Now that we’re past the team development and app brainstorming sections of the AdMob Student App Challenge, your team should now be organized with a clear app idea, ready to start the design process. To help you get started on building the app, six developers from studios such as Yetizen to Pixowl detail some of the most important things to consider when building an app:
While this is a just a short intro into app development best practices, starting with these as a framework will help ensure that you submit a quality app for the contest.
In the coming weeks, we’ll continue to post more updates with tips and best practices to help guide your team as you build, test and finalize your app. Continue to follow us on AdMob G+ and Twitter, and keep an eye on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge.
Since launching the AdMob Student Challenge 2016 in January, we’ve met with students at several universities, and have been thrilled to see that teams are already hard at work designing their apps. Last month, our Google Student Ambassadors hosted an event at James Madison University (JMU) in Virginia. They met a team working on a new social app called Sawkward, a tool to help you rediscover personal contact.
Sawkward helps people in social situations so they always knows what to say. It helps them gain access to suggestions for conversation starters, topics, and stories. Users can vote on their favorite suggestions (“Sawks”), and give their opinions or anecdotes. It’s goal is to help alleviate social awkwardness and connect its users with the people around them.
The team behind Sawkward are two seniors from JMU, Jon Romero and Josh Kay. As engineering majors, they usually find themselves to be more introverted, and often have a hard time finding what to talk about. Their mission with Sawkward is to give the less outgoing the tools needed to connect with their community in a more personal way.
If you have not signed up, it’s not too late, so be sure to visit the AdMob website to register. Follow us on our AdMob G+ and Twitter channels and keep an update on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge.
If you haven’t heard, we launched the AdMob Student App Challenge 2016 in January, and we’re really excited to see what you’ll build. If you’re wondering how to get started let’s meet the previous winner, Phani Gaddipati, from Colorado, USA. Phani won with Stacks Flashcards. The app lets people create electronic flashcards on any subject, quiz themselves, and analyze their performance. Learn more about what inspired Phani to build his app in the video below.
As Phani mentioned in the video, he took a practical approach to building his app, designing something that he knew would be useful to himself and his peers. Because of this, he has now driven over 50K downloads of his app.
As part of this year’s contest, the grand prize winner will receive a week-long trip to San Francisco, including a visit to the Google headquarters in Mountain View, CA. The winning app will be featured on the Google Play Store, and you’ll also get to star in your own promotional video featuring your app. For more information, please see our full contest terms here.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to visit the AdMob website to register. Follow us on AdMob G+ and Twitter and keep an update on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge.
Here are some pointers for managing your time as your team gets started in the #AdMobSAC16.
January to February:
Organize your team; if you haven’t found a team, utilize Collabfinder to ensure you find the best team possible.
Assign tasks and deliverables for people according to their strengths.
Brainstorm your ideas for your app.
Put together your strategy for project completion.
Tip: This is also a good time to familiarize yourself with the AdMob app policy, which can be found in the AdMob Help Center.
March: As springtime approaches, your team should be in the heart of building the application. Focus on:
Design work and developing the basic elements of the app.
Aim to have a working prototype by the end of the month.
Don’t forget to integrate AdMob ads into your app. This is a key requirement.
Open it up for testing among a small group of trusted developers who are willing to provide detailed feedback.Start thinking your app’s promotional strategy.
Tip: A large portion of #AdMobSAC16 is scored on the success of your app (such as the number of downloads and ratings - check the judging criteria for the full details) - you will need to give yourself enough time to put effort into promoting your app.
April:
Complete final testing and make refinements based on user feedback. Your app should be high quality, and part of that is responding to user suggestions.
Release your app on an app store and start promoting it.
Continue promoting your app. Think about creative ways to do it.
Now will be the time to start readying your business report, which is due on June 28, 2016 by 5:00PM PST. The Challenge website already has a recommended template on it.
Remember, your project will be reviewed by a panel of app experts from Google, so your business report will need to be thorough and of professional-level quality.
Be sure to visit the AdMob website to register. Follow us on AdMob G+ and Twitter and keep an update on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge.
Posted by Jeff MinerAdMob Student App Challenge Team
For many students, the AdMob Student App Challenge is an exciting opportunity to showcase their app-building prowess, or a new way to display their entrepreneurial skills. However, since the contest is a both a developer and business contest, you may be having difficulty forming the right team or worse yet, considering not participating because of it.
Enter the AdMob Student App Challenge Collabfinder group. This tool allows you to find like-minded students who are interested in participating in the Challenge, who may not have been able to form a team yet. For students with a mind towards business or an app idea, here’s a way to find someone with a passion for app development that you can work together with. Or for someone who already has the skills to build the app, but is not as business-oriented, find a teammate who can help with putting a business plan behind the app idea.
Be sure to visit the AdMob website to learn more and register. Follow us on AdMob G+ and Twitter and keep an update on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge.
Posted by Jeff Miner External Communications, AdMob Student App Challenge
Did you know that there are more mobile devices than people? In 2014, there were 7.4BN* devices and an estimated 7.2 billion people. Mobile is quickly becoming the most popular way to get online, even exceeding the time spent on desktop computers**. This has contributed greatly to the growth of the app ecosystem, with consumers spending on average 37 hours a month*** on mobile apps. As apps are becoming more prominent in our everyday lives, it’s more important now than ever to learn app development.
That’s why we’re launching the second AdMob Student App Challenge, an app building competition open to students around the world. If you’re a student who loves to code or has a great idea for a mobile app, this is your chance to build an app, learn how to make money from it, and win awesome prizes. The prizes will include a week-long trip to San Francisco and a visit to the Googleplex.
To win the challenge, you’ll need to build a great app (either Android or iOS) and create a sound business plan that shows how you managed the project, gained users, and leveraged AdMob to make money. The contest will be judged by a panel of app industry leaders. To learn more about the judges, visit here.
The winning team will receive:
An all expenses paid, week-long trip to San Francisco, including a visit to the Googleplex in Mountain View, CA
A featured spot on the Google Play Store
A promotional video starring you and your app
A healthy amount of Google schwag, including a new Google device
Last year’s global winner was Phani Gaddipati, who created Stacks Flashcards, an app that lets people create electronic flashcards on any subject, quiz themselves and analyze their performance. Check out his video to learn more.
In addition to one overall winner, the finalist from each of the four global regions (North America, Latin America, Europe Middle East & Africa, and Asia Pacific) will receive Google devices and see their app featured on the AdMob website.
The challenge starts today, and you’ll have until June 28, 2016 to build your winning app. Be sure to visit the AdMob website to learn more and register. Follow us on AdMob G+ and Twitter and keep an update on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge. .
Best of luck -- we can’t wait to see what you build!
Posted by Henry Wang Product Marketing, AdMob
* Cisco, Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update 2014–2019 White Paper, February 2015 ** eMarketer, US Time Spent with Media, October 2014 *** Nielsen, Smartphones: So Many Apps, So Much Time, July 2014