COMP5216 Mobile Computing 2024 S2

Group Assignment
Build a Mobile App

Deliverables Due Time

Proposal Electronic submission 5:00pm, 02/09/2024 (Monday, Week 6)

Electronic submission 5:00pm, 14/10/2024 (Friday, Week 11)

Final
Project Presentation & Demo 5:00pm, 21/10/2024 (Monday, Week 12)

INTRODUCTION
This assignment accounts for 40% of the total course assessment, split into 10% for the
proposal (Part 1) and 30% for the final submission (Part 2).

This is a group assignment, with each group consisting of 5-7 members. If you wish to form a
group with more or fewer members, you must first obtain written approval from the course
lecturer. Each member must contribute equally to the assignment, and all members will
receive the same marks. However, the course lecturer may adjust marks for individual group
members if necessary.

TASK
You are required to design and implement a mobile application for one of the two major
mobile platforms: Android and iOS. The final app should be physically deployed/installed in a
mobile device. The app can be selected from various categories including Productivity,
Communication, Entertainment, Education, Finance, Health, Utilities, and Games.

Choose an application (or a problem) and design a mobile app solution for it. The proposed
app should include the following minimum feature set:

• A graphical user interface (GUI) for effective user interaction.

• At least one form of data communication (e.g., Cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.)
• At least one technique to save network bandwidth, computation resources, and device
battery.
• At least one method to secure communication and data storage, or a strategy to
protect user privacy.

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You must justify the need for your app compared to existing apps offering similar functionality.
Novelty and creativity will be considered in grading; reimplementing an existing app will not be
sufficient.

This assignment consists of two phases: Proposal and Final. You are highly encouraged to
conduct thorough research and develop a solid plan during the proposal phase, although the
final app may differ from the proposal.

You are encouraged to discuss your idea with course lecturer before the submission.

PROPOSAL PHASE [10 marks]

The project proposal is a written document that clearly explains:

• The problem your app will solve.

• Why the problem matters (motivation and significance).
• Your proposed solution and app workflow.
• Your technical approaches.
• Your implementation plans.
• Potential risks (what could go wrong) and how you plan to overcome.

The proposal must NOT exceed TWELVE pages, excluding references (single-space, font
size 12 for body text, use sans-serif font family).

Components to include:

1. App: Background, justification, significance, and comparison to similar apps.

2. Solution: Workflow of the app with wireframe or UI designs for all stakeholders (users)
of the app.
3. Technical approach: High-level code structure, required libraries, server needs,
custom algorithms, etc. (how you are going to implement your solution? Do you need
specific libraries? what is your high-level code structure? do you need a server? do you
need to develop your own algorithms? etc.)
4. Plan: Implementation schedule, workload distribution among the group, collaborative
development strategies.
5. Potential setbacks: identified risks and proposed solutions.
6. References

Note

It is NOT necessary to follow these exact headings. The proposal should

convincingly articulate your project and implementation.

Provide references to resources you have consulted and what guidelines you have
applied to prepare your proposal. You are strongly encouraged to obtain some

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guidance on proposal writing from a wide range of resources (e.g., books, articles, and
websites).

Submission
• Only one submission per group.
• Submit the Proposal via Canvas in PDF format. No other file format is accepted.

Marking Scheme for Proposal

1. App Justification: Significance and challenge (3 marks)
2. Solution: Clear description with workflows (2 marks)
3. Technical approach: Implementation plan with technical requirements (2 marks)
4. Plan: Implementation schedule, workload distribution, and collaborative development
approaches (1 mark)
5. Potential setbacks: identified risks and solutions (1 mark)
6. Overall proposal writing: Clarity and organization (1 mark)

FINAL PHASE [30 marks]

You are required to implement and demo the app on a physical mobile device. The final
delivery includes:

• Final Report [8 marks]

The final report should detail the implementation of primary app features, experimental
validation, setbacks, and a user manual for setup and deployment. Include workload
distribution among group members as an appendix.

Sections to Include:

1. Validation of App Features (4 marks)

Explain and validate each feature from minimum feature set. Explain clearly your
strategy and then provide an experimental validation that you have managed to
successfully implement the proposed techniques. For examples, (i) one possible
way to show how successful your GUI implementation is to conduct a user study, (ii)
to show your effective CPU usage, you can measure the CPU consumption and
compare it with a benchmark app.
2. Challenges and Setbacks (2 marks)
Explain deviations from the proposal, i.e., explain whether you were able to achieve
goals proposed at the proposal phase. If not, explain reasons for taking different
paths.
3. Documentation and Manual (1 mark)
Setup and deployment instructions, i.e., explain how to set up the working
environment to re-compile and re-deploy your app to a mobile device.
4. Appendix: Workload distribution (1 mark)

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Workload distribution among group members.

The report must NOT exceed twelve pages, excluding references and appendix
(single-spaced, font size 12 for body text, use sans-serif font family). Submit in PDF
format.

• Video [3 marks]

Create a video showcasing your app, highlighting the problem it solves, its functionality,
and benefits. The video should be in .mp4 format, compatible with VLC, and no longer
than 3 minutes. Ensure the file size is reasonable (approximately 100MB).

• Presentation [2 marks]

Present your app in a 3-minute pitch during the scheduled lecture time. The
presentation will be conducted in person, starting at 5:00 pm in the weekly lecture
room. The presentation will be marked and evaluated based on clarity, confidence,
presentation skills, and content.

• Demo [3 marks]

Demo the key features of your app in a 2-minute session following the presentation.
Ensure the app is installed on a mobile device and demonstrate its readiness for
distribution.

It is your responsibility to arrange all technical requirements needed to successfully

demonstrate the key features, such as internet access, multiple mobile devices for a
collaborative app, supporting devices like wearables, access to cloud services, etc.,
before the presentation time slot.

• Source code of the app [4 marks]

Submit the project development environment as a zip file, including an APK file (or
suitable installation method). The source code will be evaluated based on successful
installation, key feature functionality, and coding effort.

Submission

• One submission per group via Canvas.

• Include the final report in PDF format, project video, presentation slides, APK file
(or installation method), and a zip file of all source code.

Note:

• It is your responsibility to make sure that the video can be played successfully.
• Presentation slides.
• APK file (or a method to install the developed app on a mobile device) for the app.

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• Zip of all project source code files. It is your responsibility to ensure that 1) your zip
file can be accessed and unzipped successfully, 2) your programs can be compiled
and run successfully.

Marking Scheme for Final

1. Judges' Evaluation [15 marks]

15 marks will be allocated by a panel of judges for evaluating all deliverables,

including the in-class presentation and demo at the Week 12 in-class presentation.
These 15 marks are distributed as follows:

1. Novelty and significance of the problem (2 marks)

2. Creativity of the solution (4 marks)
including proper presentation/demonstration of the solution
3. Challenges and effort in development (2 marks)
Challenges involved in developing your app and the amount of effort that you
have put in developing the final app.
4. Readiness for distribution (2 marks)
to distribute the app to users
5. Presentation (2 marks)
6. Demo (3 marks)

2. Course Lecturer and Tutors’ evaluation [15 marks]

15 marks will be allocated by the course lecturer and tutors for evaluating the
following three deliverables offline:

1. Source code (4 marks)

2. Final report (8 marks)
3. Project video (3 marks)

PLAGIARISM
Using another person's work and presenting it as your own is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Text-
based similarity detection software (e.g., Turnitin) will be used for all written
assignments and source codes. It is your responsibility to understand the Academic
Honesty policies of the University of Sydney.

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