Assignment EduTek’s Mobile App

title

Assessor Samuel Ganta

Date issued
Final
deadline
Duration 10 hours
(approx)

Qualificatio BTEC Level 1/Level 2 First Award in Information and Creative Technology
n suite BTEC Level 1/Level 2 First Certificate in Information and Creative Technology
covered BTEC Level 1/Level 2 First Extended Certificate in Information and Creative
Technology
BTEC Level 1/Level 2 First Diploma in Information and Creative Technology
Units Unit 8: Mobile Apps Development
covered
Learning Learning aim A: Understand the characteristics and uses of mobile apps
aims Learning aim B: Design a mobile app
covered Learning aim C: Develop and test a mobile app
Learning aim D: Review the finished mobile app

Scenario EduTek, a leading educational publisher, has asked you to develop an

interactive app that will help children learn the alphabet.
Your manager has asked you to help him:
 understand the different uses and features of mobile apps
 produce a prototype interactive app that contains at least six letters of the
alphabet to demonstrate how the app will work.
The solution should include pre-defined (pre-existing) code, code you have
edited yourself, and assets.

Task 1 Characteristics and Uses of Mobile Apps

Your manager would like some information about the features that could be
included in a mobile app and the different purposes a mobile app could have.

He has asked you to review two different kinds of mobile app and to discuss
the strengths and weaknesses of each. You will prepare a short presentation
on this subject.

The two apps to be reviewed should be designed for different purposes, for
example:
 to give information (e.g. BBC, photo, video, music)
 for navigation (e.g. location identification, nearest London Underground
stations, nearest sandwich shop)
 for entertainment (e.g. YouTube, Spotify)
 for leisure and fitness (e.g. tracking fitness, RunKeeper)
 for communication (e.g. Skype mobile, Live Messenger, Fone Time)
 for augmented reality (e.g. Layar, Junaio).

Create the presentation using PowerPoint® slides and notes. Make sure the
presentation includes the following:
 a description of the features of both mobile apps and how these features
affect the intended use
 a description of the intended use or purpose of both mobile apps
 a review of how the features of both mobileapps affect the intended use,
usability and appeal to the target audience

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 You should also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both of the mobile
apps.
Evidence  PowerPoint® slides with notes.
you must  Copies of both the mobile apps you have investigated.
produce for
this task
Criteria covered by this task:
Criterion
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to: Unit reference
Explain the uses and features of two different apps. 8 2A.P1

Review how the features of the apps affect the usability 8 2A.M1
and intended use by the audience.
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the apps. 8 2A.D1

Task 2 Designing Your Mobile App for EduTek

Using your experience from your investigation, it’s now time to design your own
mobile app.

Before you create the app, you need to produce a detailed design of the
prototype app that you are going to create for EduTek, justifying your design
discussions. You must first describe the user requirements and intended
purpose of the app.

The design documents should include:

 a detailed proposed solution, using a range of suitable tools such as
flowcharts, control structures, pseudocode, events, data handling, and error
handling and reporting
 a description of the main program tasks (data input and output, screen
layouts and navigation)
 descriptions of the method of solution
 a list of any pre-defined programs/code snippets (including any functions or
sub-routines)
 a fully-referenced source table, documenting the sources appropriately
 a test plan, to test for the logic and functionality.

The design documentation should also provide:

 a brief outline of any alternative solutions for the intended software program
and why these alternative designs were rejected
 design justification that describes how the chosen design fulfils the purpose
and user requirements and how the app is suitable for the end users
 demonstrate the quality and thoroughness of the design work
 a review of the design in light of any constraints, such as variable screen
sizes.
Evidence Design documentation including:
you must  a description of the user requirements and purpose of the app
produce for  a detailed proposed solution, using a range of suitable tools
this task  a description of the main program tasks
 descriptions of the method of solution
 a list of any pre-defined programs/code snippets
 a source table
 a test plan and data
 the alternative solutions and why these alternative designs were rejected
 design justification to show how the app will work and how it will meet the
intended purpose and users requirements.

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Criteria covered by this task:
To achieve the criteria you must show
that you are able to: Unit Criterion reference
Describe the purpose and user
8 2B.P2
requirements for the app.
Produce a design for a mobile app,
including:
 a proposed solution
 a list of any pre-defined
8 2B.P3
codes/programs
 a test plan
 a list of sources for any pre-defined
code and assets.
Produce a detailed design for a mobile
app, including:
 alternative solutions
8 2B.M2
 a detailed proposed solution using a
range of design tools
 test data.
Justify the design decisions, including:
 how they will fulfil the purpose and the
8 2B.D2
user requirements
 any design constraints.

Task 3 Develop and Test a Mobile App.

It is now time to create your mobile app. Using your designs create and refine
the app that will help children learn the alphabet, taking into account the
quality of the code and user feedback.

 Prepare and gather your pre-defined code and ready-made assets, such as
buttons and images. All pre-defined code and assets should be fully listed
in a fully-referenced source table.
 Make sure that your assets demonstrate awareness of user requirements
and the intended purpose of the app; for example, bitmap images should
be optimised (e.g. be an appropriate file type and size to increase the
responsiveness of the app).

Develop the app by:

 creating an interface which demonstrates an awareness of the user
requirements and intended purpose of the app by assigning code to assets,
e.g. buttons to control behaviour
 edit defined code and develop some original code to fulfil the design
requirements of the app
 write comments within the code to explain how it works.

The development process will include creating a multi-screen interface that

reflects the planned interface, with assets on each screen. The app should also
be multifunctional.

It’s now time to test the functionality of code and to fix any faults.

 Comment on the quality of the code; for example, maintainability (how

easily the code can be modified), portability (on different platforms) and
usability.
 Document any changes to the programme.
 Gather feedback from at least one source and respond to the user
feedback to improve the app.

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  Remember to consider the user requirements and purpose of the app. It
may be best to refine the product and use this to improve the app.

Reminder
Once complete, you should consider which elements of the product’s
investigation and design you would like to showcase in your digital portfolio
(as part of Unit 3) and also think about how this will fit in with your portfolio
design. You should save a copy, in an appropriate format, of the selected
documents and/or files for inclusion in your digital portfolio at a later date.
Evidence  A functional multi-screen app.
you must  Annotated code.
produce for  Source table.
this task  Evidence of testing.
 User feedback.
Criteria covered by this task:
Criterion
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to: Unit reference
Prepare predefined code snippets and assets for the app, 8 2C.P4
demonstrating awareness of purpose, listing sources for
assets used.
Edit predefined code and integrate with assets to develop 8 2C.P5
an app which includes:
● one or more screens
● constructs
● commentary throughout the code.
Test the app for functionality and purpose, repairing any 8 2C.P6
faults and documenting any changes made.
Optimise assets for the app, demonstrating good 8 2C.M3
awareness of the user requirements, with all sources for
assets fully referenced.
Develop a functional multi-screen app containing original 8 2C.M4
code, that meets the user requirements and purpose.
Gather feedback from others on the usability of the app, 8 2C.M5
and use it to improve the app, demonstrating awareness of
audience and purpose.
Refine the app, taking account of the quality of the code 8 2C.D3
and user feedback.

Task 4 Review the Finished Mobile App.

It’s now time to review your mobile app to see if it meets the needs of the
intended audience and is fit for the intended purpose.

 Review why the app is suitable for the user requirements and target
audience.
 Review why the app is suitable for the intended purpose of the app.
 Consider how constraints, user feedback and testing have affected the
suitability of the app.
 Evaluate your initial designs and the completed app, justifying any changes
made.
 Make at least three specific suggestions for improvement for the completed
program to ensure it is fully functional, well-coded and fit for the intended
purpose.
Evidence  Evaluation report.
you must
produce for
this task
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 Criteria covered by this task:
Criterion
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to: Unit reference
For the final app, explain how the final app is suitable for 8 2D.P7
the user requirements and purpose.
Review the extent to which the final app meets the user 8 2D.M6
requirements and purpose, considering feedback from
others and any constraints.
Evaluate the final app and the initial designs and justify any 8 2D.D4
changes made to the quality of the code, making
recommendations for further improvement.

Sources of Textbooks
information
Castledine, E. et al. (2011) Build Mobile: Websites and Apps for Smart
Devices, Sitepoint, 978 0 98709 084 3
Kyrnin, J. (2012) Sams Teach Yourself: HTML5 Mobile Application
Development in 24 Hours, Sams Publishing, 978 0 67233 440 5
O’Rourke, J. (2012), Flash Mobile Application Development For Dummies,
John Wiley & Sons, 978 1 11801 254 3

Websites
http://www.appinventor.mit.edu
MIT App Inventor.
http://developer.android.com/guide/index.html
A practical guide to developing apps for Android.
http://scratch.mit.edu/
Create and share interactive stories, games, music and art.
www.stencyl.com
Create iOS and Flash® games.

Note to assessors

We are committed to ensuring that teachers/tutors and learners have

a choice of resources to support their teaching and study.

We would encourage them to use relevant resources for your local

area such as local employers, newspapers and council websites.

Resources from various publishers are available to support delivery

and training for all Pearson and BTEC qualifications so that learners
and teachers/tutors can select those that best suit their needs.

Above are some examples of textbooks and websites. Further useful

resources may be found at
www.edexcel.com/resources/Pages/default.aspx.

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If you have not achieved the Level 2 criteria, your work will be assessed to determine if the
following Level 1 criteria have been met.
To achieve the criteria you must show that you
are able to: Unit Criterion reference
Identify the uses and features of two different
8 1A.1
apps.
Identify the purpose and user requirements for
8 1B.2
the app.
Produce a design for a mobile app with guidance,
8 1B.3
including an outline of the proposed solution.
Prepare predefined code and assets with
8 1C.4
guidance.
Edit predefined code and integrate with assets to
develop an app, with guidance, containing:
8 1C.5
● one or more screens
● constructs.
Test the app for functionality and purpose,
repairing any faults and documenting any 8 1C.6
changes made, with guidance
For the final app, identify how the final app is
1D.7
suitable for the user requirements and purpose.

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