Brian (our developer of the Stiho app) is creating the app using Titanium . The Titanium platform by Appcelerator is used to develop cross platform mobile applications from code written in Javascript. The benefits of using this is that it supports several native APIs. We are focusing on iOS for the prototype phase but since Titanium provides support for Android as well, STIHO can use this code if and when they develop for Android.
At first we wanted the app to be developed for Android devices. The reason we decided to prototype for iOS was that it is more flexible and easier to adjust our preferences and design. Over the past couple of weeks Brian has worked closely with us and seems quite involved. This is an advantage for us since he brings in a refreshing point of view and is very clear about what is possible regarding the functionality and the design of the app.
We learned that it is important to estimate the amount of time required to develop an app. Some things that seem easy can take a lot of time, so it is important to have a clear plan and a developer who can translate this into an acceptable time-frame. We have been able to translate our ideas into the app with the help of Brian within the stipulated time-frame.
Brian has simulated some aspects, implemented some of the features as discussed and now the app prototype is shaping up quite well. We next plan to show the implementation to Bruno, STIHO and test the prototype with some end users to get an unbiased feedback about the functionality and whether the interaction experience is logical to them.