Pearson BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate in Computing
Unit 17: Mobile Apps Development
Learning Aim A:
A.P1 Explain how the purpose of a mobile app and the
needs, preferences and characteristics of the user
affect its design and the provided features.
A.P2 Explain the impact of current technologies on the
design and implementation of mobile apps.
A.M1 Analyse how the implementation and design of
mobile apps is affected by the intended user,
current technologies and the purpose of the app.
A.D1 Evaluate how the effectiveness of mobile app
implementation and design are affected by the
intended user, current technologies and the
purpose of the app.
, 2
A.P1 App design and their features
In this document I will be explaining how the purpose of several mobile apps and the needs,
preferences and characteristics of the user affect its design and the provided features. The type and
context of these apps will also be discussed, as these can have an impact on the design,
development and implementation of these apps.
App Types
There are three types of mobile apps: native, web and hybrid. Native apps are software programs
that are specifically developed and installed for use on a particular mobile device or platform. An
advantage of programing an app in this way is that it can have a wide range of functionalities that
utilise the capabilities and features of the underlying device (e.g. 3D Touch on iPhones) however,
this leads to additional costs and time for developers as they have to build applications for separate
platforms.
Web apps are internet-enabled, remote apps that can be used through the device’s web browser.
This means an advantage is that these apps don’t need to be downloaded however, they cannot be
accessed without an internet connection. The final app type is hybrid; these are apps that use cross-
platform compatible scripting so that they can be downloaded on multiple platforms. When
designing hybrid apps, developers use website components like HTML, CSS and JavaScript to
produce an app with these components wrapped inside to create a native application. Whilst they
are cost-effective, hybrid apps may have limited access to device functionality, meaning they may
have more basic designs when compared to native applications.
Application Implementation
The ‘Official Palace App’ is an example of a hybrid app as it combines the
features of the club’s websites (cpfc.co.uk and eagles.cpfc.co.uk) into a mobile
app that uses web technologies; meaning it essentially acts as a mobile version
of the website. This affects the design of the app, as it only contains features
that are on the website (news feed and video player), resulting in the
application having a basic design and functionality. Features on the app are the
same across all platforms due to there only being one version of the app - with
no platform-specific versions. As a result, features such as the live streaming
page use embed code from the main website, as this allows the content to be
integrated using the ‘<iframe>’ tag, without the asset - in this case live video -
needed to be stored within the app.
‘Kiss Kube’ is the official mobile app of the radio station KissFM and allows
users to listen live to the three Kiss stations, podcasts and previous shows. This
app is an example of a native application as it has several different versions,
one for each of the mobile platforms it is supported on. One feature that has
been designed differently on each platform is the storage of e-tickets to their
events -- Apple’s Wallet app has been integrated into the iPhone and iPad
versions of the app, whilst the Android app utilises Google Pay when storing e-
ticket information. This, however, doesn’t greatly change the design of the app,
as users still go through the same process to get tickets and subsequently store
Unit 17: Mobile Apps Development
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them - the only feature that is different is the ‘Storage’ app on the device. Other features such as the
sleep timer and casting button are the same on each device, but are coded to use the platforms
capabilities, rather than generic timer and casting features.
Sweatcoin is a highly rated health and fitness app that converts steps into an
in-app currency, which can be redeemed to purchase gadgets, services, sports
and fitness kits and experiences. Available on multiple devices, the app is a
native in design; allowing the developers to utilise individual device features.
The choice of application type affects the design, as it means features such as
the step count are optimised using the smartphones technology - providing
more accurate results than generic step counts. Another reason why the app is
native in design, is that it makes the step verification more precise. This is done
by each version of the app being coded for that specific device’s components,
making sure it can take full advantage of the device’s GPS and accelerometer
capabilities.
Purpose
Whilst the Palace app has numerous functions, its main purpose is to provide
Crystal Palace fans with a place to get all the latest news, videos and fixtures.
This is all provided within the free to download app. This purpose effects the
design as it requires the app to have an RSS feed embedded into the news
page, meaning the articles on the website are added to the app. However, this
results in the news only being available when there is an internet connection -
something that could affect the users experience if their the WiFi/4G
connection drops. An additional purpose is displaying content from ‘Palace TV’,
with this effecting the design as each video has to have its own iframe. One
feature that also links to the purpose is the fixture list - that includes
information on the team, date, kick-off and stadium. By providing this feature,
the app has the capability to update information when it changes - meaning the app is dynamic as
the content is generated when each user needs it. Finally, notifications can be sent from the app
when goals are scored, transfers announced and interviews made live etc - this feature has a major
impact on the purpose as it keeps people up-to-date with the latest news by sending out simple
notifications to their phones.
As a streaming app, Kiss Kube’s primary purpose is to live stream the main six
stations from the Kiss brand; this includes Kiss FM, Kiss Story, Kiss Fresh, Kiss
Dance, Kiss Garage and Kiss Ibiza. The purpose effected the app’s final design,
as the media player needed to be implemented in such a way that it can stream
all six radio stations - playing the one selected (listen live button) by the user.
This solution meets the purpose as it allows the users to pick which station they
want to listen to, whilst having the capability to play it via the same media
player. The navigation bar is a feature that matches the purpose as it enables
listeners to access most pages/features from the easy to use buttons on the
homepage - making it simple to find the station they want to stream. One
feature that badly effects the design is the use of internet streaming rather
than FM. This choice means there is latency in the audio, as the internet stream lags slightly behind
the FM wavelength. However, this negative is negated by the app having the capability to download
previous programs and podcasts onto the device – meaning it can still be used without an internet
connection.
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The purpose of Sweatcoin is to make people walk outdoors, providing users
with rewards for doing so. Within the app, a simple interface displays the
number of steps the person has taken, with this design choice effecting the
app’s purpose due to the ease of use making it more likely that people will walk
further. A navigation bar has been integrated into the app at the bottom of the
page and provides easy access for users to change between the windows
showing their steps and the prizes they can redeem. The purpose affected this
design decision as, the simplistic way to change between different features,
results in the users enjoying the experience more and being more likely to use
the app to count their steps - therefor meeting the overall aim of getting
people outside and more active. One feature that had to be implemented using
both GPS and the accelerometer due to the purpose was the verified step count; this allows the app
to track movement and generate a figure of how many steps the person has taken, making the users
more likely to walk if they are shown to be below their daily target. The interface showing the step
count has a status bar, showing how close users are to the daily goal of 5000 steps and the purpose
influenced this feature, as it makes sure that people are aware of how active they are. Finally, the
use of rewards is integral to the purpose, as it gives users an incentive to walk more - meeting the
purpose of making people walking outdoors.
App Context
There are many different categories of apps, each with a different purpose and
included features. Context categories include entertainment, locale, social, utility,
productivity, widgets and immersive full screen. Entertainment apps are those that
display any form of visual/audio content and include apps such as YouTube, Netflix
and BBC iPlayer. The developments and design of these apps is affected by the
context, as they require media players and digital content to be
integrated/uploaded to the application, so users can stream the content. Locale
apps, such as Apple Maps, have been developed to aid users with geographical
problems using GPS route finders, transport maps and location dots. This context
affected the design, as the apps need to be connected to a database that stores
various maps and location information - this also affects the development, as
ongoing changes will be made to the maps, meaning alterations are required for the
app to stay up-to-date. Social apps are one of the most widely used; with
WhatsApp, having nearly 1 billion downloads in 2018. They have been created to
allow people to connect and communicate with family, friends and companies -
with every user having the ability to upload content, including text, images and
videos. The design was effected by the context, as social media apps need to have the capability to
link to the platforms website and allow users to upload content to the site through the app - these
require the app’s permissions to be developed and configured to allow all these features.
Utility applications include Anti-Virus and VPNs apps such as AVG Anti-Virus and
VPN 360. They have been designed to help with the maintenance of the device, but
are not integral to the operation of that device. Designs of utility apps are affected
by this context, as they require the software to have device permissions that allow
them to configure and maintain the device. OneDrive and PowerPoint are
examples of productivity apps as they provide users with a suite where they can do
‘office-based’ tasks. This affects the app’s designs, as applications have to match
the functionality of the desktop versions of the word-processing, spreadsheets,
Unit 17: Mobile Apps Development
