NMI 4510
To finish out my journey here in the NMI, I was required to take the NMI Capstone course. If I’m being honest, I dreaded taking this class throughout my first three years of undergrad. This monster class is the final test to showcase your New Media skills, would I ever be ready? To my surprise, Capstone ended up being such a useful and relevant class. Throughout the Fall 2021 semester, I worked in a group of six women to develop a native app for the Apple Watch.
Our Project
WatchDawg, a brand new Apple Watch and IOS app, allows you to keep your hands off your devices so that you can be hands on with your dog. Watch Dawg is jam packed with awesome features such as an activity tracker that allows you to keep up with your dogs progress. You also have access to a training library so you can see a variety of activities and videos for any help you may need. Finally, your dog has the chance to earn badges to celebrate his or her milestones and accomplishments. when you actually get down to training your dog you can train directly from your watch, and all the data will save to your phone. You can choose from different obedience trainings and track your dogs progress. Our app is compatible with any apple watch running Watch os 8 or later, but the best part is that our app can be used completely hands free thanks to the power of assistive touch. Assistive touch is an accessibility feature designed to make the Apple Watch more inclusive. Its initial purpose was to aid people with motor skill impairments, but like any accessibility feature it can assist those who have their hands full. Like holding a leash in one hand and a treat in the other.
The Process
This course was divided into four separate checkpoints which guided the development of WatchDawg. Each checkpoint required that we have specific deliverables ready at the end of a two-week time period. Having a timeline set before the course started really helped my group stay on task. It also helped me further develop my time management skills. For checkpoint one, our group was tasked with making an Alpha of our app on the Apple Watch. We also conducted exploratory research to identify a problem that needed a technological solution. In addition, we developed a project plan to ensure all of our members would stay on track. My specific role in this checkpoint was to write a pre-launch Press Release as well as a Frequently Asked Questions Page. By creating these marketing tools, our group already had a basic understanding of our app, how it works, and how to answer any questions. Check it out below!
As we moved on to checkpoint two, we had a new set of tasks to complete. These tasks included improving our Alpha to a new Beta version, a UX Map of our app, user research, and a group presentation. Each of these tasks had its own set of challenges that our group was ready to take on. My role within the group was Research Lead, so I was responsible for the user research portion of this checkpoint. I created a comprehensive document which reviewed research articles and survey answers as well as introduced future research plans. This process helped me develop my research skills, as it was up to me to identify our specific issue and target audiences. Check out my research below.
Checkpoint three turned up the heat. This was the point in the project where it was crucial to have a rough draft of WatchDawg completed. We were required to create a 1.0 of our app as well as a Visual Design Document, poster and website beta. While the design professionals in our group took the lead of this checkpoint to make our brand polished, I personally learned the importance of personal time management. It became evident that the only person who could truly keep me on track, was me. We had a set timeline, yes, but it was up to me to plan what I needed to get done within this certain time period. It is so important for me to implement my own success.
Checkpoint four was relatively simple, as we were just fine-tuning our project details at this point. We made final edits to our 1.0, creating a complete 1.1 version of our Apple Watch and iOS app. In addition, we created a mock app-store launch complete with screenshots and reviews to show what WatchDawg would look like in the App Store. Our group also created a Stage Presentation that could potentially be presented at SLAM.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Capstone has helped me further develop many skills including, time management, leadership, and user research. It was such an amazing opportunity to work with a group of talented creatives to develop WatchDawg. I am super excited to announce that WatchDawg was chosen to be presented at SLAM. My journey in the NMI has been nothing less than amazing, and I can’t wait to finish this ride at SLAM. Check out WatchDawgs final presentation below.