I will now explore my initial idea of creating an app that shows information relevant to a users location or preferred location that also incorporates the idea of symbols instead of the written language.

I brainstormed three points that are the main contributing factors to my app. 1 - The relationship that Twitter has with news so that I can use that information to create categories for my app. 2 - Groups of locations that information can be put into. 3 - Topics that I would use based on the information I gathered from Twitter. (The Twitter information gathered is sourced from research done for my essay.)

After brainstorming the various news topics I now will create various alternative pictograms for each topic then pick one based on peer and consumer feedback.

Above are various drawings I have done to illustrate each category. I have asked for feedback from people and based on that feedback I will now create a digital version of each.

Business

Technology

Sport

Local (Renamed from General)

Enviroment

Science

Education

Health

Traffic

Entertainment

Art

I will now add each icon to a typical apple app format and shape to see what they could look like.

Above are the first initial digital versions of my logos for each news categories for my app. I have made them clean and clear by only using two colours and keeping the lines to minimum thickness. I have done this because when testing the scale of the image the thicker lines and multiple colours when scaled down looked very messy and unclear.

One of the other main elements of my app is the idea of being able to share news that is relevant to your location, in effect creating a digital version of the community. To do this I have separated Great Britain into England, Wales and Scotland (Sorry Ireland, you didn't make the cut . . ) and then further separated them down into the various county's and areas that I feel necessary.

The colour coding has no relevance but I decided on bright primary colours as a contrast. The majority of the time when there is news it seems to be negative so I felt that bright colours would entice a more positive approach to whatever the user is looking at.

Great Britain

England

Scotland

Wales

Im not completely convinced that my icons convey the message of there topic, in particular Entertainment, Traffic and Science. I have produced a Survey Monkey to collect feedback so I am able to make sure that my app is appropriate for use. I have spoken to peers and the British map is iconic and therefore is instantly recognisable needing no clarity to the user.

I have collated the results of my survey and on feedback I have received I have realised the following problems that need to be improved and developed.

+ Entertainment had a unanimous response of a TV rather than the drama masks. Someone also responded in relation to entertainment and TV personality which further empathised on the idea of TV.

+Most people said that either traffic lights or cars would represent Traffic. The response was about half and half so I will leave the traffic light as is.

+The shape of the tree that represents environment is slightly left side heavy and it should be more even.

+Science is clear but people equally think the periodic table would be a good representation.

+Sports feels very empty and the addition of enough component would be welcomed, for instance another ball.

+Local (The clock) would benefit from being renamed to Current based on the logo.

+The simple eye catching colour is "easier to understand".

+Look into alignment of logos because some don't appear of equal distance from parameters

+MASSIVE negative response to the technology logo. Only 2 respondents knew roughly what the logo represented and one thought it was a family tree!

Based on the feedback I have received I will now focus on editing and creating the following logo's. I will completely change the entertainment and technology logo's, I will also edit environment and sports. I will also rename Local to Current and edit the alignment of logos's.

I have re-done the Technology logo to meet the feedback I received. After talking to participants further it was clear that Wifi is a common occurrence now everywhere and is an instantly recognisable logo.

This is the newly redone sports logo with an additional element.

This is the newly designed environment logo with the edited left hand side. On comparison it is clear that the new logo is much better than the previous.

I have re-done the Entertainment logo to meet the feedback I received. The majority of the feedback I received indicated that TV's reminded them most of Entertainment, with some participants naming TV personalities.

I have called the app Bystander. This further gives this relationship of sharing information because the person sharing it would have knowledge or relevance to the information. The logo is a first rough draft and will not be the final. I will not include a logo because the branding of the concept would occur in a later stage.

After receiving feedback on my app it is clear that the concept is there but the overall design isn't aesthetically pleasing.

I will now research into app design.

I will now continue the final stages of my app development in stage 3!