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Lesson 9: Market Research

Overview

In this lesson students research apps similar to the one they intend on creating to better understand the needs of their users. Students work within their teams to search the Internet for other apps, then evaluate the ones they find interesting. By the end of the lesson, each team will have a clearer idea about the type of app they want to create and further refine who their target users are. Each team will maintain a list of citations for all the apps they examined for use in their final presentation.

Purpose

This lesson is the primary opportunity students have to get user input into the original conception of their app. By looking at apps similar to the ones they have proposed needing they may be inspired to change the structure of their app or may even identify an aspect of their problem they had previously ignored. In later lessons students will test out prototypes of their app to perform further refinements.

Agenda

Warm Up (5 min)

Activity (40 min)

Wrap Up (5 min)

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Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Locate apps that address a specific user group or need
  • Identify the user needs being addressed by an app

Preparation

Links

Heads Up! Please make a copy of any documents you plan to share with students.

For the Students

Support

Lesson Forum

Report a Bug

Teaching Guide

Warm Up (5 min)

App Brainstorm

Group: Have the students sit at their team tables. This will be the default seating arrangement for the rest of the unit.

Prompt: Today we will be trying to learn more about the needs of the users of your app. One way that we can learn about our user's needs is by seeing how other apps are trying to meet them. Before we go look online, discuss with your group the types of apps you might expect to find. Be prepared to share.

Discuss: Give groups a minute to brainstorm the types of apps they expect to find. Ask them to share out their thoughts. Use this opportunity to expand the scope of solutions they look for. Ideally hearing other groups thoughts will provide new ideas.

Review: Remind the class they are still in the Define phase of their project. Their goal today is to find and analyze other apps in their topic area. They should work within their teams to continue thinking about their target user group and to move towards consensus as to the type of app they want to make. They should not be planning out what the individual screens of their app will look like. That will happen during the next phase - Prepare.

Activity (40 min)

Teaching Tip

Reducing Printed Materials: This Activity Guide can be completed online or as a journal activity.

Distribute: Hand out one copy of Market Research - Activity Guide to each team.

Market Research

In this activity teams will be searching for apps in their chosen topic. Every student is expected to find at least one app for the team to analyze.

As the team finds an app, they should work together as a group to determine if they are inspired by it and want to reference it as they create their own. It is important that they record the name and location of the app they research, so they can later create a citation in their final presentation.

Teaching Tip

Focus on the User: Make sure students stay focused on the research portion of this activity. Some teams will want to begin drawing out screens for their own apps. Encourage them to take notes on what they find inspiring in other apps, but remind them they are not to start their design process yet.

In addition to researching other apps, each team should be brainstorming ideas for their own apps. On the back of the Activity Guide there is space for them to write down these ideas as team members propose them. Emphasize that they will have time in the next lesson to make a final choice, plus time in future lessons to design the app. Their goal today is to just brainstorm a few ideas as they are doing their research.

Suggested places for students to search:

Brainstorming App Ideas

After teams have found and reveiwed enough apps, give them roughly 10 minutes to complete the Brainstorming section of this activity. This brainstorming activity can also be done with Post It notes. Students can write down their ideas like they have done in previous grouping exercises, then as a team select the top 3-6 ideas and record them on their activity guide.

Wrap Up (5 min)

Share Findings

Share: Ask each group to prepare to share at least one app they found that inspired an idea for their project.

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Overview

Dive into app development by exploring existing apps that may serve similar users. Each group identifies a handful of apps that address the same topic they are working on, using those apps to help refine the app idea they will pursue.

Resources

Standards Alignment

View full course alignment

CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards (2017)

IC - Impacts of Computing
  • 2-IC-20 - Compare tradeoffs associated with computing technologies that affect people's everyday activities and career options.
  • 2-IC-21 - Discuss issues of bias and accessibility in the design of existing technologies.