(AIS) Ideation Lesson
Ideation
The previous lessons have shown how to create more complex and visually appealing apps by adding enhancements through color, font, graphics and intricate layouts with multiple screens.
You are now ready to start designing your own app.
There are several steps you need to follow prior to diving in and programming your app.
The first step starts with Concept Development or Ideation. Ideation is the formation of an idea or concept. One way to generate creative ideas is through brainstorming. Start by generating any idea you have and writing it down on paper. Think about the following questions.
- What ideas for an app can I generate from these categories? Entertainment, Education, Social, Apps for Good?
- What do I want my app to do?
- Who is the app for? What are the needs of that user?
- What is its purpose or what problem does it solve? How would it benefit my user group?
- What exists out there already?
- How will my app be different?
To help you in the Ideation process, research different ideas for apps by going to the MIT App Inventor App of the Month Winner website. You can also look for apps on the Google Play website by choosing apps and a category. Search for other ideas on your own. Then use the SCAMPER technique below to come up with ideas.
SCAMPER is a mnemonic that stands for:
- Substitute
- What rules could you substitute?
- What features could you substitute?
- What other processes could you use?
- Combine
- Can you combine this with another product?
- Adapt
- How can you adapt the product to serve another purpose?
- What else is the product like?
- Modify
- How can you change the shape, look, feel of the product?
- Can you add to or take from the product?
- Put to another use
- What else could it do or be used for?
- Eliminate
- Could you make it simpler?
- Reverse
- Could you reorganize or swap the process or sequence of things?
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