App development process

= Experiences from App Development = This page provides suggestions for App Development for People not being IT specialists. Though you'll find a range of tools for creating apps, using technical tools might take your focus away from simplicity.

KISS - Keep It Simple and Stupid, should be the basis for every app. Studies have shown that with every click you loose about 20% of your customers. Thus, with three clicks you only have half of your app-users again (from 100% > 80% > 64% > 51%).

Thus, our recommendation is to have the following procedure in mind when you develop your apps

1. Brainstorming for main purpose
Have a brainstorming with your colleagues to identify what are the key topics you would like to achieve with the app. Which functionality are you out after, what are the main features your users would like to use? Try to focus around those information, and make them available as "first hit".

For all the other steps, have in mind a menu coming up at the top left corner.

2. Use Post-ITs for creativity
Use the yellow Post-IT for ideas for your application. Again, we recommend a brainstorming first, by collecting all ideas for the app. After collection, group the ideas, and finally select the importance (how many clicks away).
 * In the brainstorming, involve users to let them come up with ideas on functionality and content
 * harmonise the ideas into groups, and reduce content: what you can't write on a Post-IT, you can't present on a phone screen
 * sort out after importance, providing a level, e.g. level 1 -> 1.1 -> 1.1.1 ->... (most used should be on top)
 * sort out after topics, defining the priority for level 1, level 2, level 3, ...

3. describe all links
Having sorted the Post-IT stickers, draw links from each sticker to the other stickers you want to reach, e.g. 1.1 > 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, but also to 3.1, 4.2.. In IT terms, we call that wireframe

4. Translate each Post-IT into a Mock-up
Under Mock-up, we understand a tool, .e.g. Axure, Pencil, Balsamiq, such that you can show the functionality to your users, and ask them for feed-back.

Here you can make use of an IT-expert, or a student

4.1 IT-specialist recommendation
Jan (Cystinet project) recommends to use Axure RP 8 (http://axure.com), where a University can ask for a free Teacher license. See DigI:AI-004

5. Develop the app
Get involved with some developers, and ask them for recommendations on whom to select for App development.

--Josef.Noll (talk) 10:56, 6 July 2017 (CEST)