DIG 3600 Design of interactive apps
DIG 3600 Design of interactive apps
Mobile phones have become an integral and inescapable part of our lives, and is involved in many daily activities. Combined with the accelerating pace of technological change, we have seen a massive demand for applications (apps) to fulfill a variety of needs. Consumer needs of mobile solutions are steadily evolving, and companies strive to constantly develop better and more user friendly apps. Organizations use these apps as an integral part of their business model, to communicate and interact with customers, consumers and the general public, to distribute services, and to expand their service offerings to users. Often, employees tasked with communications have exciting ideas and requirements for apps, while the IT department sees challenges and obstacles in implementation. Top management typically wants to offer leading technological solutions with apps that are innovative and capable.
There is an app for everything these days, and in this course you will learn the main principles of app development to create a prototype for specific objectives. Specifically, you will learn about the process of moving through the stages from design ideas, development, principles of making user friendly apps, and the potential applications of an app. You will learn the main principles of interaction design and create an app in the form of a working prototype. The course is project-oriented, where you will work in groups.
Learning elements in this course mimic how apps are developed in the real world, where agile development processes (smaller and more frequent deliverables instead of a complete working system), teamwork and cooperation are prominent.
- identify the usefulness of user testing to assess user friendliness and potential challenges in app development
- reflect on the principles of creating user friendly apps and interaction design in app development
- apply knowledge of the app development process to create a protoype
- identify the main principles of GDPR, which mobile apps must adhere to
- apply principles of user friendliness and interaction design to plan and manage app development
- use software to develop a clickable sketch or a working prototype of an app
Describe how apps and mobile solutions can fulfill different needs, from communcating with consumers, to interacting with the public, to offering and selling services, and to providing new services.
The course mainly consists of using software to develop an app in accordance with principles of interaction design and user friendliness to fulfill a need for an organization. The course will cover interaction design and user friendly design, user testing, concept development, and personas. The learning tasks include extensive practical work, where software is applied to support app development.
The course contains traditional lectures to cover theory and deliver instructions, practical work to learn software, and working on the prototype project. Students will be informed of the software employed at the start of the semester.
Higher Education Entrance Qualification
Covid-19
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there may be deviations in teaching and learning activities as well as exams, compared with what is described in this course description.
Teaching
Information about what is taught on campus and other digital forms will be presented with the lecture plan before the start of the course each semester.
| Assessments |
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Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 20 Grouping: Group/Individual (1 - 3) Duration: 10 Week(s) Comment: Project plan that describes the objectives and ideas regarding design of the app based on theory found in the curriculum. Exam code: DIG 36001 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
Exam category: Activity Form of assessment: Presentation Weight: 15 Grouping: Group/Individual (1 - 3) Duration: 5 Minute(s) Comment: Short oral presentation of the protoype ("elevator pitch"). The oral presentations are, as a general rule, executed in the form of recording and submitting a video. The presentation is based on work completed during the semester, and should be prepared prior to recording/execution. Exam code: DIG 36001 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 40 Grouping: Group/Individual (1 - 3) Duration: 1 Semester(s) Comment: Description of the finished prototype. This includes screenshots and explaining how the prototype functions. Exam code: DIG 36001 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 25 Grouping: Group/Individual (1 - 3) Duration: 1 Semester(s) Comment: Reflection paper on the work process. This includes decisions made, both practical and technical, and how the final version functions compared to what was planned. Exam code: DIG 36001 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 39 Hour(s) | |
Group work / Assignments | 100 Hour(s) | Work on prototype and exam elements. |
Prepare for teaching | 41 Hour(s) | Read the literature in the curriculum and learn to use the software. |
Feedback activities and counselling | 20 Hour(s) | Receive and implement feedback throughout the semester. |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 7,5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 200 hours.