About Technovation
Table of Contents
Week / Content / PagesN/A / Task List / 4
N/A / Judging Criterion / 5
1 / Activity – Brainstorming App Ideas / 6
2 / Activity – Brainstorming Survey Questions / 7
2 / Activity – Design Survey and Summary / 8
2 / Example Surveys / 9–10
2 / Plan for Completing Prototype / 11
3 / Activity – Usability Testing of Competitor Apps / 12– 13
3 / Activity – Build Your Paper Prototype / 14– 17
4 / Activity – Test Your Paper Prototype with Another Team / 18
5 / Business Model / 19
6 / Blank Business Plan / 20
6 / Activity – Design Your Business Plan / 21 – 24
11 / Activity – Practice Pitching / 25
N/A / List of Terms / 26
N/A / Sketchbook / 27 - 30
Task List
This is your syllabus for the course, to keep track of what needs to be done and when. The tasks for each week can be started with your mentor and finished up as “homework,” as long as they are finished by the time she arrives the next week.Determine your class meeting schedule and write the dates in below.
Week / Date / Tasks / ✔1 / Learn about App Inventor and complete and hack tutorials
2 / Finalize your app idea. Complete remaining tutorial before next class.
3 / Create a survey and ask friends to take it. Outline a plan for completing prototype. Complete remaining tutorials before next class.
4 / Analyze competition by testing usability of similar apps. Finish paper prototype and bring to class next week. Get 20 responses on your survey. Complete Remember tutorial before next class.
5 / Test your paper prototype and incorporate feedback from peers. Finish skeleton of screens in App Inventor.
6 / Complete business model worksheet in Student Workbook. Continue to work on prototype-- implement all transitions in the blocks editor to help the user move from one screen to another.
7 / Work on first half of your business plan. Continue to work on prototype-- work on the functionality of each individual screen, starting with the easiest components.
8 / Work on second half of your business plan. Continue to work on prototype.Don't spend time making it pretty,just work onthe functionality for now.
9 / Work on PowerPoint presentation. Continue to work on prototype and test out its functionality with a target user.
10 / Finish PowerPoint presentation. Write 100-word app description. Continue to work on prototype- beautify your app. Change background image of your screens and customize the buttons, fonts, and colors. Test it on a user again.
11 / Finish remaining tasks. Take screenshots of your app to insert into your PPT slides.
12 / Film your pitch and upload to YouTube. Finish all remaining tasks.
12 / Submit your app source code, business plan, team photo, app description, and slide deck to Technovation.
Judging Criteria
The following is the criteria that judges will use to evaluate your project.
App Demo:
Does the app prototype give you a sense of the product? Does it have functionality?
Score: 1 – Not at all2345 – Definitely
Communication Style:
Is their pitch clear and concise? Does the pitch convey their message?
Score: 1 – Not at all2345 – Definitely
Critical Thinking:
Did they analyze the problem that they are solving? How well thought out is their solution? Do they understand the size of the opportunity? Do they understand their competition and how they are differentiated?
Score: 1 – Not at all2345– Definitely
Strategy and Implementation:
Do they leverage the capabilities of mobile technology? Do they have a vision for extending the capabilities of their apps beyond the prototype?
Score: 1 – Not at all2 345– Definitely
Brainstorming App Ideas
Rules of Brainstorming
Brainstorm Ideas Here:
Example Surveys
Shazam is a mobile app based music identification service.
Example Surveys
Angry Birds is a mobile app game
Brainstorm survey questions here:
What do you want to know about your target user?
Write your Final Survey Questions and Results Here:
Survey Question / Summary of Survey Results1.
2.
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4.
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7.
Plan for Completing Prototype:
Create a plan for how you will complete your prototype. Figure out what basic features or components your app will need (text-to-speech, accelerometer, lists, etc.) and then research videos or tutorials that will teach you how to implement those features. Finally, make a plan for when you will work on each component.
Feature / Resources to learn how to use feature / TimeframeUsability testing of competitor apps
Name of competitor / What does it do well? / What could it do better? / How will your app be different?Feature Comparison Chart
List features that your app or your competitors’ apps have, and put a checkmark when each app has that feature
Example comparison chart: Music mobile apps
Name of app / Free version exists / No ad interruptions in free version / Can play any song I want, whenever I want / Automatically plays similar songs / Intuitive, easy to use user interfaceOur team’s Technovation music app! / / / / /
Default phone music player / / /
Spotify / /
Pandora / / /
Slacker Radio / / /
Your comparison chart (include this in your ppt. slides!):
Name of appSketch Your Paper Prototype
Draw your screens out here or use index cards. Think about how your screens will interact with each other, and draw arrows to indicate the flow of your app.
Test your paper prototype with another team:
Take notes on the feedback you receive here.
Business Model
Value Propositions: What value do you deliver to the customer?Market Size: There needs to be enough people who will buy your app to make $
Revenue Streams: What are the different ways that you will make money?
Cost Structure: What are the expenses beyond programming your app? Access to platforms? Employees? Renting space? Storing data on a server? Hiring graphic designers?
Distribution Channels: How are you getting your product to customers? How are you increasing your market size?
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Business Plan Template
Team Name:
App Name:
Team Member Names:
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Executive Summary: The executive summary is like an abstract or introduction in a scientific report – it tells the reader what they’re about to read. It should summarize the major points from the rest of the plan. It should clearly state the goals of the business and the vision of the business – that is, what do you want to do and how will that change the world?
Company Summary: List the individuals on your team and describe the experience, knowledge, and skills they bring to your company.
Product Description: What is the product or service? What does it do? And how will it benefit customers?
Market Analysis: Describe who the customer and what their needs are. You will also describe any competitors and how you plan to differentiate yourselves from them.
Strategy & Implementation Plan: How will you bring the product or service to the market? And how will you build awareness of it amongst your consumer base? The key here is list the actions you will take to launching your product or service, and highlighting how you will draw customers to it.
Financial Analysis: How much does your product or service cost? How much money will you make? You need to figure out the pricing scheme for your product, which will change over time. Initially, it can be higher or lower than your competitor depending on if you are cheaper or higher end option. Eventually pricing needs to consider the cost involved in making and selling the product or service. You can use your market size to figure out how much money you will make. This is just a prediction but it should be realistic.
How would you spend the $10,000 to take your app to market?Would you develop the app yourselves, or hire professional developers? How many developers does that get you and for how long? How much would you spend on advertising or promotional materials, and what kinds of materials would you make? Would you do any of the PR/marketing yourselves? What else would you spend it on?
Design Your Business Plan
Use this space to outline your basic ideas. The final business plan you submit should be typed and submitted as a PDF.
Team Name:App Name:
Member Names:
Executive Summary:
Company Summary:
Product Description:
Market Analysis
Strategy & Implementation Plan
Financial Analysis
How would you spend the $10,000 for your app?
100 Word App Description
Use this space to brainstorm your 100-word app description. This description should be fun and catchy, and entice someone to buy your app. Have fun! Remember to type up your final draft, count the words, and have it saved and ready to submit by April 26th.
Pitch Feedback
Record feedback you received from your practice pitch here.
List of Terms
User-Centered Design: Designing with the user in mind (Remember, you are not necessarily the user!)
Interface: A common boundary or link between two things.
User Interface: Interface between person and thing, especially in software.
User Interface Design: Designing things that will make sense for the end user, by thinking about how the user will interface with the product.
Market Research:Figuring out what your market wants. What problem is your customer interested in solving and does your product/service solve this problem in the customers’ eyes?
Lean Startup Methodology: Talking to your customers early and often, testing your product with potential customers as early as possible even if the product is imperfect, and learning as much as you can about your market and business quickly, before pouring resources into it. The Lean Startup Methodology was developed by Eric Ries.
Pivot: Changing your business strategy/app idea to suit either a new customer or the same customer… for example, making your app a solution to a problem that your customer indicates as a problem, rather than the one you originally intended to solve.
Customer development: Understanding your customer’s needs even better than they do, and making sure customers will use your product.
Value Propositions:What value do we deliver to the customer? Low Price//Accessibility/Convenience?
Distribution Channels:How are you reaching your customers? Which method works best? Which are the most cost-efficient?
Cost Structure: What are the important costs in your business?
Market Size: Who are all the people and organizations for which you are creating value? There must be enough people who would buy your product/service to make a profit.
Revenue Streams: To be a business, you have to make money…from whom and how? Paid apps? Advertising? In-game purchases?
Profit: The extra money that you have made, subtracting any costs incurred, at the end of the day. Profit = Revenue – Cost.
Design Sketchbook:
Use these pages for sketching out ideas, brainstorming, and recording what you learn during the Technovation program.
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