Problem
Overview
Mobile applications can pull data from multiple sources when addressing the needs of their users. For example, think about a weather app and the way it might detail daily or weekly temperature, wind, humidity, and precipitation data alongside historical statistics for the same time period. When designing an application, you will need to consider how the user will interact with that data. Continuing with the weather app example, users are not going to be looking at a large chart of numbers. Instead, weather apps are usually tailored with graphics and descriptive guiding text to help users easily comprehend the most important information for their current location.
Mobile app designs are meant to give a user the most value and allow the user to query information. You will be focusing on effective design for this assignment, specifically for when data is involved in a mobile app. Your task will be to look at an app and analyze, at a high level, how it pulls and displays data.
Prompt
Before beginning this assignment, you will need to select a mobile app that incorporates data for users to access in its design. This can be an app you are familiar with using or one you have found through online exploration.
Specifically, you must address the following criteria:
1) Discuss the features of the mobile app. After you have chosen a mobile app to analyze, briefly identify the app and explain its purpose. Then address each of the following:
a) Describe the app's screens and features.
b) List the major UI components on each screen.
c) Identify where data is included in the app.
2) Discuss the possible data sources of the mobile app. Determine what data each component of the app either displays or accepts as input. Then, think about where the data might come from. Note that sometimes it may come from external sources, and sometimes from users.
3) Explain how the data that users interact with helps them meet their goals. Begin by identifying what kinds of data users are interacting with in the app. Then, discuss how that data helps users meet a need. Think about how that data is being displayed and why that would be beneficial for a user.