Project Concepts

Each team will be assigned one of the following project concepts to develop an app for. The app must support the core features one would associate with the concept; however, the team should also put their own spin on the concept by customizing their app in some way that sets it apart from similar apps. Their customizations should give the team’s app its own “personality” and suggest specialized features not normally found in apps of this type.

• Classified Ads
  • Reference: Craigslist
  • Customizations: Type of things for which ads can be made
• Shop (eCommerce)
  • Reference: Target
  • Customizations: Type of things being sold
• Auction
  • Reference: eBay
  • Customizations: Type of things being auctioned
• Social Networking (Microposting)
  • Reference: Facebook
  • Customizations: Special interest shared by members
• Social Photo-Sharing
  • Reference: Instagram
  • Customizations: Special interest shared by members

Concept-Assignment Process

1. Each team bids on a project concept.
2. If there are more than 3 bids on a concept, winners will be randomly selected.
3. If a team loses their bid, they may place another bid on any project concept with available slots, and the process repeats.

Defining and Supporting Your App’s Highly Specific User Base

In order for your team’s project idea to be accepted, you must provide satisfactory answers to the following questions.

What is your app’s niche?

niche
/niCH,nēSH/
denoting products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population.

Your app’s niche must be very specific and specialized.

What niche-specific features will your app have?

Providing features that are specific to your app’s niche is essential for giving your app its distinctive personality.

✔ Good Example of Project Concept

• App Type: Social Photo-Sharing
• Niche: Mushroom Hunters
• Summary: Mushroom hunters share pictures of the various mushrooms they find.
• Niche-Specific Features:
  • Label/Filter based on whether mushroom edible/inedible.
  • Label/Filter based on mushroom species.
  • Ask the community for help identifying a mushroom.
  • Display a navigable map of where mushrooms of various types are being found.
  • Annual voting and awards for the best mushroom finds.

Critique of Good Concept

• Niche user population is nicely focused and specific.
• Niche-specific features are closely tied to the niche and make the app highly original compared with more general photo-sharing apps.

✘ Bad Example of Project Concept

• App Type: Social Photo-Sharing
• Niche: College Students
• Summary: College students share pictures.
• Niche-Specific Features:
  • Label/filter photos.
  • Like photos and display stream of photos with most likes.
  • Follow other users and display stream with their latest photos.
  • Post comments on photos.

Critique of Bad Concept

• “Niche” user population is way too broad and not focused/specific enough.
• Niche-specific features are too general and unoriginal. They sound like standard features of a general-purpose photo-sharing app.