What is App-It?

The AppIt! Competition provides students with an opportunity to work in teams to create an app or a website to address a specific need of a target group of users. There are two categories for the AppIt! Competition this year:  (1) App/Website Development and (2) Design Prototype.  Students can choose the category in which they wish to participate.

 

  • App/Website Development: Students develop an app or website using any platform and tools.
  • Design Prototype: If time and resources are limited for developing an app or website, you can design a prototype for an app or website instead.

Recommended Steps

App/Website Development Design Prototype
  • Identify a specific need for an app or website by a target user group.
  • Develop the app/website using any platform and/or tools.
  • Prepare a tri-fold display board (48" * 36") for presentation. Make sure that you include the following:
    • Name of the app or website
    • Target audience and need
    • Access information (e.g., URL) for the app/website
    • Sample interface and navigation
    • Key features of the app or website
  • Prepare a brief oral presentation of the app or website.
  • Identify a specific need for an app or website by a target user group.
  • Develop a prototype for the app or website (you can use any tools to visualize your prototype).
  • Prepare a tri-fold display board (48" * 36") for presentation. Make sure that you include the following:
    • Name of the app or website
    • Target audience and need
    • Sample interface and navigation for the app or website
    • Key features of the app or website
  • Prepare a brief oral presentation of app or website prototype.

On the day of the competition, each student team will display the team's tri-fold board, and give a brief presentation in front of a panel of judges. The judges will evaluate the display board, oral presentation, and the app/website or prototype based on the evaluation rubric below.


Evaluation Rubric

Criteria Needs Improvement Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations
Helpfulness of the app or website 1 2 3
Interface design 1 2 3
Navigation 1 2 3
Display board design 1 2 3
Oral presentation 1 2 3

Suggestions of Tools and Examples

  • You can use any tools of your choice, but below are some suggestions just for your information:
  • For the content of the website or app, it is up to students to decide the target audience and their need that the website/app aims to address. Some suggested ideas are: an App to support Hurricane Harvey survivors, a website providing information to a target group about solar eclipse, or an app reporting community news to a target community. The linked examples below, although all apps, can give you more ideas about the content of your website or app.