How to Approach and Solve Mobile App Development Assignments

• Functional requirements (what the app must do). Example: “Provide a directory of faculty and allow direct calling and emailing.”
• Technical requirements (what technologies or standards must be used). Example: “Use SQLite or Firebase for storing course data.”
• Design requirements (UI guidelines, frameworks). Example: “Follow Google’s Material Design principles.”
• Submission guidelines (GitHub repo, screenshots, naming conventions).

📌 Tip: Before writing a single line of code, underline or list every deliverable mentioned in the assignment. Missing one small detail like “linking to the admissions webpage” can cost marks.

2. Breaking Down the Project into Features

Assignments that seem complex become manageable if broken into modules or features. For a departmental app like this, the features might be:

1. User Interface & Navigation – Main menu with buttons/cards.
2. Faculty/Staff Directory – Photos, contact info, and direct call/email options.
3. Courses Section – Course database (SQLite or Firebase).
4. Admissions Section – Info plus external link to application page.
5. Social Media Integration – In-app web views for Facebook/Twitter/Instagram.
6. Email FAB – Floating button that opens an email intent.

📌 Tip: Write these features down and tick them off as you implement. This ensures no functionality gets left out.

3. Planning the Technology Stack

Most assignments specify the platform, such as Android (Java/Kotlin) or hybrid frameworks like Flutter or React Native. Since the assignment referenced material design, we’ll assume Android Studio + Kotlin/Java.

• Frontend (UI): XML layouts with Material Design components (e.g., RecyclerView, CardView, FloatingActionButton).
• Backend/Data: SQLite (local database) or Firebase (cloud database).
• Navigation: Activities, Intents, or modern Navigation Component.
• API/Integrations: WebView for social media, implicit intents for calling/emailing.

📌 Tip: Always confirm whether your lecturer expects a native app (Android/iOS) or hybrid app (cross-platform).

4. Designing the User Interface (Material Design Principles)

One of the grading rubrics stresses UI design quality. Material Design is about consistency, simplicity, and usability.

• Use standard components: Toolbar, BottomNavigation, FAB, Snackbars.
• Consistency: Keep padding, margins, and colors aligned with the theme.
• Accessibility: Ensure buttons have clear labels, sufficient contrast, and intuitive icons.

📌 Example: For the faculty directory, instead of plain text, use a RecyclerView with CardViews, each showing a photo, name, phone icon, and email icon.

5. Building the Faculty/Staff Directory

This feature teaches data representation and user interaction.

1. Design Layout: Each directory item as a card (photo, name, phone, email).
2. Data Source: Hard-coded JSON or SQLite table (fields: name, designation, phone, email, photo).
3. RecyclerView Adapter: Populate the directory dynamically.
4. Intents:
   • Phone icon → Intent.ACTION_DIAL.
   • Email icon → Intent.ACTION_SENDTO.

📌 Tip: Add dummy data first, test navigation, then refine with actual details.

6. Implementing the Courses Section

This part tests database skills.

• SQLite Approach:
  • Create a Course table (id, code, name, credits, prerequisites, description).
  • Insert at least 10 rows.
  • Use a DAO class to retrieve data.
  • Display using RecyclerView.
• Firebase Approach:
  • Create a Firebase project.
  • Use Firestore with a “courses” collection.
  • Sync data with FirebaseRecyclerAdapter.

📌 Tip: For assignments, SQLite is usually faster to implement and doesn’t need internet. Firebase demonstrates advanced skills if you want bonus marks.

7. Creating the Admissions Section

This is often the simplest feature.

• Display admissions text (requirements, deadlines, contact info).
• Add a Button or Hyperlink → Opens the official application page via an Intent.ACTION_VIEW.

📌 Tip: Keep this section concise but clear. Overcomplicating it isn’t necessary.

8. Adding Social Media Integration

Rather than opening a browser, the assignment requires in-app viewing. How to do it:

• Use WebView.
• Load URLs for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages of the department.
• Enable JavaScript (but cautiously).
• Add navigation controls (Back button).

📌 Pitfall to Avoid: Don’t just add plain links. The rubric expects functional in-app integration.

9. Implementing the Email FAB

The Floating Action Button (FAB) is a hallmark of Material Design.

• Add FAB in activity_main.xml.
• On click → Trigger Intent.ACTION_SENDTO with pre-filled “mailto:HOD@university.com”.
• Allow subject line to be pre-populated (e.g., “Inquiry from Mobile App”).

📌 Tip: Test this feature thoroughly. If the FAB is non-functional, it will lose marks quickly.

10. Testing and Debugging

Assignments emphasize stability and functionality. Steps:

• Unit Testing: Check each activity separately.
• Navigation Testing: Ensure smooth transitions.
• Edge Cases:
  • What if no email app is installed?
  • What if the phone number is missing?
  • What if there’s no internet (Firebase/social media)?

📌 Tip: Add Toast messages or error handling for missing features to show awareness.

11. Documentation and Code Quality

Good code isn’t enough — assignments are graded on clean structure and documentation.

• Follow naming conventions (MainActivity, CourseAdapter).
• Add comments for functions.
• Keep indentation consistent.
• Write a README: describe features, technologies, how to run the app, and contributors.

📌 Tip: Use GitHub README as part of your submission. Include screenshots for clarity.

12. Collaboration and Version Control

Even if working solo, using GitHub shows professionalism.

• Commit after each feature.
• Write meaningful commit messages.
• Use branches if working in a team.

📌 Submission Reminder: The assignment required both GitHub and Moodle submission. Always double-check.

13. Meeting the Marking Rubric

The marking scheme is your roadmap to an A. For example:

• UI (4 points) → Use proper Material Design.
• Activities & Navigation (4 points) → Ensure smooth flow.
• Faculty Directory (4 points) → Include all info and functional links.
• Courses (4 points) → Database works flawlessly.
• Admissions (4 points) → Info is clear and link works.
• Social Media (4 points) → In-app viewing is smooth.
• Email FAB (4 points) → Opens email client correctly.
• Code Quality (4 points) → Clean, documented.
• Overall Functionality (4 points) → No crashes.
• Teamwork & Submission (4 points) → Meet deadlines, follow guidelines.

📌 Tip: Print the rubric and self-grade before submission.

14. Time Management Strategy

Big assignments fail not due to difficulty but poor planning. Here’s a suggested timeline (for a 2–3 week project):

• Day 1–2: Analyze requirements, set up project skeleton.
• Day 3–5: Implement UI and navigation.
• Day 6–8: Build Faculty Directory and Courses section.
• Day 9–10: Admissions and Social Media.
• Day 11: Email FAB.
• Day 12–13: Testing and debugging.
• Day 14: Documentation, README, screenshots.

15. Common Mistakes Students Make

• Ignoring UI guidelines (losing easy marks).
• Adding non-functional placeholders without finishing.
• Forgetting to test on multiple devices/emulators.
• Submitting without README or GitHub link.
• Last-minute cramming leading to buggy apps.

16. Beyond the Assignment: Industry Relevance

This type of assignment isn’t just academic. It mirrors real mobile development workflows:

• Faculty Directory = Employee directory apps.
• Courses Database = Product catalogs in e-commerce.
• Admissions = Info + links like marketing apps.
• Social Media Integration = Standard in modern apps.
• Email FAB = Customer support features.

📌 Tip: Highlight these parallels in your presentation to impress examiners.

Conclusion

Mobile app development assignments like creating a departmental app are excellent training grounds for real-world projects. The key to success lies in:

1. Understanding requirements clearly.
2. Breaking tasks into features.
3. Using the right tools (Material Design, SQLite/Firebase, WebView, Intents).
4. Testing thoroughly.
5. Following the rubric and submission guidelines.

By following this structured approach, you don’t just solve the assignment — you build the confidence and skills needed to tackle any mobile app project in academic or professional settings.