CHAPTER 8
The Educational App Development Process
A great educational app meets the needs of educators, parents, school districts, and most importantly, learners. It is engaging, easy to use, and effective, something that students look forward to using and teachers look forward to incorporating. But how do developers create such an app? The process, as pictured in Figure 8.1 and detailed in this chapter, involves several key steps. First a strong basis in educational research and pedagogy is vital, as well as starting out with the right mix of individuals and expertise on the development team, including educators, designers, and developers. The development cycle for educational apps, like most other software products, involves a continuous cycle of development, testing, release, evaluation, and user feedback that influences the next iteration of the product. Developing educational apps is an exciting opportunity, and in this chapter we lay out the key differentiators of the market. Special development considerations apply to school settings and young audiences that are not true of other genres of apps or software. We explore each of these issues as we describe how the right development team and process can ensure the production of quality educational apps.
Figure 8.1 The Educational App Development Process
RESEARCH STAGE: IS IT A GOOD IDEA?
App ideas come from all kinds of sources, ...
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