BrainstormingLesson 2

Agenda

Topics Brainstorm App Ideas

Activities• Mole Mash 2 – Tutorial and

Concepts (45 mins.)• Lean Startup – 15 (mins.) • Brainstorm App Ideas – (50

mins.)• Wrap-up (10 mins.)

Mole Mash 2 - Tutorial• Link to tutorial- http://

tinyurl.com/n4a47yr

• This tutorial shows you how to build a game similar to the Whac-A-MoleTM arcade game. You whack (tap) a mole that randomly pops out of one of five fixed holes. Every time you succeed, your score is increased by one point.

Mole Mash 2 - ConceptsThe tutorial covers the following components and concepts:• The ImageSprite component for touch-sensitive movable

images.• The Canvas component, which acts as a surface on which to

place the ImageSprite.• The Clock component to move the sprite around.• The Sound component to produce a vibration when the mole

is touched.• The Button component to start a new game.• Procedures to implement repeated behavior, such as moving

the mole.• Generating random numbers.• Using the addition (+) and subtraction (-) blocks.

Mole Mash 2 – Designing the Components

You’ll use these components to make MoleMash:• A Canvas that serves as a playing field.• An ImageSprite that displays a picture of a mole and can

move around and sense when the mole is touched.• A Sound that vibrates when the mole is touched.• Labels that display “Hits: ”, “Misses: ”, and the actual numbers

of hits and misses.• Horizontal Arrangements to correctly position the Labels.• A Button to reset the numbers of hits and misses to 0.• A Clock to make the mole move once per second

Before you think about your App Idea

Before the team thinks about the app they’d like to develop, here are few considerations:• What is your problem statement?• What challenge will the app address?• Will the app have a market? Will people want to download

and use it?• Will the app be scalable?

Lean Startup

Source: Eric Ries – startuplessonslearned.blogspot.com

IDEAS

• Don’t be afraid to put any and all ideas out• Start with a large list and trim down• Start simple and then build• BUILD your idea with code

CODE - ResourcesTo help you code your app, you can access the following resources:• App Inventor tutorials (covered in session 1 and 2 of the

Technovation Challenge)• App Inventor Community Gallery – http://

tinyurl.com/l9ng5v3 (for advanced research)• Wellesley- http://tinyurl.com/kml7oyd (for advanced

research)

DATA• Iterate quickly- in the beginning, it's fine if your product idea

changes significantly from one day to the next, as long as you are basing your decisions on the feedback of your target users

• Do lots of user testing and edit your app based on the feedback you receive - we are going to dig deeper into Usability testing and User interface in the later lessons.

• Start with a minimum set of features and add features over time based on most popular user requests

Activity: Brainstorm App Ideas

• Rules of Engagement: o Stay positive and persistento Keep and open mind

• Activity- suggesting ideas (based on exercise designed by Ben Shapiro, Asst. Prof. at Tufts University)

Instructions for the Activity 1. Give each participant 4 index cards2. Give participants to think about a brief story idea –

encourage to think about stories that can also translate as app ideas

3. From the story idea ask the girls to highlight the following on the index cards

4. On each card the participant will write:o 1 user (woman, high school girl, parent, teacher- the

central character of their story)o 1 verbo 1 object (classroom, garden, books, etc.)o 1 Noun/Adjective/Adverb/Verb

Instructions for the Activity (cont.)5. Shuffle all the index cards6. Participants will pick 4 cards from the stack to re-create the story7. Participants tell their story using the new set of index cards – they can trade cards if another team member is willing8. Write the story in 2-3 sentences on the flip chart9. Each participant can pick any story from the flip chart and create a package to pitch it10. All participants present the stories with the help of the package11. Team leads will summarize all stories and encourage the girls to think about app ideas around it

4 Index Cards

1 User1 Verb1 Object1 Noun, Adjective, Adverb, or Verb

(Optional) If the participants have their Student Workbooks with

them, ask them to record answers on Pg. 6

of the workbook

4 Index Cards - Examples

• 1 User – for example women or grandma

• 1 Verb – for example needs or share• 1 Object – for example space or routes• 1 Noun, Adjective, Adverb, or Verb – for

example gardening or safety

Card Shuffle and New Story

(Optional) If the participants have their Student Workbooks with them, Write

your story in Pg. 6 of the workbook

• Shuffle all the index cards• Invite the girls to pick 4 cards from the stack• Participants will create a new story using the

new index cards• They can trade cards if others in the group are

willing

Story Share

(Optional) If the participants have their Student Workbooks with them, Write

your story in Pg. 6 of the workbook

• Ask each participant to write their story in 2-3 sentences on the flip chart

• Example: Sophie lives in an apartment now and misses gardening. She uses Pretty Plot to find a young couple who need help planting flowers for their new home.

Pick a Story to Package!

• Ask each participant to pick one story from the flip chart• Design the box to sell this story – imagine that this story

is your app idea and you are designing a box to sell your app (if apps came in boxes).

Packaging Your Story/App

• What is it called?• Who is it for?• What is the tagline/slogan?• What are its most compelling features and benefits?• What imagery would make it stand out?

Present Your Story/App

Highlight the following:• Who was the central character of your story? Who is the app

for? Women, students, teachers, youth• What was the central theme of your story? What challenge does

the app address? • What are the other highlights of your story? What are the most

compelling features of your app?• Title of your story? Name and tagline of your app?

Turning Stories into Apps Ideas!• Team leads will summarize the stories/app ideas presented by

the participants• Ask the girls to think about all the ideas and come up with their

favorite app idea based on these stories for the next session• Encourage the girls to think beyond their stories and suggest an

idea that would be innovative and feasible

Next Week: Finalize your app idea!

• Request participants to come for next session with an app idea– they will be making the first screen next week!

• If they have time, participants can start sketching out some of the ideas to inspire the look and feel of their app

Wrap-Up• Share a photo of your session with WeTech at

wetech@iie.org or the Facebook Group - http://tinyurl.com/mmzjwed

• Tweet us: @technovation #technovation• Like us on Facebook: Technovation Challenge• Post on the Technovation Forum:

o Answer: What was the best part about the brainstorming process?

o Or post your own question or comment!