COP3 - Study Support

Last year I had a study support session and that really helped me with my essay, especially coming up with a structure which I find hard. So I decided to book one early this time so I can make the most of the help.

I went in and said I wanted to look at the structure of the essay and what to include. I felt the session was very useful, because for some reason talking about it helped me think of more ideas/critiques I could include.

Notes

• Instead of satisfying a need, they create one - WaterLogged, Ref Me
• Sleep analyser - tracks sleep quality - unneccessary, even though it gives us satisfaction of doing something well. This is called self affirmation. 
• We use these apps but don't know why
• Apps make us lazy - RefMe - they take away responsibility to learn, but do we need that?
• Are the fitness ones helpful?
• Apps are fashionable - Strava run, myfitnesspal. Creates competition - like the sleep one as well, they create satisfaction in productiveness and performance
• How dependant are we on apps
• Billsplitter - useful if you are sharing a house
• How intrusive are apps
• Plethora of apps - some exist because they are fun to design i.e. weather apps
• Focus group help http://assessment.aas.duke.edu/documents/How_to_Conduct_a_Focus_Group.pdf

To Do:

• Look at jstor and google scholar - terms like smartphone apps are useful

Plan

• Intro 650
• 750 - background and history, facts about apps
• How useful apps are with examples, theory, focus group/primary research - 3 sections, 750wrds each
• Critique of app - with examples of apps as mentioned above - makes us lazy, creates needs, unneccessary, dependant etc, focus group/primary research - 3 sections, 750 words each
• Conclusion 650 words

COP3 - Tutorial

I had my first tutorial with Simon yesterday.

Suggestions

• Reword title - To what extent do lifestyle apps improve everyday life?
• Google scholar - search for apps, app design, mobile digital culture
• Focus on productivity/lifestyle apps
• Primary research - case study and a focus group
• Look at user experience - why are apps successful?
• Just because something is usable doesn't mean it's useful or it has a good user experience
• Commercial aspects - advertising in apps

I definitely felt like it was a good idea to reword the title, and I am happy with that. I also think a focus group is a good idea to get information out of people, as opposed to my initial primary research ideas mentioned in my presentation.

My Notes

• How popular are apps - look at statistics
• Focus group: how often do you use apps, why, focus on one app/broad range, record it
• In what way do apps improve/what ways don't they - essay structure
• Alway focus on to what extent
• Intro - defining what I mean by lifestyle, everyday tasks and apps
• Break structure down into three things - beginning, middle, end
• Look at ways which apps help/hinder us

COP3 - Initial Research

I started looking at different apps/websites before my presentation to see what I would want to include in my essay.

Helpful Apps

Uber Taxi

• Taxi App
• Allows user to book taxi, pay through app, visually see where taxis are and can split the fare with friends
• Popular app, does improve mundane task
• Well designed interface 
• https://medium.com/@julien/uber-medium-black-holes-and-the-power-of-networks-fe0fa93bf71e
• https://medium.com/@harrisjamie42/ubers-secret-weapon-988ad34a98ba

Centralway Banking

• Manage all bank accounts from one app
• Monitor transactions in a timeline
• Automatic forecast for future spending
• Bank transfers
• Notifications
• Catergories
• Spending analysis
• Well designed interface
• https://www.centralway.com/en/features

Bill Splitting Apps 

• Split wise does the maths, shows you clearly IOUs
• https://www.splitwise.com/
• More bill splitting apps https://www.themuse.com/advice/5-genius-apps-for-splitting-bills-with-friends

Rail Passengers

• http://www.railway-technology.com/features/featurebest-apps-for-rail-passengers-smartphone-commute/

Apps that have created needs

Ref Me

• Scan barcode of a book, harvard references for you
• Is it useful, or does it make us lazy
• Takes away responsibility to learn
• http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/worklife/campus/a30449/best-apps-for-students/
• App created for something our mind can teach us

WaterLogged

• Tracks how much water you've drank
• Tells you when to drink more water
• App created for something our body can tell us
• http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/worklife/campus/a30449/best-apps-for-students/

SleepTime

• Analyses our sleep pattern
• Tells us duration of sleep, quality of sleep
• Self affirmation - makes us feel positive when we have achieved something, even though it is pointless
• This can make us feel less guilty of being dependant on apps, as we have 'achieved' something
• http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/worklife/campus/a30449/best-apps-for-students/

Dinner Time

• Ten apps to help you choose dinner - content overload
• http://www.liveinnanny.org/blog/10-iphone-apps-to-help-you-choose-whats-for-dinner/
• Instead of reading recipe book, we use recipe apps
• You can add ingredients to your shopping list on iFood Assistant https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ifood-assistant-by-kraft/id296246161?mt=8

Organising Apps

• http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone-apps/5-apps-to-organize-your-life.htm#page=5
• https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/tally-quick-counter/id572051403?mt=8

Apps that exist because of technology

Focus Out

• Blocks apps that are distracting us so we can do work
• Select apps, choose time, and requires a hard task to unblock them before that time
• Is it good, or ironic that we need an app to stop distraction from other apps

1password

• App that stores all your passwords - for when you are connected to that many accounts/apps you can't remember

People's Thoughts 

Medium Articles

• https://medium.com/new-media/caught-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-digital-divide-2fcbfd5a7df4
• https://medium.com/a-better-me/thoughts-from-my-annual-month-of-unplugging-e53dc4544d16
• https://medium.com/@davidmcmenemy/dear-internet-405a0262931b
• https://medium.com/@rbrtjns/pocketing-bliss-f61ed2a6b664
• https://medium.com/@nicharry/bad-battery-life-is-a-social-issue-not-a-technology-one-a9e504f459eb
• https://medium.com/@barrientosjamie/the-digital-divide-c30b44435568
• https://medium.com/mobile-first-responsive-design
• https://medium.com/technology-culture-productivity/unplugging-isnt-needed-if-you-digitally-refresh-ac7c8bc3960f

Resources

Pttrns

• Screenshots of apps
• http://www.pttrns.com/p/379

50 Apps

• Article with examples
• http://www.esquire.co.uk/gear/gadgets/5536/50-best-apps/

Books

• The Digital Diet
• The Present Shock
• The People's Platform
• The Parent App
• 100 Ideas That Changed the Web

COP3 - Initial Idea

Initial Question Ideas
Initially, I was looking at a few different questions:

• How has the internet changed the way we live life and digest information
• Has it gone too far? Or has it adapted to our needs?
• How has the web made life easier?
• How has it improved awareness of global issues?
• How has the internet made information more accessible?
• Do we have an over-reliance on all things digital, and whats the impact of that?
• Do we overuse the internet for everyday tasks?
• Have apps improved everyday life, or have they disrupted it?
• Has the internet adapted to our needs, or has it created them?

Focus

From this, I looked at how to focus it down, and what I was interested in. Internet is a vague term, so I wanted to narrow this down to websites and apps. I found a few websites when researching, but mainly apps, so I decided to narrow it down further and only focus on apps.

Areas of Interest

I want to look at how it has created or adapted our needs, and with a focus on lifestyle apps - apps that exist to improve everyday tasks. Therefore, I decided to roll with the working title 'Have apps improved everyday life, or have they disrupted it?' for now.

COP3 - Disseration Presentation

Having had the Summer to think more about what I want to do for my dissertation, I was able to think of a more focussed idea for my presentation. Although it is still on the web, it differs a lot from where I was in 2nd year. I now want to look at how apps have impacted on the everyday tasks in our lives.

Here is my presentation:

Feedback
Feedback was positive, and that it is a good, current theme to look at. The only thing I would need to take a look at is my practical - it could be a paradox to design an app if my dissertation says we are too dependant on them. I also need to think how I would show it working as I can't build an app - so that would be through video. I am trying to learn video for my extended practice briefs, so that could come in handy for this too.

OUGD601 - Methodologies and Critical Analysis

Methods

How the information you have found is

• sourced
• collected
• collated
• presented

Think of a methodology at this stage

• what am I researching
• why am I researching it

Picking a methodology is about picking a side

Choose a theoretical standpoint

1. Take the question and decide on methods

1. Make decisions about how to collect/order information

2. Choose a relevant theoretical stand point

3. Apply these to your study

4. Explicitly outline this in the introduction. Address suggested failings in the conclusion.

Dissertation will have a number of chapters addressing different elements

Introduction will outline methodical approach, and identify why I chose that, and break down the different components.

How is my choice of topic influenced by my emotions; aspirations; context?

What is the evidence for what I'm saying?

Evidence based on research, logical and reasoned methodological approach, argument

Argument

what do I want to say?

Have I got the evidence to back it up?

Where else do I need to look in order to find more evidence?

Am I expressing myself clearly and logically?

Move from the general to the specific