This is one of two concurrent projects that I undertook to teach myself the Processing programming language during the summer of 2015, and was done in collaboration with Branden Gunn (my husband).
I initiated this project in order to explore the graphical output capacity of Processing, and to play with creating a user interface design. It was an unsolicited app design based on an email sent out by Jonathan Fields of the Good Life Project. In the email, he asked users to track their activities for a month, placing them into one of three “buckets”: Connection, Contribution, or Vitality.
From this idea, I designed and programmed a functioning desktop executable that allowed users to input and track their daily and weekly activities. Branden created a simple database interface to store the information, and together we developed a standalone app that runs on an Android phone, using the Android developer kit.
Though I would not launch our final product as a stable app, this project was a useful opportunity to practice programming in Processing, exporting Processing code to both executable (for PC and Mac) and app formats (for Android), creating a spec and implementing database communication protocols, and taking design cues from an already-existing brand and website. Watching users interact with the final app design also revealed several small changes and that enhance usability, and emphasized the importance of real-world testing of designs. Working with Branden also gave me experience in creating clear specifications and outlining individual responsibilities for collaborative software development.
Further details about the project development can be found in the related blog posts, below.