Designing Your App At NC State

Before working on your app, you should be familiar with some of the logistics of creating apps at NC State University.  Much like there are best practices for Web development or publication creation, there are best practices for mobile development that you should know, as well as some policies to ensure that mobile apps can continue to be delivered to campus.

University Branding

Any app created at NC State University for distribution must abide by the branding guidelines set forth by University Communications, which are spelled out in the University Brand Book.  While there are no guidelines specifically for mobile apps at this time, things like logo placement, fonts, colors, and best practices still apply.

Additional requirements, from a branding perspective, include apps requiring a splash screen that is displayed when the user first runs the app and the screen having the NC State University brick logo on it in one of the approved colors and in the correct place, all of which is described on the Logos page of the Brand Book.

Each app should also have an “About” section.  This section should give credit to the department or college that created the app, as well as credit to NC State University.  It should also have the NC State University brick logo on the About page.

Currently, these are the only existing requirements, and your app will be reviewed for compliance before it is passed on for distribution.

User Interface Guidelines

Each development platform has published style guidelines that you should follow.  Apple is very strict about following their guidelines when creating apps for their iTunes App Store, and your app will be reviewed to make sure you follow them.  While not as strict, Android has a set of style guidelines as well that should be followed.

Following those guidelines give users the best experience possible, while giving your app a familiar feel from the first time a user runs it.  The guidelines are in your app’s best interest, so it is a good idea to follow them. 

Can I charge for my app?

No, all official University apps must be free for download. You also can not sell any in-app purchases. 

Can I outsource my app to a shop outside the University?

Yes you can, but you should notify mobile@ncsu.edu before you do.  Arrangements must be made with the shop to deploy your app using our University Developer License.  In most cases, they will not be able to distribute the app for you because of copyright and license issues dealing with the NC State University name and image assets.  If you want to go this route, please email mobile@ncsu.edu first.

Privacy Statement

All App Store listings for both Apple and Android will contain a link to the NC State privacy statement to provide users information on how data is handled by the university.  Using the same statement will provide consistency across apps and keep apps aligned with the university policy.  The privacy statement is at https://www.ncsu.edu/privacy/.