00/01 Monday Play: iStudiez

iStudiez by iStudiez Team
App Store: 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/istudiez-pro/id310636441?mt=8
Category: Productivity
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

I’ve made it through this semester with the help of this app, iStudiez. It is a to-do list app specially designed for students of any academic levels. What I needed were an easy-to-navigate class schedule and a project notification, and this app has provided them all for me. Being a forgetful person I am, I can check instantly which classes I have today, where the classes are taught, what the projects are about and when the projects are due. Overall, it is a totally perfect app for every busy student!

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02/00 Project 2: Rough Concepts

Team Members: Siri, Jorge

1st Concept – Ice Breaker
Target: Millennials
Description: Use a GPS to detect people that have similar interests and are nearby as you to begin a chat.

2nd Concept – Cloud Face
Target: People who like fun stuff
Description: Find the most face-like cloud in the world by scanning clouds that look like faces.

3rd Concept – Draw An Instrument
Target: People who think visually and love music
Description: Draw your own musical instrument or music sequencer and play it.

00/00 Monday Play: Icomania

Icomania by Games for Friends GmbH
App Store: 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/icomania/id608197113?mt=8
Category: Games
Compatibility: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

This game is very simple in many ways. You don’t need a member account to play. You don’t need to read the rules to understand how to play. You don’t need to go through multiple pages to start the game–only one click. The graphic design, which is an integral part of the game, is also clean and eye-pleasing. The whole interaction system is quick and easy. I found myself played it for too long than I usually should.

Basically, this is another picture guessing game. However, the unique point that makes it stands out and became so fun is the pictures are simplified icons e.g. an astronaut on the moon in the Famous Person category for Neil Armstrong. There are multiple levels. Currently, there are many discussions, cheats and faqs coming out to feed its popularity.

I recommend this game as a great time-killer. You can play it for a couple of seconds and enjoy every single moment of it the same way you do for 30 minutes, like I did.

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01/02 Project 1: Design

Note: There is no official name for the app yet.

Art Direction
Bread-related colors. A little bit of vintage to keep up with the trend. Homey, but professional.

Icons
There are two versions, with the second one as my preference.

design1-icons

Interface
Splash screen as a loading page.

design1-splash

The app starts with a buy page that displays photos of selling bread parts with pricing as a gallery in a newest to oldest order. There is the list icon on the top right corner for changing the ordering (nearest, lowest price, mostly random). Next to the list icon is a gear icon for the settings page. On the lower tab bar is a set of icons to access other pages (from left to right: shopping cart, buy, sell/trade, profile).

The (T) icon on the top right corner of each photo indicates that the item is available for trade.

Once tapped on a photo, an item page will pop up over the buy page. Here, the item’s photos can be viewed in the background by swiping horizontally. An information box on the lower part of the page can be turned on/off using the info (i) icon on the top left corner next to the close (x) icon. Under the information box is a row of dots displaying the numbers of item photos.

design1-interface1

The shopping cart can be viewed by tapping the first icon on the lower tab bar. It will show items you want to buy and trade in separated categories. For the sell/trade page, which is accessible through the third icon on the same tab bar, there will be a form to fill and upload photos.

You can always go back to the previous page using the arrow icon on the top left corner. To go back to the buy page, use the shopping basket icon, which is the second one from the left.

design1-interface2

 

01/01 Project 1: Wireframes & Prototype

Name
Cruster (for now)

Brief
What: A mobile app for selling/buying bread crusts and inners
Target: Bread crust lovers/not
Buy/Sell: Bread parts (crusts & inners)
Why: Give them to those who need

Functions
Locate > Pick > Buy
Search > Pick > Buy
Sell > Post

App Mapappmap

Wireframeswireframes

Presentation
Wireframes presentation PDF

Prototype
Online digital prototype

User Testing Notes
User Testers: Sarah, Jorge, Mauricio
1. Change “Relocate” to “Refresh/Update”
2. What is “Search” for?
3. Share to friends via social medias
4. Hide the “Logout”
5. Not just “Sell” but “Buy & Sell”
6. Make “Sell” more significant
7. Swipe to refresh the list
8. Categories list instead of Tags
9. Add the price
10. Flip between “List” and “Map”
11. “Buy” button instead of checkbox
12. Change the name “Shopping Cart” to something else

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01/00 Project 1: Rough Concepts

1st Concept – Crusts Exchange
Target: Bread crusts lovers and those who do not
Description: A community of people to sell/buy/share bread crusts.
Why: Although it is a fact that bread crusts are rich in antioxidants and dietary fiber which help prevent cancer, some people just don’t want to eat them. Instead of throwing away, why not give them to those crust lovers and maybe gain some money back?

2nd Concept – Recipe Generator
Target: People who don’t know what to make out of what they have around the house (or want to eat certain things but don’t know how to cook them)
Description: Input a list of whatever ingredients you have and the app will generate recipes only with those ingredients for you e.g. bread, egg, butter -> french toast, fried egg, buttered bread.
Why: Usually, it takes quite some time for non-cooking experts to look for new recipes using their usual ingredients. A faster way could be to open a fridge, use the app, and cook right away.

3rd Concept – Find an M for M&M’s
Target: People who like to take photographs and play games
Description: Find an M in anything and take a photograph of it using a circular frame to create a digital M&M’s chocolate. Who has the most chocolates wins a prize of their own selected photograph printed on actual M&M’s chocolates.
Why: M&M’s is a fun brand that lets you print letters and images on their chocolates. This is a further step to make people realize that they can have fun with M&M’s anywhere anytime using a gamification method.