20 Time Project

Compelling Question:

When designing an app, what is the balance between including more functionality and making it seem useful versus keeping the app clean, simple, and comfortable to use?

Purpose

My plan for the next 8 weeks is to learn how to develop an Android App. I will learn how to use Android Studio and the programming languages that come along with that.

But ultimately, I hope to build a driving log app that I will be able to use through this year, and then to share it with my siblings when they drive, and then maybe even to other friends who may want to use an app for their quest to obtain a license.

Additional Questions:

What features do people want in a driving log app?

What features are unnecessary and should not be included?
Will I have the ability to create those features?

How can people feel like their privacy will be protected? What information is necessary to run an app like this?

What features should not be included to avoid users feeling vulnerable?
What features could be included to increase the sense of privacy?

Will people actually prefer to use an app I create?

Will it offer more than others that are already available?
How can I share it to other people?

Learning

When considering my Compelling Question, I see that there will be two main things I will learn about creating an app; the coding, technical side, and the design side. First, I will have to learn how to use Android Studio to actually do the things I will envision. However, once that is not an issue anymore, I then have to consider what to envision. I will have to understand what features I should add, what ones I should avoid, and what I can improve.

Elevator Pitch (initial hypothetical draft)

During the past Christmas Break, I obtained my Level 1 Learner’s Driving Permit.
As many of y’all no doubt know, over this year, I will have to log 60 hours of driving to obtain my Level 2 permit.
I have two options; to use the paper log the DMV provided, or to use a third party app to record my hours.
The DMV offered an app called Road Ready, but after trying it out, my parents and I decided to stop using it.
The User Interface was very unintuitive, and we felt like it asked too much information from us. Privacy is very important to our family, and this app crossed too many lines.
There seem to be few other viable alternatives in the Google Play Store as well.
Many, including Road Ready, also had ads...
Therefore, my plan for the next 8 weeks is to learn how to develop an Android App. I plan to use Android Studio and learn through the Android Developer Documentation website.
To do this, I will need my computer, and possibly multiple Android devices for testing that will be provided by my family.
I will spend my time learning how to use Android Studio, and then eventually use my newfound knowledge to build a driving log app that will hopefully be a good alternative to the existing ones I’ve seen.
The main challenge is to avoid all the things that made these existing options less-than ideal options in the first place. I will test different apps to learn from their mistakes.
This certainly won’t be easy; while I have experience with programming websites, and a bit of experience with desktop applications, I have never worked with mobile apps before. This will be completely new.
But ultimately, I hope to build and app that I will be able to use through this year, and then to share it with my siblings when they drive, and then maybe even to other friends who may want to use an app for their quest to obtain a license.

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