The UNH Mobile App Development Team recently released UNH Mobile App Suite, which features 18 modules within a customizable homescreen enabling users to hide, show, and reorder icons to their preference. In this presentation, the UNH Mobile App Development Team elaborates on their experience building out the suite, which was a collaborative effort between the IT and New & Emerging Media departments.
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Innovations in Mobile Applications - Building the UNH Mobile App Suite
1. Catalyst Seminar Series Presents:
Innovations in Mobile Applications
UNH Mobile Application
Development Team
February 21, 2013
2. Brief Introductions
• UNH’s Mobile Application Development
Team
• With us today: (*
presenting)
– Cynthia Cargill, Manager, Web Solutions
– Renee Cicerchi, Developer
– Patricia Estrada, Blackboard Administrator &
Developer
– *Neil Larson, Web Developer & UI Designer,
New and Emerging Media
– *Dmitry Sadykov, Senior Developer
– *Karen Tan, Portal Administration & Development
Manager & Mobile Application Development Team
4. UNH Mobile Development
History
• 2010: UNH has two available apps for iOS &
Android:
• Campus Map
• UNH Athletics (originally outsourced)
• 2011: License obtained for Bb Mobile Learn App
• ‘Blackboard Mobile Central’ offering led us down path of suite
exploration
• 2012: Build vs. buy analysis
5. In-House Development
Advantages
Less overhead
ease of updating
greater control and ability to
customize
reuse of framework & content
Shared data & functionality
Seamless inclusion of responsive
websites (optimized for mobile viewing)
Potential commercialization benefits
6. Why a Suite?
• Streamline user experience
– One download, single access point
• Maintain competitive edge
– Many higher-ed institutions have their own
mobile offerings
• Push the growing web responsive design
trend
7. Identifying the Audience
• Students
– Enhance UNH experience by
identifying and facilitating elements of
daily life
• Maps, directories, dining menus, computer
labs, courses, Bb, event calendar, social
media, transit schedule
• Prospectives
– Selling point for UNH
– Supplement to campus visit
• Virtual tour, photos, videos, WUNH, Wildcat Link
– Integration of social media index
▶▶▶
• Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Instagram, UNH Tales
8. Identifying the Audience (cont.)
• Faculty / Staff / Alumni
– News, events, directory
– Remain informed of campus activities & events
• Parents
– Stay connected with children & have insight into their experiences
• General Community
– Enhance public safety & build campus familiarity with free offering
– Share news & public info into the rapidly growing mobile channel
– Experience aspects of UNH from anywhere in the world
• News feed, athletics, WUNH live stream, photo gallery, videos
9. Mobile Development Team
Assembly
• Representatives from:
• Academic Technology
• Enterprise Computing Group
• University Communications & Marketing (New and
Emerging Media)
• Web Solutions
• Guest Attendance:
– WUNH
– Dining
– Office of Research Partnerships & Communication
– Campus Planning
– University Transportation Services
10. Modules: Website or App?
• Web modules: deliver content to any device.
– HTML5 techniques allow for rich media display & ability to create
genuine mobile interface
– Enhanced search capabilities, SEO, online marketing & social
media integration
– Analytic capabilities allow for traffic reports & tracking of metrics
– Can modify without having to offer an app update
• App modules: greater interaction on native devices & OS
– GPS, camera, augmented reality, local file system
– Benefit of remaining self-contained; no reliance on web server
– Control of overall UI design scheme
– Ability to operate offline (to some degree)
10
11. Responsive Web Design
Responsive websites use the same
code and serve the same content as
their desktop counterparts.
A device-detection script determines
which stylesheet to pull, thus
optimizing the content layout.
Design and formatting schemes
were developed in conjunction with
those of the app modules to created
a unified look and feel.
12. Platform Considerations
• Market Research
– US Market share data shows iOS at 64%; Android at 33%.
Other platforms negligible, but with growth potential.
(http://clicky.com/marketshare/us/operating-systems/mobile/)
– Rapidly changing landscape as new devices emerge
14. Platforms We Chose and Why
• Blackboard Mobile Learn Analytics
• Drove home what was being used most here on
campus
• Data is current and consistent amongst faculty,
staff and students
• Mobile Learn Analysis Demo
16. Resources for New App Ideas
• Feedback Channels
– Inclusion of information button with link to submit feedback ▶
– Webform via unh.edu/mobile ▶
– Feedback delivered by both
channels via email
– Student Communications Advisory Council formed by UCM.
Meets twice a semester to discuss UNH student experience,
with a focus on digital, web, mobile, and social media
– Ideas for the mobile app are added to central repository and
then vetted by the team
17. Getting the App in Google Play
• Create Google Developer account
• Compile the application APK file
• Compile graphical assets (icons,
screenshots)
• Create a new app entry in Google
Developer console, upload the APK,
images & written description
• PUBLISH!
18. Project Considerations (cont’d)
• ADA Compliance
– Audio-only prompts
– Text entry: Use selection-based UI
whenever possible.
– Inconsistency between focus (tab) order
and logical document content sequence
19. Project Considerations (cont’d)
• Security: Inclusion of security tips & mobile
best practices
• Accounting UI differences among display &
viewport size varieties
• Inclusion of non-Durham UNH locations
• Copyright & commercialization aspects
• Executive sponsorship = priority for UNH
• Effective promotion and marketing strategy
– Campus publications, web and print
20. Project Considerations (cont’d)
image source:
• Device evolution & lifecycles blog.lookout.com
– Most phones are kept for 1.5 years
– Feature compatibility with different devices
All information about the suite will be provided in handout with link to access.
Talk a little about the outsourced vendor experience with Mobilaurus, taking on their code for the Athletics app once we were notified of them no longer supporting this app due to shift in company focus. Data from various sources was being stored in small DB on device which forced the app to try and download the DB each time it was updated vs. the new model where all data resides on our server.Build vs. Buy: Would have incurred licensing costs savings with a bundle of Mobile Learn and Mobile Central, but would have incurred one time set up fee. Will save on Mobile Learn license over time now. Would have had to do own updates for custom app changes with Mobile Central.
Dmitry will speak to this.
Neil to speak to this
Neil to speak to this
Neil to speak to this
Talk about what areas of expertise each department brings to the table.WUNH – streaming radioDining – FoodPro (example of 3rd party web app that existed, was not widely advertised, but fit nicely in the suite, potential to order online)ORPC – Copyright and Commercialization
Advantageous for marketing and SEO to use websitesNo additional development to bring to a mobile platformSEO – More robust onlineRich Medial & Big Data – Quicker and easier to do via a website
Website offers full functionality vs. App is search and find (Courses.unh.edu example)Degrees of flexibilityYou can retrieve the same data via both sources via simple searches
First bullet – national average dataChanging Landscape – Windows phones, etc.This is 2012 Data from Social Media SurveyAndroid version was simpler interface to develop & deploy quickly
First bullet – national average dataChanging Landscape – Windows phones, etc.This is 2012 Data from Social Media SurveyAndroid version was simpler interface to develop & deploy quickly
Logins by platform = VISITS. Unique users by platform = Unique people as identified by unique visitor cookies (could be same person coming form different devices or different browsers)
The mobile team meets monthly and reviews any suggestions/feedback that have been received and added to the central repository (many times we receive compliments vs. suggestions)
Audio-only prompts: even if the user isn’t hearing impaired, they might still have sound off or might just miss the sound. The solution is to provide a text equivalent for any alerts. (audio errors vs. text)Text entry: with limited keyboard space and user variability (language, spelling), it’s best to keep typing to a minimum and use selection based UI whenever possible. (vs. having users enter text – better to have selection)Inconsistency between focus (tab) order and logical document content sequence: this is when you think one area is in focus, but it’s actually another area that is and it becomes disorienting. Designers should create a logical order through links, form controls and objects. Most mobile devices don’t have something like a mouse so users having to navigate elements serially. (eg. BACK button, does it bring you back to the suite or to the last screen of the app)These are just some examples
Resource availability – aka: incorporating downtown Durham business data (which would not benefit UNH-Manchester students)