For those suffering with Ischaemic stroke which led to aphasia
For users who’s levels of language and sentence construction is impaired
text-to-speech / Speech-to-text (Microphone)
Built-in siri system
Custom keyboard with a contrasting design
Built-in Preset words and sentences
Save your own words/sentences in different tabs
Use Case Diagram / Sequence Diagram / Class Diagram
Wireframes
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as seen on the diagrams and wireframes, the app is very simple and easy to use, it has no complicating options so that stroke patients had no troubles or difficulties using the app, it is a straight forward app, easy to use and easy to navigate.
Object Oriented Programming Terms
Classes – Used to represent data or object types
Inheritance – Used to create relationships
Polymorphism – Having many forms; giving classes the ability to respond to identical messages in different ways
Swift/XCode
This app would be made in Xcode using swift.
Xcode gives you a lot of help with swift which is located in the Help section, where it has codes written for you. Xcode is an official software made by apple, it is made for professional developers but also friendly with beginners, this can be seen in the xcode lessons I took earlier: https://demroger10.wordpress.com/2015/11/18/using-xcode-word-collage/
Xcode uses a coding language called Swift which is quite new, and most developers have good things to say about it, it is an improved version of Objective-C.
For the History of Lies brief I had an idea to make something gamified. My first thoughts about the app were:
Needs to be fun, engaging and competitive
Very simple and easy design for faster navigation under pressure
Interactive with reality
Appropriate for all
Must be an app for a museum.
The app will be educational with gamification elements, it will have a scoring system based on what the user has collected in a specific time, with sound effects to make the user more engaged in the app.
The app must be about WW1 and WW2.
Prize at the end which you collect from the gift shop.
The app will use filtered view for tablets with a side bar for quick navigation
The app will use nested doll layout for smartphones without a side bar.
Because I want the app to be very easy to use and user friendly, I will make navigation as easy as possible to make the use of the app very quick. This will be done by implementing a sidebar.
It will have 5 pages in total as shown above.
Logo Ideas
Above is a sketch of my interface that i decided to work with, after receiving feedback, this was the most suitable design idea for my app. Below that are some logo ideas, because the app is for iOS, the logos are rounded squares, the 2 on the right had very good feedback, so I would have to collect more feedback based on quantity.
The app colours will be maximum 3 sets of colours with different sets of shades
Fonts used will be western-like for title/headings and simple font for descriptions
Logo will have some graphics related to war such as planes or searchlights
Requirements
The app will need to work smoothly on both Android and iOS devices (Smartphones and Tablets).
Devices will need a back/front camera and/or NFC with GPS
App will only work in landscape mode for tablets and both for smartphone
Supports all screen sizes and most update versions of devices.
App will be small in size so there are no lags or crashes due to ram.
App is built for touch devices only.
Compressed music/war sounds (MP3).
A world war museum
User Testing
The user testing for data gathering I would use is Focus Groups, as it is one of the best ways to gather information while the app is being tested. This is done by watching and interviewing the user while using the app.
Why App?
Able to use offline as it is stored in your device
Less battery consumption
No loading times
Wireframes
This wireframe is of the home screen done in Balsamiq.
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This wireframe was done in Lucidchart with all pages.
Framework
I plan on using a web-based framework – Appfurnace because:
The easiest and most complex way to build propaganda Museum is with a web-based framework.
Appfurnace is one of the most user friendly framework which is perfect for small projects.
It makes it easier to begin with as it supports JavaScript and HTML5.
You can see immediate changes by testing the app on your device or the emulator.
Supports iOS and Android.
Appfurnace VS MIT App Inventor
Compared to MIT App Inventor it gives you more freedom with coding as with MIT all the coding is done by drag and drop (for amateurs)
Appfurnace supports both Android and iOS compared to MIT app inventor only supports Android
Appfurnace gives you more freedom with the design and how you want to arrange things, it is more user friendly.
Future Proofing
Because it is an app, it will support updates
NFC has not been out for long, this is why the app is updated with the new feature of NFC
The app can use facial recognition in the future for different activities
Conclusion
Overall the app idea is stable, but design wise there can be improvements and minor changes, the app is not something you get everyday, it not only makes you engage with the environment but also people. With testing and feedback the app could be finalized.
For the client we are designing an Ipad app which uses audio to improve language development for stroke patients with aphasia. The app is being designed for those who have had Ischaemic stroke, It is for users who’s levels of language and sentence construction is impaired.
This app will be suitable to use both indoors and outdoors, it does not need to be limited with stroke patients but can also be used with patients of other speech impairments and disabilities.
The app will feature preset sentences and words which are most commonly used in a day, a custom keyboard which will be visually easy to see, with suggestions and a “Talk” button to speak whatever you have typed or selected. It will also have a “Listen” which when pressed, will recognise what the user is saying and construct it to make sense of it.
The app will let you save words and sentences that you have made, it will also have a history and a “most used” section. The app will give you the ability to change colours and voice tones, pitch, ect. All words will be coloured differently depending if it is a noun, verb, ect.
System Requirements
The system should be an iPad app (iOS) for stroke patients
The system is for those who have had Ischaemic stroke, it is for users who’s levels of language and sentence construction is impaired so it a combination of multimedia, particularly audio
The system uses speech-to-text and text-to-speech (Microphone)
The system user interfaces will employ zooming in and out, contrast and colours and outlines of words.
Built-in siri system
Custom keyboard with a contrasting design with “Talk” and “Speak” buttons
Give the user the ability to save and delete certain words or sentences
Load or create your own categorised tabs, preset are available.
Verbally is an easy-to-use communication app for the iPad, it helps those who are not able to communicate properly, to communicate in real life, with it’s simple design. You tap a word or sentence and it will speak for you, it is a perfect app for stroke patients suffering from expressive Aphasia.
The words are all coloured based on the first letter, it gives you the option to add words or sentences and the text-to-speech app will say the words. It comes with 50 essential words used on a daily basis, it has a word-prediction feature and it is also customisable with different voices, tone, and pitch.
Today I learned the basics of Xcode interface; how to use it and how it is laid out. The lesson is based on a word collage project from the Xcode Github.
Lesson 1: Lesson 1 consisted of working out what are the functions of Xcode.
The Right Navigator shows you the the project files and lets you interact with each item. The left navigator shows you all the utilities, it is where you can customise your buttons, labels, ect. The bottom navigator shows you the debug controller.
As shown on the screenshot above, the editor is in the middle, that is where you can edit and interact with the project. It is very simple and easy to use.
Lesson 2: Modifying the word collage to add your own label.
The process of adding your own label is very simple. Once you open the Main.storyboard file from the root folder (WordCollage) you can Play the project and this opens up an iPhone emulator, you can change the type of iPhone in Hardware>Device.
To add a label, you need to go to the Object Library located in the bottom right of Xcode:
Search for Label or just scroll down to find it, then drag and drop it to your editor. From there you can start typing and automatically you will get the label editor in your utilities section, where you can change the font, colour, etc.
Overall Xcode is a very simple to use program and has an understandable and user-friendly interface.
227 Clash of Clans SOUND EFFECTS! – YouTube. 2015. 227 Clash of Clans SOUND EFFECTS! – YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoiU2vfJxhA. [Accessed 24 April 2015].
Clash of Clans #1 Player Jorge Yao interview: Meet Jorge, On Gems and Money [Part 1/7] – YouTube. 2015. Clash of Clans #1 Player Jorge Yao interview: Meet Jorge, On Gems and Money [Part 1/7] – YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQCwYwQvg1c. [Accessed 24 April 2015].
Audition CC tutorials | Learn how to use Audition CC. 2015. Audition CC tutorials | Learn how to use Audition CC. [ONLINE] Available at:https://helpx.adobe.com/audition/tutorials.html. [Accessed 24 April 2015].
Convert MONO Audio to STEREO using Adobe Audition CS6 – YouTube. 2015. Convert MONO Audio to STEREO using Adobe Audition CS6 – YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fQoqNZyXSc. [Accessed 24 April 2015].
We were set out to research 5 apps based on 1 person, I chose to use Pewdiepie as my person.
App 1 – Pewdiepie Soundboard
Very simple interface, with different coloured Pewdiepie logo with text on each button, it is a very functional app, really fun as well if you are a fan of Pewdiepie.
App 2 – Run Pewdiepie!
The interface is very neat but it does not match the game as the game is a 8 bit game, and the interface is much higher than 8 bit, the sounds match the game as it is the character and his tone fits in perfectly with the style of the game, overall it is a very addictive game.
App 3 – Flap PooDPie
The UI uses too many colours, it makes it difficult to spot the play button, also the graphics at the bottom of the game is unnecessary, distracting and irrelevant as you can already see the big ‘Bro fists’ which everyone knows him by. This is the same as Flappy Bird just not as neat.
App 4 – PewDiePie (unofficial)
Simple app with a simple interface, for fans to keep updated with latest news and updates; twitter, new video upload, facebook ect. Categories on the left and content on the right with thumbnails. Has everything a PewDiePie fan needs.
App 5 – PewDiePie Fans
Youtube for PewDiePie fans but… you can only watch the last 25 latest videos uploaded, which is not that bad but audience will want more, I would prefer to just go to Pewdiepies YouTube channel.
Planning
My app idea was to make an app for Pewdiepie, as he is one of my favourite YouTubers.
my idea was to create a quiz game about Pewdiepie, everything is annotated on the images below.
A quiz is one of the most suitable apps for a person who does gaming videos, it reflects his career and interests.
The project we were set out to do is was to create a fan app based on the keyword ‘Person’. I picked Pewdiepie, with that in mind, the app would have to be related to games or be a game, and so I decided to make a quiz. There were many challenges I had to face with creating the app. We had to learn to use JavaScript; it is very different from HTML5 and CSS; more complicating.
As we started creating the app, I first began with the design, images and buttons; Sonia was learning the JavaScript language. She has managed to insert the countdown timer and make the pages interact with each other; also she created the score system.
I downloaded Pewdiepie’s logo and edited it, it went from a bro fist with 3 fingers to 4 fingers, this was done by selecting the lasso tool and drawing around the fist to create a selection, then I would resize it so it fits in the P and draw the pinky finger with the pen tool; draw the finger, make the path a selection and fill it with the colour of the first (using picker), then finally in a new layer placed behind the logo, fill the gaps made from moving the bro fist.
All images I used were PNG because I needed the transparency, also most were edited and filtered with the cutout filter in artistic section. All colour’s used were of the same shade, mainly blues with a bit of red and cream.
I have learned how to use Appfurnace properly but still need to improve on JavaScript, I am using codecademy.com to learn every step of JavaScript. Hopefully next time I will know how to insert timers/countdowns properly.
Once you answer all questions, you get a score page with a character that you match with and the amount of answers you got correct. We had to keep some things out such as the drag and drop functions, we did not have enough time or knew how to code it in.
The target audience is 13-30 year olds, both male and female fans who are also gamers but not necessarily, Pewdiepie has a wide audience, his videos are very entertaining and humorous, that is also why he has so many subscribers.
Overall it was a very challenging project to do in only 5 weeks, next time with better organised timetable for project, I will have more time to do research and practice JavaScript coding with Sonia, I really enjoyed it and hope I do better next time.
For the brief we were set out to make a 3-5 minute short radio style audio clip about the object of our choice. I have to include at least one sound that expresses the object I have chosen.
For this we will be using the Tascam Portable Recorder and/or a portable mono microphone set. the sounds will be edited in Adobe Audition.
Setting up the Tascam Recorder
I used Tascam DR-100MKII, which is a professional recording equipment. It can record in both Mono and stereo, and all the sound clips are saved as WAV files which is the best quality sound you can get – also very high in size.
Before you record anything, it is always best to do a factory reset and a quick format to make sure all the settings are set back to normal so that you could change it to your needs. formatting is done so you don’t mix your work with others.
Next thing we do is check our input settings to change the mic type to mono, so that we can catch all the sound properly, with stereo it seems to be more difficult as you have to direct the microphone to where the sound is coming from; mono catches sound all around.
Also if using a portable microphone we have to set the input mode to XLR – which is the three-pin locking connector, what this does is uses allows you to use an external microphone which is connected through the XLR.
We also keep the settings shown above for best experience.
Research
For my ‘Object’ I had an idea of an app, software or a game, this is because these things have the best sounds, the sounds can be downloaded and you could make realistic sounding adverts or interviews (such as a game show interviews).
I decided to create an interview for ‘Clash of Clans’ which is a mobile game for android and iPhone devices. Clash of Clans is one of the most popular games on the market and users know the game by its distinctive sounds.
To make the interview realistic, I did not want a script as then it would not be an interview, so I decided to ask around for people who actually play the game, and ask them questions about the game.
Based on research on the game, I took some notes about what the game is about and what elements it includes, so I could know what to ask them about.
Work in Progress
As I was recording, I had problems setting to sound to mono, whenever I tried, there would be no sound coming out from the headphones. I set everything up properly, used the XLR with a mono microphone and set the input to XLR. I could not waste time so I decided to fix the problem in Audition. So the recording we did was in stereo.
This is the unedited sound:
As you can hear the sound is only coming out from the right side. With audition this is no problem. There was a quick and easy solution with Audition for this which I will show later on.
First thing I done was opened up the sound clip in Audition (File > Import > File…) once the file was in, first thing you need to do to start edition is go to ‘Multitrack’ –
What this does is lets you have different ‘Tracks’ into one frame, this way you could edit multiple sounds together, cut parts out, join parts together, ect.
Once you click on Multitrack you will get a pop up, that is where I found my fix for the stereo sound.
After I got that sorted it was time to edit my sound so that it sound more clear and smooth without most the background noise. Also had to cut parts out where my interviewee was getting things mixed up by using the Razor selection tool from the tools bar at the top.
The next effect I used was Dynamics Processing, I adjusted the dynamics to what is shown below, it made a huge difference on the quality of sound, it became much more clearer and the background sound just disappeared.
I have tried to experiment with other effects but non seemed effective, the mono microphone did a very good job in the clarity of the sound.
What I did next was to get the MP3 files of the in-game sounds and background music and played them throughout the interview, with the volume down to -6db.
Finally I exported the entire sound clip (File > Export > Multitrack Mixdown > Entire Session).
Final recording/Synopsis
My recording is an interview about an upcoming popular mobile game – Clash of Clans, this interview talks about why this game is No.1 in the App store and Google Play stores, what is this game packed with that everyone loves it so much, Ann is the interviewer interviewing Junaid and Umad.
Evaluation
Although recording a sound clip might seem so easy, it was more complicating than I ever thought, setting up the Tascam Portable Recorder was challenging for the external mono microphone, there was no sound coming through the headphones when the Type was set to mono, so first thing I thought was that it should be on stereo. The reason I did not use the Tascam microphone is because of the way it is made, it is a directional microphone, as with the handheld microphone you could keep it anywhere and it will still catch the sound.
It was also a challenge to workout how to use Adobe Audition; I could not tell what was the purpose of the Waveform or the uses of the Multitrack. I was planning to use the equalizer too but I could hear no difference in sound, and when I did hear some difference, it did not sound good at all. It was the same with all other effects, I did not want the interview to sound as if someone was interviewing a person in a car with closed windows.
It was a challenge to find the sounds from Clash of Clans, I had to find every sound file individually, which was time consuming, but it was well worth the time.
One problem I found is that after I saved my work, I could no longer open the session; there were no files in the session. So it was very frustrating, plus saving work is a very important thing as my work got all deleted because I did not save and Audition force closed.
One of my biggest challenges was getting colleagues to help me record as I was hardly ever available at the same time they was, so I was very unorganised during the process.
Overall I think I did well, I have achieved what I had in mind, and there is no odd sounds or sounds not related to the game.
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