COMP6239 Mobile Applications Development

Module Overview

More and more people are using increasingly powerful mobile devices as their primary means of obtaining information and requesting services over the Internet. The shift from traditional personal computers (desktops and laptops) to mobile devices (Smart phone and tablets), as a means of accessing services, has forced enterprises to adapt mobile channels for their existing applications. At the same time, demand for new kinds of applications that can exploit the unique characteristics of mobile devices is rapidly growing. While there certainly is value in developing a mobile app user interface for an existing business application, the users of mobile applications have come to expect more from their mobile experience. This has manifested in an ever-increasing demand for mobile application development in the market.

Aims and Objectives

Module Aims

The aim of this module is to combine the techniques learned in previous software development modules with the unique characteristics and rapidly changing aspects of mobile application production. Students will learn how to develop mobile apps that can take advantage of location-based services, sensor rich development environments and gesture-based interaction features. As the mobile software domain is still fast moving and evolving, we will emphasise techniques and methods that will remain applicable to the latest technology of the day. This course is intended to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the tasks related to the development of enterprise-level mobile applications. The topics to be covered will include the design, interface building, resource management and code elaboration aspects of these applications. The concepts learned by students will be applicable to any mobile operating system, but emphasis and practice on a specific platform will be achieved through the coursework.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

The capabilities and limitations of mobile platforms that affect application development and deployment
The technology and business trends impacting mobile application development
The characterisation and architecture of mobile applications
The enterprise-scale requirements of mobile applications
The techniques for deploying and testing mobile applications, and for enhancing their performance and scalability

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Develop enterprise-level mobile solutions, by taking full advantage of the capabilities of the adopted platform/framework
Work with software/hardware tools to develop, test and debug mobile applications

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Evaluate alternative mobile frameworks, and contrast different programming platforms
Model and manage mobile application development using a range of methods
Explain the advantages and limitations of development frameworks
Designing and develop mobile applications using a chosen application development framework

Syllabus

Overview of Mobile App Development: - Why Mobile Apps? - Choice of Implementation Technology - Native Application Implementation - Mobile Web Applications - Hybrid Mobile Application Implementation App Design Issues and Considerations - Mobile Development Lifecycle Overview - Form Factors and User Input Technology - Architecture, Design and Engineering Considerations - Usability and User Interaction Design - Mobile Navigation and Interface Design - Overarching Design Principles and Guidelines Developing the Mobile App - Techniques, Methodologies for Mobile Application Development - Mobile Application Development Frameworks - Persistent Data in Mobile Apps - Maps and Location in Mobile Apps - Access to Hardware and Sensors - Building Mobile Apps Powered by Enterprise Backend - Secured Data Store and Synchronization Testing and Publishing Apps - Mobile Application Build and Delivery - Testing Mobile Applications - Automated versus Manual Testing - App Distribution Through App Stores - App Distribution for the Enterprise - Monetizing Apps

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures, tutorial, group coursework assessed via technical report and submitted application

Type	Hours
Completion of assessment task	40
Wider reading or practice	28
Revision	10
Lecture	36
Preparation for scheduled sessions	18
Follow-up work	18
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Jakob Iversen (2013). Learning Mobile App Development: A Hands-on Guide to Building Apps with iOS and Android.

Leigh Williamson et. al (2015). Enterprise Class Mobile Application Development: A Complete Lifecycle Approach for Producing Mobile Apps.

Sachin Date (2015). An Illustrated Guide to Mobile Technology.

Assessment

Summative

Method	Percentage contribution
Coursework	30%
Exam (2 hours)	70%

Referral

Method	Percentage contribution
Exam	100%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External