maybe there's something people don't like about how the app is working, so they fix the problem.

Regularly used apps, What made you download it in the first place? What need does it meet? ​Write down the problem you think each app solves. What is its purpose?

• WhatsApp: what made me download it in the first place is that everyone had it, and it meets the need of communicating, I think it solves the problem of slow communication, as you can send messages, voice notes or pictures in just seconds.
• Instagram: what made me download it was that i could see what my friends were up to, I could also see what celebrities' life look like and i think it meets the need of entertaining, its purpose is to take pictures of you and things you love and share them so your friends can see what you like and viceversa.
• Twitter: I dowloaded twitter because it lets me post whatever I'm thinking and in my opinion it meets the purpose of letting your true self show, without the fear of being judged of what you think. It solves the problem of judging and its purpose is to connect people by using hashtags.
• Facebook: I downloaded Facebook because it was the most popular way to share your thoughts and talk with your friends, you can also share pictures and i think it solves the problem of distancing, as you can see what other people are up to by just clicking on their profiles.
• Clock: I find this app really useful, as everyday I set an alarm (various) so I can get up, so I use this app every morning. This app also serves as cronometre and you can also see what time it is in any part of the world.
• Snapchat: What made me download Snapchat is that i love pictures, I love taking pictures of me and the things I do, and I also like to know what my friends are up to, I think this helps solving the problem of communication and it helps making friendships stronger and funnier.

Lesson 2: Naming and Identifiers

Idea Storm: You could have ideas about an app that already exists, but maybe you want to know how it works or how to make it better. Write down even the apps you think are impossible or just plain silly.

1. An app that does my homework
2. An app that wakes me up every morning with music that makes me have energy so I don't feel sleepy on the morning.
3. An app that chooses my outfit every morning
4. An app that reminds me that I should drink water
5. An app that I could tell things to (via voice) and it would help me remind them to me and recommend me what I should do first and that it could like think for itself.
6. An app that could tell me what to wear in different occasions
7. An app that keeps me from awkward situations
8. An app that tells me what to say when I have no idea

Lesson 3: Strings

Who's your audience?: Write down who you think each app was designed for. What kind of person would download that app? Do you think the app will meet their needs?

1. WhatsApp: the audience is from people to 12 to 80 because whoever who already has a phone would find this really useful. Students, workers and families use this app to communicate. People older than 80 in my opinion, would find it hard to use an app, as they're not really used to it.
2. Messenger: 15 to 80 because many people have Messenger (which is a chat for Facebook) until they're teenagers, any person would download this app because it doesn't have an specific purpose, just sharing.
3. Facebook: 15 to 80 because many people have Facebook until they're teenagers, any person would download this app because it doesn't have an specific purpose, just sharing.
4. Instagram: 12 to 80, as it works for sharing pictures of you and things you love.
5. Snapchat: 12 to 80, this works for people that like to know what their friends are up to and/or like to share what they do in a daily basis, also for people who like taking pictures.
6. Twitter: 12 to 80, this works for people that like to know what their friends are up to and/or like to share what they think.
7. Subway Surfers: 10 to 18, as only teenagers seem interested with this app, a it works for entertaining.
8. Flappy Bird: 10 to 18, as only teenagers seem interested with this app, a it works for entertaining and not stressing.
9. VSCO: people who like art and photography use this, 16-30, usually used with a professional camera.
10. FaceTune: 16-30, people who like taking pictures of themselves and fixing some things that didn't like about the picture.
11. Youtube: 0-99, as it has videos suitable for all ages.
12. Uber: 18-99, as usually people who can take care of themselves use this.
13. Netflix: 0-99 because it has content for all ages
14. Spotify: 0-99 because it has content for all ages
15. Sing! Karaoke: this is mainly functional for people that like to sing, as it allows you to sing with people around the world, and the ages go from 15 to 99 as it is not safe for little kids to wander in apps where all the world is reachable alone.
16. Waze: 18-99 because mostly people who can drive use this app.

Lesson 4

Why Apps? Rank them in terms of their UI design. Which apps are easy to use and seem to “just work”? Write down the reasons that some apps are easier to use than others. Compare your notes with other students. Did ​you agree on the reasons?

Whatsapp: 10/10 I think WhatsApp is really easy to use because it uses a lot of drawings and explanations, everything is very well explained, allowing us to use it as it should be used, not just partially and take advantage of all the functions it has.

Twitter: 9/10 I think that twitter is easy to use, but recently, they added a "news" option which is really hard for me to understand and it doesn't have like explanations or drawing to help us understand it. Additionally, if you want to search for help, the FAQ's are not very useful.

Instagram: 10/10 This is a really simple yet very entertaining app, and the reason why is because it is very simple to use

Facebook: 8/10 I think Facebook's model is to ancient, thy need to change it to a more modern design because it has too many letter and not a lot of drawings for us to know all its different facilities.

Clock: 10/10 Clock is something I use everyday and i think the reason why everyone loves it is because it is so simple yet so useful, and it also consists mainly in drawings for us to know what each function does.

Snapchat: 10/10 Snapchat is pretty much about pictures, so that's what it uses. For example, when there is a new update, Snapchat sends you a video of the new features, instead of a lot of text which you don't want to read. It also has sort of a news section as Twitter, but it uses many different images, videos and music, making it attractive for people to watch them.

in my opinion, some apps are better to use than other ones because the ones that you can use easily often contains drawings on the buttons so you can know what every thing does. Apps like Facebook, for example, for me are really difficult to use because it has too many features, such as games, chats, apps, announcements, it just has everything you can imagina, and it is a bit complicating for me to know everything, because it uses too many letters and not drawings.

My friends and I agreed on the reasons why some app have a better UI design than others.

Lesson 5

Lesson 2: Idea Storm. Take a ​look at your “Idea Storm” list. Which ideas stand out to you now?

Only 3 ideas "survived" from my list, because I decided to make an app that will help people in many different situations.

6. An app that could tell me what to wear in different occasions

7. An app that keeps me from awkward situations

8. An app that tells me what to say when I have no idea

For those standout ideas, what problem or purpose does each of them address? Can the problem or purpose really be solved with an app?

All of my ideas explain the problem it will solve, and I'm sure my app will solve them because we will have different platforms for people to click on for different occasions and I will be constant, uploading new content and solving problems.

Will your app be disruptive? What can your app do better ​than any other app?

I think many apps don't interact a lot with their users, they just give them information and let them do whatever they want with it. But my app is different, because it has contact to someone who can solve doubts and give you even more detailed information.

Lesson 6

Turn some of those ideas into app statements

Problem: What can I say for specific occasions?

My app solves the problem of people who are shy at socializing with people who are important to them or important for their future, such a s a girl you like or a job interview.

Problem: What to do when bored?

It also solves the problem of being bored, as it includes games as would you rather… and truth or dare.

Problem: How to get dressed for specific occasions?

Also the problem of not knowing how to get dressed for specific occasions.

Lesson 7

Hardware features in innovative waysMy app will have a website and an iPhone/iPad app, which will of course have a touch screen to select the categories, a camera to FaceTime with people or helpers whenever you need to and a GPS, in case you want to meet with someone to talk about something.

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Lesson 8

Idea Storm... Again

• An app that will bring me food wherever I want to
• An app that will tell me what to say and how to dress like
• An app that will tell me when I'm sick by introducing my symptoms
• An app that if I want a personal assessor, I will pay for premium for me to have it and gain money
• A chat for people to communicate between them and help each other
• Have many categories
• Get inspiration from tumblr
• Make a profile for each user in order for it to find what he is looking for in an easier way
• Add articles, memes for people to entertain
• Add some games like "would you rather" and "truth or dare"

Lesson 9

Do your research

Take a good look at the App Store. Do your app ideas already exist? No What are people finding difficult about the app? What else ​do they wish it could do? Where are people getting confused?

We decided to be creative and create an app that is completely out of the market, we did our research, and there is no similar app to What should I say?!

But we found an app called "Moodi: Say what you need" to say in which you type your problem (emotional, scholar, etc.) and people type some solutions you could follow, and vice versa. So we thought we might add this communication system in our app.

Lesson 10

Write down a few design principles that will be important for your app.

My design principles will include the primary ones that apple tells you your app should have, but I'm also going to add some of my own, they have the same name, but different content, take a look at each one of them:

1. Clarity: Every corner of our app will have a legible text, meaning that every size and type of letter will be understood. We will also include some icons that will help users find what they are looking for in an easier way, and a sharpened focus on functionality motivates the design. To highlight something important, we will use negative space, colors, fonts and graphics that will help with interactivity.
2. Deference. Our design will be minimalist, with this we mean that avery space of our app will be used wisely, we won't fill al the screen with absurd color that will just distract the user, we will use use bezels, gradients, and drop shadows keep the interface light and airy, while ensuring that content is paramount.
3. Depth. We will use different visual layers and realistic motion convey hierarchy, to impart vitality, and facilitate understanding.
4. Aesthetic Integrity: We are looking for a minimalist design, but with this we don't mean it is going to be all black, grey and white, it just means it won't be all messy, we will add colors in order for the user to not be bored and have curiosity about the different functions of our app.
5. Consistency: A consistent app implements familiar standards and paradigms by using system-provided interface elements, well-known icons, standard text styles, and uniform terminology. The app incorporates features and behaviors in ways people expect.
6. Direct Manipulation: We will have an app capable of rotating the screen, either horizontal or vertical. We will create this by just rotating the screen, creating instant results, and this way we will give the user to compara which is more comfortable for him.
7. Feedback: At the contact area, we will have phone numbers, e´mails and a FAQs area where you can leave your comment and will be instantly taken into account.

Lesson 11

Find an app that demonstrates each of the following best practices for designing apps. Find an app that has an appealing icon. What makes it appealing?

I think Snapchat has a very appealing icon, it is yellow and has a ghost on it, not too boring, not too striking for it to bother. And when you enter to the app, it it obvious what you should do. It is very simple, the level of simplicity and fun I want for my app.

What will most users want to do with your app? Make that the initial view. How many taps does it take to get to the main part of your app?

Our app is very easy to use, when you first get in, you just have to create a username and a password (this, if you want to communicate with other people and access to the premium features), but if you don't have time for that, you'll just clic the option "navigate without an account" and that will drive you right to the main menu. The next times you open our app, that's where you'll arrive to.

Exercise