Mobile Development - U+Where
After playing around with Appfurnace, we were then given the task to design our own app for students that will be joining UWE. As I came through clearing and had to go through the ordeal of finding a house, I thought I would create an app aimed towards students doing the same.
I started by writing down a brief list of all the functions I wanted my app to do as well as a quick drawing of a layout. The main features would be: searching for the property, a list of properties in user determined order, a property page, map and a gallery.
I then looked at apps similar to mine, the two I looked at were the "Rightmove" app and the "Zoopla" app. From looking at both apps there was not much difference between them. Both contained the features I specified, a search engine, user defined list, property page, map and a gallery.
Creating the App
Sticking to the design I originally created I made the home page. Like the two example apps, I tried to keep a maximum of 3-4 colours and make the layout similar so that the navigation is easy to use. As my app was used specifically for UWE students I mainly kept the colours to red, white and grey.
I originally wanted to use a search engine to find properties, but instead I chose buttons. This way it would be easier for the user as they would only have to select an option instead of typing. I also placed a link at the bottom of the page that would send them to the UWE website with information about the area and travel.
To make sure the app stayed exactly how I wanted it to look on all devices, I used the fix to bottom/top options. I did this because when I viewed the app on an iPhone 5 the footer wouldn’t sit on the bottom and would float. Doing this also fixed the same layout problems with android phones
Once the user had selected one of the three option from the home page, they would be sent to the house listing page. I made three different lists, each one in order of user defined preference with a segment of information.
Because there were quite few houses, instead of placing ach property on a separate page, I gave the page some interactivity. To do this I used the “ScrollArea” function, this gave me the opportunity to put more information on one page.
When the house was selected, there would be information on the property with it’s image at the top of the screen, this was essential so that the user knew they were looking at the correct property.
Also on this page I placed a map focused on where the property is, along with a marker showing exactly where the property is on the map.
Finally on the property page I added a gallery, this was linked to a separate page in which the user could scroll through a gallery and view each image.
All information on properties was taken from rightmove.com and the UWE website.
Analysis
Overall I feel I have a strong idea for an app however, in order for it to go further, there are a few areas in which I would look to improve. Firstly I would introduce a search engine into the home page, this way I could add more options. Another feature that I wanted to add was a pop-up gallery that opened when you selected an image. I feel this would look more professional than the already shown gallery.
If you are interested in this app then please watch
the video to the right or if you want to view it on your
phone, download the Appfurance app, scan the
QR code and try it out for yourself.