Guest Speaker: Robert J. Thompson of Youngstown State University This webinar introduces and explores the design and construction process of making mobile apps for education. Robert J. Thompson created his own iOS mobile phone and tablet apps for his interactive design classes at Youngstown State University to have a more direct method of communicating with his students. The process of app development, from original concept to final publication on the App Store, underwent significant research, iterations, failures, compromises, lessons, and ultimately successes. Hear RJ's take on best practices for creating your own mobile learning app and how he integrates it in classroom learning. More information: http://trymyui.com/webinar/designing-ed-apps

1. Designing Mobile Learning
Apps for Education
SEPTEMBER 24 |
RJ Thompson
Assistant Professor,
Department of Art,
College of Creative Arts & Communication,
Youngstown State University
http://iamrjthompson.com
twitter: @studentofdesign
facebook: /studentsofdesign
instagram: @robertjthompson

2. The Point of Origin
Why I got into app design:
I needed to create an access point
for student engagement.
By being able to produce mobile apps, for any
platform, I can tap into larger audiences specifically
where they are living – on their devices.
More to this point – the apps can be ongoing and
evolving, the connection I’ve established with my
students can live well beyond the classroom/semester.

3. The Point of Origin
Technical literacy
is the ability of an individual, working independently
and with others, to effectively use technology to
access, manage, integrate, evaluate, create and
communicate information.
Technical literacy has many methods of
measurement, even if those methods are always
needing to be revised when a new update or software
application hits the scene.

4. The Point of Origin
Little expertise
We’re all being reset to zero quite frequently.
Despite being a web designer and developer, when it
came to app design...I was on the baseline with
everyone else.
I knew the experience, but not the principles and
practices that defined the positive experiences I was
having with apps and mobile technology.

5. Why Mobile Learning?
Direct application w/ expected usage
It makes sense to build learning apps on
mobile devices. Facutly and students alike are
teaching and learning on their devices – and have
been for a while.
The market is dominated by ed-tech startups &
companies that have web app and mobile app
counterparts, but nothing *specific* to an individual
class or curriculum at a *specific* institution.

7. Why Mobile Learning?
Convenience
• I don’t need to repeat myself.
• I can assume that my students, if on their devices in
class, are on the app and not Facebook.
• Learning extends beyond the classroom
• Strengthens student efficiency, develops
opportunities to learn responsibly, intuitively, and
with attention.

9. Why Mobile Learning?
Novelty value
I hope I’m not the only educator out there building
mobile apps for their specific courses.
However, being the only educator – out of 350+
faculty at YSU – to be doing this...is pretty cool.
Also, the students love it mostly because they know
that they are not too many steps removed from being
able to use app tech to make their own apps.

10. Why Mobile Learning?
Possibilities
The possibilities for non-developers to design mobile
apps for their classrooms is directly proportional to
the advances of WYSIWYG technology. If a drag/drop
app builder is particulary advanced, then you can do
some amazing things.
Depending on the price...
the amazing is available to you.

11. Why Mobile Learning?
Hiccups: Wi-Fi, Cell Service, ADA
Depending on the construction of your app, your
achilles heel may include poor wi-fi coverage, lacking
cell services and/or data plans, and the American
Disabilities Act, which is a civil rights law that
prohibits discrimination against individuals with
disabilities in all areas of public life.
Many institutions are undergoing ADA compliancy,
but app design seems to be on the edge of
understanding w/ ADA.

12. History
App Builders (natural starting point)
WYSIWYG app builders come and go, typically the
good ones are bought by the bigger players, which
means if you find a great tool – it’s only a matter of
time before it’s swallowed up.
This is a great place to start.
Especially if you have money.

13. History
Why did the App Builders work?
• Minimum instruction on design/construction
• Accessible + Intuitive UI
• Ability to download binaries
• Quality instruction documents/videos
Many app builders are startup companies that offer
beta or free accounts just for using their service. This
typically has a time-limit. Build your apps before time
runs out.

14. History
What else worked?
• Finding free app builds that I could hack up in Xcode.
• Purchasing pre-built app builds that could work for
my concept – this process is very square peg/round
hole, but did inspire creativity.
• Owning the fact that if I was going to learn it, I
needed to fully invest the time into doing it. No
quick answers, app builders were in short supply.

15. History
What did NOT work?
• Trying to learn Xcode from scratch from a book.
• Trying to learn Objective-C.
• Trying to build an app from scratch.
• Trying to figure out Apple Developer provisioning
profiles, app ids, etc. without reading anything
about it.

16. Starting Out
Where should you begin?
What begins the process?
Like I tell my students, it all begins with your concept.
1. Define concept, audience, features, future goals.
2. Determine if features can be built using WYSIWYG
app building tools.
3. Draw wireframes and sequence of experience.
4. Design wireframes using Photoshop, similar tools.
5. If you need to, hire a developer and/or designer.

19. Starting Out
6. Start learning and experimenting. Get yourself an
Android or Apple developer account, start following
tutorials, and build, break, rebuild, break again.
7. Give yourself a lot of time to learn and experiment.
8. If you’ve reached a point where you have a
functional app, test it in the app simulators, submit
for review, and deploy to the store.
9. If you’re approved, celebrate. After your celebration,
keep calm and know that you’ve achieved a huge
milestone – and that your design that was just
submitted...likely does not live up to your standards
anymore. Bittersweet.

20. Building
Native vs. Web
A native app is developed for use on a particular
platform or device.
A web-based app is developed as a client-server
software application in which the client (or user
interface) runs in a web browser.
Which is better? Doesn’t matter. Moving on.

21. Building
Mobile Sites
Why have an app when you can have a site optimized
for the mobile web? Depends on your end goals.
Why not have both? You can have both.
Where a mobile RWD site can provide ALL the
content you’d like to offer, your mobile app can be a
bit more concentrated on certain information – and
designed specifically for the mobile experience.

22. Building
Hybrids
I have both a mobile RWD website and several apps.
The apps in the Apple App Store are a hybrid of native
and web-based app components.
Native content is static – fixed. Web content changes
based on when I update my website. So when you
download any of the apps, certain sections may
appear native but are actually web-based.

23. Building
Hybrid Benefits?
• Easy updating
• Bypass app store review and approval
• Coding that creates web browsers in apps doesn’t
change all that frequently, so app updates are
fairly infrequent.
• More design control (depending on build of site)
• Not totally reliant on internet to use, depending on
the function.

27. Building
Templates
You can also buy pre-built app templates that offer
enough customization that you can essentially deliver
a constructed, strategic educational app experience
without having to do the hard coding.
I recommend this. The app templates are surprisingly
affordable and the creators are very accessible and
open to expanding on their builds.

28. Building
CLI (Command Line Interface)
Many new frameworks, like Ionic, construct base app
files through the Command Line Interface. If you’ve
never used this, you’ll likely be very reliant on
instructions on how to use it. This isn’t a very
intuitive way for the non-initiated to produce these
base files, but it requires minimal effort.
Some app builders, like Ionic, recognize this and built
WYSIWYG app counterparts to make building easier.

29. Building
Programming
If you use a new framework, like Ionic, Angular UI,
Sencha, Appcelerator, PhoneGap...you’re going to
need to know a bit of the following:
• HTML
• CSS
• CLI
• PHP
• Javascript

40. Testing
Testing Devices + iOS Simulator
One of the most fun parts of app design is running
your app in the app simulators and on your actual
devices. The routes to getting to both of these points
can take a while, but it’s thrilling to see your app in
real-time on your device.
If you don’t want to submit your app to the app store,
just take all of your students iPhones and make them
development devices or use the Apple Testflight App.

43. Testing
Audience
Before submission, make sure that you are testing
your apps with your intended audience – specifically
on the devices you built your app for. Most
framework-based apps can be constructed for all
popular platforms and devices. Simply meaning, your
iPhone app can definitely port over to an iPad app
with relative ease.

44. Testing
trymyUI
Students surveyed by providing images of the UI.
With feedback attained, design revisions occur.
After design revisions, functionality tests can initiate.

52. Submission
Anticipation
Apple is much more rigorous in their reviews of
submitted apps than Google is.
In fact, Google apps are submitted, reviewed, and
approved in an exceedingly fast turnaround
compared to Apple.
Where Google could take days, Apple could take
over a week. If your app is rejected by Apple,
prepare to wait.

53. Submission
App Builders
App Builders will either want you to submit your app
under the name of their company or permit you to
submit your app under your name, provided you have
developer accounts with either or both Apple
and Google.
With the latter option, you may have to pay for that
right, but it’s a worthwhile expense.

54. Submission
Frameworks
I used the Ionic framework to develop my 3 most
recent mobile apps. They have been met with no
resistance from Apple.
I have worked a bit with PhoneGap, primarily as an
Adobe product, and have had success with it, though I
have not formally submitted any apps built with
PhonGap. It is, however, a trusted source.

57. Further Education
What is best method to learn all of this?
I would recommend self-initiated and self-paced
learning. I believe that everyone is capable of
producing apps, especially using WYSIWYG tools but
also custom frameworks. It takes time, effort, patience
– however rigorious it is, is up to you.
Formal classes may give you a basic deliverable and
knowledge. Enter the fray, and fail forward.

58. Resources
Teaching + Learning
http://www.sitepoint.com/top-7-hybrid-mobile-app-
frameworks/
http://ionic.io/
http://phonegap.com/ (Adobe)