THE FINAL LOOK OF MY APP 

Saturday, 30th May 2015

Today was the final day of my create stage, as I finished making my app. Today was also a very productive day- actually much more productive than yesterday because, today I was sure about the work I was supposed to do and how to do it. However, yesterday, I was quite unsure as I was still familiarizing and exploring the app. Today, I made another page for another material, which was cardboard. I used the same method as yesterday and was confident about every step I took. I knew exactly what I was supposed to do and did it accordingly. Additionally, I only took 15 minutes to make the other page. I could have done it in a shorter period of time. However, saving the images onto my laptop, researching about the DIY projects itself, was time consuming because the internet was slow. Other than that, I did not face any other challenge while making this page of my app. Until now, I am extremely happy with my progress and love the way my app looks and functions. I can confidently say that this app is my own creation and has turned out to be exactly the way I wanted it to be.

Secondly, I made the conclusion page for the app. This page was an information page (used the information block). This page was very easy to make as I just had to remind the readers about the importance of recycling and tell them to encourage others to recycle too! The conclusion page just included around 5 lines which were very easy to formulate and write. I wish I could make the conclusion page, pop up, as well, like the introduction page. This is because it is weird for a person to open the conclusion page. It would have been more suitable if the page popped up.

There are many things that I like about this app. I am happy about the fact that I used a variety of blocks, such as the introduction block, the products block and the information blocks. This has enabled my app to look professional and also flow smoothly. This also helped me the explore the app in general which obviously increased my knowledge with app making. However, I wished to have used more blocks. Nevertheless, I am quite happy because I had an amazing experience and got to learn a lot of things. 

When I was switching form coding to making the app using the software, I had assumed that making the app using the software will be very easy and a child's play. However, I was wrong because throughout this journey, I have faced many challenges that somehow might have hindered me from making my app to the best quality. It was also not easy to overcome these challenges as I had to ask for assistance from many different sources such as my brother, YouTube videos and websites. But somehow I managed and was able to finish making my making my app.

However, it has come to knowledge that I will not be able to publish the app on any app store because this will require me to spend a lot of money. Initially, I was under the impression that I will be able to publish my app on the stores, for free of cost. However, I was wrong. Therefore, I have decided that I cannot post my app. I am actually very sad about this since I cannot completely attain my goal. After all the hard work and the time spent of making this app, I am very sad about he fact that people will not be able to use and view this app! But the journey that I have had is amazing because I learnt many things and got an amazing opportunity to develop many of my skills! The screenshots below show the work that I have done and the look of the final app.

This the third page of the app and the third material that I discussed, which was cardboard.

This was the process of making the conclusion page which mainly included thanking the users and telling them to educate and encourage others about recycling.

This was how the conclusion page looked like

Friday. 29 May 2015

Today, I discovered many cool options that app machine provides. I realized that the facilities that I have utilized until now are very limited and makes the app look very regular and boring. But, today I discovered new things that will definitely spice up my app more and make it look more professional. I am happy that I tried and experimented the various options since they will definitely contribute to the betterment of my app. 

The first change that I made was the introduction page. The introduction page was an information page on its own. This meant that it would require the user to click on the page in order to read the content. This would provide them with an 'option'. This is a disadvantage because the introduction page includes a lot of important messages which will educate the reader about the importance of recycling and this is the main goal of this project. The drawback about this is that the user can either choose to read the information or just skip it. But the new thing that I added makes it pop up, first thing, when someone opens the app. The information page opens as soon as the app itself is opened and this somehow makes the user to read the information at least a little bit. Then the user has an option of exiting that page and resuming to the main page where there are many sub-menus according to the material being recycled. I really like this feature because it helps me attain my goal to a very great extent and also gives my app an advanced and a professional look. 

The second change that I made was the most major change because it was involved the main page of the app which was the page which has all the information and the various DIY activities for each type of material. Initially, it was just one page with all the information cramped up. Actually, in my last entry, I had mentioned that the page that talks about the material being recycled and the different DIY activities, looks very congested. Today, I found a solution to that problem. There was a block that said products. When I tried it, I realized that it was the perfect solution to my problem. This block divided the page into categories and when one clicks on the particular category, then it will  take them to another page, where that particular thing is discussed in more detail. This makes my app much more organized and more appealing. A few days ago, I had made a page for plastic where I had talked about the material and the different DIY activities. Today, I had to remake the page in the new format that I had discovered. It was not that difficult because almost all the information was already in the other page, and I could keep referring to it. I also made another page which discussed the various DIY projects that you can do using newspapers. I also had to do  little bit of research for this. But I managed to finish this page too. Today was an extremely productive day and I am happy with my progress. I am 3/4 done with my app as tomorrow, I only have to make a page for another material and the conclusion page. Then I am done with my app and is officially ready for publishing. The screenshots below show the work I did today and my overall progress: 

This is the block that I had used in order for introduction page to pop up, as soon as one opens the app.

This is how the introduction page now looks after I used the new block that I discovered.

This was the process of making the page for plastic material. It was pretty simple and straightforward, apart from some minor challenges that I faced here and there. 

This is how the page will look. It is very evident that it looks much more easy to follow and organized.

this is how the page looks after I added all the 5 DIY projects that one can do using plastic. When the user clicks on one of the activities, they will be taken to another page where the activity will be explained properly and with images. 

this was the second page that I made following the same format as the previous one

Thursday, 28 May 2015 

Today, I was able to finish quite a significant amount of work. I am satisfied with my progress and am very positive that I will finish making the app well before the deadline. Today, I made the second page of the app which shows the various DIY projects that one can do. I have planned to divide the app into various categories- according to the materials. The second page is mainly about recycling plastic. I have included 5 easy and fun projects for each of the materials. However, I am unhappy about the fact that the second page is too long.  This is because the second page has all the projects, their pictures and their descriptions. This makes the page look very clustered and disorganized. I need to do a little bit more of exploring to find a way to make it look organized. 

However, I am happy about the fact that I am making progress and know how to move ahead. This is all I have done for today and will do the same for other materials during the next session. I also visited a number of websites in order to know the various DIY projects. Furthermore, I also tried to use my last sessions' knowledge and added a top image for this page. For this page, I added an image which showed a bored panda. This is because I got most of the projects from a website called BoredPanda. Below are some of the screenshots that show the work I did today: 

This shows the process of uploading information onto the app page

bored panda is one of the websites that I used to get the different projects and ideas.

This is also another website that came in handy during my research. However, I did not take much help from this website because I had to refer to the reader to one particular websites and not many at once, since it might confuse them.

Wednesday, 27 May 2015

Today,a lot of my doubts got cleared as I explored more of this software. In the previous entry,  I mentioned that I was unable to find the place where you write the information/text. However, with some assistance from my brother, I realized that there is a separate block which is named 'information'. I added that block today for the introduction and wrote an introduction paragraph. I aimed to make that paragraph fun and attention catching. I also wrote in a very informal language so that the reader develops a more connected bond and gains interest in the app. It was not very difficult writing the text because I already knew the message I was supposed to convey in this sections. 

Basically, in this section, I wanted to tell the reader the whole purpose of this app and why it is very important to recycle waste and as a result, save the environment. Firstly, I welcome them to this app which will help them get a positive feeling about this app and might make them continue exploring this app. I made the first impression, the best! I wrote the opening text within 15 minutes and started to look at how I can upload this onto the app. I finished this process in 20 minutes and had the text uploaded onto the app. 

When I was seeing it in the preview area, I realized that the color and font of the text was not that appropriate. So I wanted to make the desired changes. When I started editing the text, the screen would freeze and thus not save. I faced a lot of challenge with this and could not solve this problem for about 15 minutes. I was tired and was on the verge of giving up. However, I tried it for the last time and I was successful. I overcame this challenge by reloading the whole page. However, I did not forget to copy the text too because I was suspecting that all the text will be deleted too. But fortunately, the text was not deleted. Once I reloaded the page, I was able to fix the font and the color of the text and made it the way I wanted.

 I also added a top image which makes it look much better. The top image that I added was a garbage dump so that it looks related to the topic and the thoughts of the reader does get diverted. Below are some screenshots that show the work that I did today: 

This screenshot shows the information block that I had been looking for since the last entry

This screenshot shows the process of writing the introduction paragraph. As you can see, the language used is very informal so that the reader can engage better.

This was the final look of my app for today.

Monday, 25 May 2015

Today I got to work a lot on my app and made quite a significant progress. Progress was not in terms of progress with my app. Instead, progress was in terms of exploring new techniques and available options on this online software. I tried various things and implemented them on my app. One feature that I love about this software is the quick preview area. On the side of the working space, there is phone which shows how our app will look on a phone. So whatever changes we make, will appear on the quick preview phone. This is very useful because I can immediately know how the new changes that I made, will look and if it is suitable or not. However, the software is extremely difficult to use as the directions are not very straightforward and can easily mislead one. 

But, I am learning a lot of new things and have tried changing my app into various formats. I made the introduction page today. One of the doubts that I need to clear in the course of the day is how I am supposed to add information on the page. Basically, once I add the page, I realized that there is not designated area which says "text" or "information here". I have to further research on this or ask my brother for help.  

Another major challenge that I faced today was that I am unable to figure out how to insert my logo on the app. I tried various things, but the image always somehow ends up being larger than the limit. I tried reducing it online, but all my attempts failed. I am very frustrated about this and need to figure out how works because I need to have a log on the front page as it is a bare necessity and is also one of my design specifications. 

The screenshots below show my progress and how today's work went about: 

This screenshot shows my brief attempt to insert a top image which I assumed would be my logo. However, I later realized that this will not look good. 

This screenshot shows the different websites that I tried to make my logo or the main title of the app.

The below screenshot shows the final logo that I was able to come up with. 

                                         Sunday 24, May 2015

Today I began creating my app using www.appmachine.com. Shockingly, it is much more complicated and difficult that I thought it would be. However, I have not given up and am continuing to learn through various means. I am using support and help from various sources such as YouTube videos, reviews and the support website of appmachine itself. I have also posted the questions and the doubts that I have on their official query websites. I am very happy about the fact that their responses have been very helpful and quick. Today, I analyzed different background themes and then took a bold decision to choose a floral background. This is also based on the fact that one of my design specifications require the background of my app to be floral. 
One of the major challenge that I faced during today's task was that I was confused as to how I was supposed to app subtopics and blocks for the contents page. After a lot of research I found the answer. Furthermore, my brother, who has used appmachine before agreed to assist. Although he had forgotten most of the things, his help did impact the amount of work that I did today. 
I also need to find a way in which I can have a cover page which solely has a logo and the name of the app. This is because, currently, the first page of my app is the contents page. In my opinion, this seems very abrupt. I need to research about it and then try to implement it into my app. The screenshots below show the work that did today: 

This screenshot shows the background theme of my app and the basic layout of the contents page

The screenshot below shows the process of making the app where I have to add blocks in order to create sub menus, sub topics and the content page. The menu and the design options also make editing the font, font size, font color and the text, much easier. 

This is today's final look of the app. Since I have figured out how to add sub menus, I will be adding the rest of the content page points, next time.