mobileapps

One of our units was to create a mobile app using the online software Appfurnace. Appfurnace is a website designed for people who don't have much experience in app development to create their own apps whether it be for themselves or a small business. Like Hotglue the developers have incorporated a visual style so it is more design based and it is not necessary to know code although code can be used for certain aspects for the more experienced users.

Once the user has created an account with app furnace they are given a blank page where they are free to add content. the screen grab above shows the different options the user has to change the appearance of their app, for example the type of buttons, background colour etc.

The app I chose to create was a locative information app that would inform its users on the best places to go in Leigh woods, which is a big nature reserve near the centre of Bristol. i Have several pages including a map that is connected to your location so that when you walk into a certain area a notification pop up on the users phone.

The map above shows how I used the users location to send notifications to their device. I simply drew out a zone on the map so that if the users device crosses into that zone there would be an information pop up informing the user of what's in that area.

Creating an app using Appfurnace

Below are the different pages that make up my app. I tried to make them so that they had the same navigation menu on each page to make it look more professional. while this exercise was my first experience in creating a mobile app and my first time on Appfurnace I think I created a reasonably functional app that with a few improvements could well be used by the general public around Bristol. If I was to be aiming this app at a larger target audience i could change it from information about Leigh wood to information about many nature parks around the country, by doing this i would capture a much larger target audience as it would effect more people.

This is the home page for the app.

This is the map page where the user can look up the best locations to visit in Leigh woods, it also is connected to the users device so it sends notifications when they have reached a certain area.

This page provides a navigation menu on the popular activities in Leigh Woods. each one provides information on where is best to go for those activities.

The news page which provides information on all the news happening in Leigh Woods and around the area.

Every time the user adds something on Appfurnace whether it be an image, button etc. this menu on the left pops up so that it can be customized. For example with a button you can customize the way it fits on the page, if it has a border, shadow, blur or and what font the writing is. although I didn't need it for my app, this menu can also be used to add coding to a certain area so that more experienced users can make it do specific functions.

The two pages on the left are what come up when the user clicks something on the 'things to do' page. one of them gives information on what cycle routes are around Leigh woods, whereas the others shows the viewer popular nature trails that are usually undertaken.