CET343 Android Mobile Development Assignment PPW1

(2020/21)
This assignment contributes 40% to your final module mark and tests learning outcomes 1, 2 & 3. The
assessment has been designed to enable completion within a maximum time frame of 14 hours.

1. Advanced understanding of the various methodological approaches to native mobile design, including
different programming languages, storage designs and appropriate native mobile standards
2. Comparative knowledge of design and development techniques for the design of native mobile
applications and storage systems
3. Ability to plan, analyse, design, build and implement a media and interaction rich native mobile
application in a chosen domain

This assessment is taking place as a Professional Practice Half Week.

Your problem will be issued either at 9am Monday and you will submit by 9am Wednesday, or at 2pm
Wednesday and you will submit by 2pm Friday. This means you have 2 working days to complete it. We
assume that 2 working days means 7 hours per day (as if you are working a full time job, 9am-5pm with lunch
break), and your tutor and moderator have agreed that the task should take no longer than 14 hours.

This assignment is split into two parts. Part A is worth 40 marks and is a design and reporting task which offers
you the opportunity to design, discuss and justify your application design. Part B is worth 60 marks and this
offers you the opportunity to create some of the main user interfaces or “activities” for an app.

The deadline for this assignment is the 11th of November 2020 at 9am. Please submit to the assignment
space on canvas. Please see the submission requirements section of this assessment for specifics.
Scenario
Do-I-Need-It?

You have been commissioned by MoneySavingStudents.com to create an app that will help students (or
anyone) to save money and not buy things they don’t need. In this world of next day deliveries and one click
purchases, it has become far too easy to spend money and buy products unnecessarily.

You have been asked to create an app that will encourage users to “save products for later” instead of buying
them straight away. If the user really wants the product then they will return to the list at a later date and click a
link to be taken to the products webpage. If they no longer require the product then they can remove it.

Typical user interaction

Please consider this typical user interaction to determine the apps full functionality.

Thomas is a new undergraduate student. This is the first time he has lived away from home and he is
determined to be sensible with his money. He searches the play store for “money saving” and finds the Do-I-
Need-It app. He downloads this app, registers an account and logs in.

Inside this app he is presented with a number of screens. One of these screens allows him to add products to
“think about.” He is already considering purchasing a number of computer upgrades so he adds them to the
app. As he adds them to the app, he has an option to record the product title, product price, product webpage
or a physical location of where he can buy the product. This option opens a Google map ready for him to drop
a marker on the location of the shop.

He clicks another button and can then see all of these products in a list and he has an option to click on them
to see their details and then be taken to their webpage. He can also mark them as purchased or “forget them”
to remove them from the list.

Thomas notices an option to share these products with his contacts and thinks this might be useful for
suggesting presents people can buy for him for his upcoming birthday. He clicks on this option for one of his
saved products and it takes him to his messages app with a prefilled SMS message ready for him to send to
one of his contacts.

A few days later, Thomas is browsing different shopping apps such as eBay and Amazon. He notices that he
can now share products from these apps directly to his Do-I-Need-It app so he decided to do this with a pair of
headphones he is considering. The Do-Need-It-App handles this request and prefills in the URL of the product
he is considering, leaving him to complete the remaining fields.
The prototype
You are required to develop a prototype application for the Android operating systems which will include at
least all of the core requirements.

Core requirements of the app:

● Home screen with Login or Signup - the point of entry for your app.
● User registration
● Manage my items
○ Delete / Forget items
○ Edit items
○ Mark as purchased
● Create an item
● Item Delegation
○ The ability to send an item as an SMS to another phone / contact.

Optional Desirable Requirements for the app:

● The ability to Geotag an item so the location of the item can be recorded and then viewed on a map.
● The ability to allow integration with other apps so products from other apps can be stored on the Do-I-
Need-It app.
● To include appropriate gesture controls to improve the management of items. As a minimum this would
include swipe left and right and shake.

There is no associated logo or house style for this app yet so you have free reign over the appearance,
but pay particular attention to Material Design.
Part A - Analysis and design (40 marks)
A technical report should be submitted. The document should include the following sections:
● Front cover. Include name, userID, registration number and programme.

● Analysis. This section requires you to provide a comparative evaluation of the various approaches to
mobile app design and development, including operating systems, options for different programming
languages, storage designs and appropriate native mobile standards. Your comparison should consider
iOS and Android based solutions at a minimum. This section should be in the region of 750 words.

● Design. This section should show your screen hierarchy, plus all wireframe design and menu / layout
details. You should include one wireframe design for each activity or “screen” of your app.

You are free to use free wireframing tools that can be found online, such as wireframe.cc, NinjaMock
FluidUI etc.

You should critically evaluate how your design matches current Material Design principles and UX
trends.

Screenshots of XML layouts created in Android Studio are not acceptable and will receive no
marks as all designs should be completed before the prototyping stage.

Part B - User Interfaces (60 marks)

A partly completed Android project should also be submitted including the following 4 activities / screens.

● Home screen complete with option to login or register

● Register a user
● Saved for later list
● Remember a product

This is not expected to include any real functionality yet and is solely needed to demonstrate the design of your
user interfaces. The only thing the app is required to do at present is successfully navigate between activities
for the purposes of a demonstration.
Ensure that your XML mark up is commented appropriately. You are to submit the Android project as a zip file
and upload it to canvas as part of your submission.

As this app will not demonstrate any real functionality yet, ensure that you include screenshot
evidence of how your screens or “activities” look. You can provide evidence generated from your own
Android device or from the Android Virtual Device. Please include these screenshots at the end of your
report from Part A.
If your app fails to build (or I am unable to run it for any reason) and you haven't provided any
screenshots then you will receive no marks for this section.
Submission

The deadline for submission is the 11th of November 2020 at 9am This excludes anyone who has a support
memo and may be entitled to extra time.

Please submit the 2 files to canvas. A PDF for your report, and a Zip file containing your android studio project
prototype.

Marking Criteria

Part A

Analysis (15 Marks)

Full marks will be awarded for a clear, detailed and accurate analysis and evaluation of the various methods
and approaches to native app development.

Design (15 Marks)

Full marks will be awarded for a full collection of wireframe designs that follow current app design standards
and follow current trends in application design. User interaction needs to be fully considered to ensure a good
user experience and marks will reflect this. A detailed critical evaluation of your design and how it matches
current design principles must be included to achieve full marks for this section.

Presentation and referencing (10 marks)

Full marks for this section will be awarded for a professional report including a front cover and accurate
referencing.

Part B

Prototype App (12 marks for each screen / activity - maximum 48 marks)
Full marks for each screen / activity will be awarded if the activity is well designed and constructed with correct
XML mark up.

Screenshot evidence and commenting (12 marks)

Full marks will be awarded if you provide sufficient screenshot evidence of the app working on an Android
Virtual Device or your own Android Device. All key elements of XML code needs to be sufficiently commented
as well.
Marking Grid

Analysis 11-15 marks 5-10 marks 0-4 marks

A fully comprehensive A good analysis and A poor analysis of current
accurate analysis and evaluation of the methods and approaches
evaluation that includes methods and approaches to app development. This
the various methods and to native app may be significantly
approaches to native app development. This may lacking in detail and
development. be lacking in detail and critical evaluation.
critical evaluation.

Design 11-15 marks 5-10 marks 0-4 marks

A full collection of A full collection of Partially completed
wireframe designs that wireframe designs that wireframe designs with
follow current material partially conform to an evaluation that falls
design guidelines and material design significantly short of what
current trends in app guidelines. Your critical is required.
design, complete with a evaluation might be
detailed critical lacking in detail and
evaluation of how your justification.
design meets these
guidelines.

Presentation and 7-10 marks 3-6 marks 0-2 marks

referencing Professional presentation Presentation of the Presentation of the
including contents page document might be document is poor and no
and front cover with lacking professionalism references are included
accurate referencing and references might not
be accurate

Prototype app

Home screen 8 - 12 marks 4 - 7 marks 0 - 3 marks

Correct XML markup Layouts and view objects Poorly constructed
used and conforms to might not conform to activity that does not
material design material design conform to material
guidelines guidelines and XML design guidelines with
might be incomplete incorrect XML markup

Register 8 - 12 marks 4 - 7 marks 0 - 3 marks

Correct XML markup Layouts and view objects Poorly constructed
used and conforms to might not conform to activity that does not
material design material design conform to material
guidelines guidelines and XML design guidelines with
might be incomplete incorrect XML markup

Saved product list 8 - 12 marks 4 - 7 marks 0 - 3 marks

Correct XML markup Layouts and view objects Poorly constructed
used and conforms to might not conform to activity that does not
material design material design conform to material
guidelines guidelines and XML design guidelines with
might be incomplete incorrect XML markup

Save a product for later 8 - 12 marks 4 - 7 marks 0 - 3 marks

Correct XML markup Layouts and view objects Poorly constructed
 used and conforms to might not conform to activity that does not
material design material design conform to material
guidelines guidelines and XML design guidelines with
might be incomplete incorrect XML markup

Screenshot evidence 7 - 12 marks 0 - 6 marks N/A

and commenting Screenshots of the Some screenshots might
activities are included be incomplete and
and the activities are comments might be
commented lacking
professionally