WINNY IN CLASS

As we enter the final week of our Advanced Studio project, my focus has shifted towards submitting the assignment and applying any last minute refinements to the SPOTTER app. I successfully incorporated the advertisements that I had proposed in Advanced Studio 1 and also integrated Google Maps directions. An important lesson I learned was that the issues I faced while trying to redirect to Google Maps were caused by incorrect handling of destination longitude and latitude values. Through careful debugging of each line of code, I identified and resolved the issue. I was under the impression I would have to submit my project without this feature given the lack of time left, however, it was truly rewarding to accomplish it before the deadline. Additionally, I took the opportunity to enhance the app's design by fine-tuning the colours, fonts and placement, which has resulted in a neater and more professional appearance. Lastly, I cleaned up all of my lines of code and organised my file...

This week, my main focus was to organise and refine my screens to make sure there was a smooth transition between them. To enhance user experience, I brought in a navigation controller to the settings section, which provides a convenient back button for each subview. In fine detail, I scanned over all of the contraints within each UI view controller to ensure there were no significant issues.  It was during this week that I came to the realisation that I may not have enough time to implement to FIND SWELL feature. This feature is the exact same to the FIND SUN feature but instead of sun, we are searching for good waves. As a result of time management, I decided to remove the prepared view controllers and code that I had set up for starting this section. 

This week I have managed to reach a few more milestones. I focused on creating e a new page of the app which allows the user to view the search results in a map view for convenience. I decided to create this page separately from the homepage map as it needed to display extra information including the search fields at the bottom of the screen alongside a "back" button to take the user back to the list of results. (still need to implement the back button) I also attempted to have the tab bar viewed to every screen but I am finding it difficult to find out why it disappears after the SunSearchViewController.  

 This week I have hit a few more milestones within my code. I managed to display the locations on the homepage map. I also managed to change the default marker icon to my branded markers. Please see below: This was a challenge as I could not figure out why the api url wasn't valid to display all of these locations. After a lot of debugging, I came to the realisation that the api url had the (userSelectedDate) property which was not necessary/connected to the home page. I created a seperate api url for the homepage and after doing so, the code was successful. I also spent some time fixing the constraints of each controller.  My next step is to display the data on the homepage when a user clicks on a marker. I am in the middle of the code and at the moment the code is not successful. Once this is done, I will have the most important elements of the app complete. 

 This week I have had a major break through. I have finally figured out how to display the data on the screen! This was a big milestone for me and the feeling was amazing! Here you can see the live data from the WillyWeatherAPI being displayed on the screen: I learnt a lot about debugging to figure this out, I pulled apart every line of code and wrote many print statements until I found out where the issue was. Now that I have the information displaying successfully, the rest of the build should be rather easy. I will focus on the Google Maps SDK API integration on Friday to show the Hours and Klms on the screen.

 This weeks class was spent trying to work out how to display the data from the WillyWeather API onto the UI View Controller table view cell. This has been a very challenging step of the process and I am still yet to figure it out. After spending a few hours on it, I decided to leave it and work on the front end displays, I changed colours and alignment and added some new labels and UIImages. 

This week, my main focus was to review and ensure the functionality of the tasks I had completed earlier. I dedicated time to check everything I had implemented so far, identifying small errors and missing elements, and addressing them accordingly. The specific areas I worked on included: - Hiding password characters - Validation conditions to ensure that each textfield of the sign up meets the criteria. Eg. Postcode can only be 4  digits - Testing the forgot password functionality by sending the recovery email to my real email address and following the steps. I also made progress in implementing the SWELL search features. I created a UI view controller called SwellSearch, which is similar to SunSearch but includes an extra search feature for swell size. Currently. I have successfully designed the view and working on activating the 'swell size' drop down menu. Unlike the 'location' dropdown, which contains manually entered locations, the 'swell size' drop down r...

 This was a very successful week for my app! I have finally figured out how to print out the data retrieved from the WillyWeather API. This is a major milestone as I can now focus on the UI views and showing the data through the screens.  After a lot of trial and error, I realised that the reason I was unable to retrieve the data was because I was not copying the structs correctly from the API Reference manual. Once I understood the correct format of the structs, the data started to print. Here is the output:  My next step is to print the data onto the UI Views. Once I have printed all of the SUN data, I will start to work on the other tab SWELL which will be a lot easier and quicker as I have now figured out the necessary steps. 

 As I am still having trouble connecting the WillyWeather API to retrieve the data, today I worked on the UI screens and getting the design up and running so they are ready for the code. I worked on the LIST page today where I implemented an expand and collapse feature to view the details of each location. I have made arrays for the name of location, hours to location and klms to location - the next step is to connect the API to these arrays so they display the correct information. I also used a rotate function so when the expand button is clicked, it rotates 180 degrees so it is ready to be collapsed. 

 This week I spent hours on trying to connect the WillyWeather API and kept failing and getting very confused. So I decided to have a break from that and focus on something else. In the search sun view controller I managed to fix the drop down button and display the options the user can choose from. The issue was that I hadn't connected the Touch Up Inside event to the button clicking function/method.   I also managed to display the selected date and area in the output which will help me later when I filter through the API with the users selected preference. That will be next weeks job.  Additionally, I played around with the design and layout a little more, even though I know this part isn't necessary until the end, it was nice to see the design come together bit by bit. 

 This week I worked on the implementation of GoogleMaps SDK. I was very excited to successfully add the map view to the homepage of my app. In the image below you can see that I have also successfully added a notification pop up to ensure the user agrees to showing their current location. However, the blue dot for current location is not showing - I think it may have something to do with the simulator but when I tried to export the app onto my mobile device it would not let me so I can't be sure. You can also see I figured out how to add markers to the map. I have been trying to connected data from WillyWeather to these markers but I am still working it out. I added the SPOTTER logo on the map and starting working on the second tab (SUN SEARCH)  but there is still a lot of work left on that page. I am struggling to display the data from the API but I think by end of next week I will have accomplished that. 

 Today I worked on connecting the WillyWeather API to my Xcode project. First, I registered for an API Key on the WillyWeather website. For the time being, I can only use 10 locations as this is the free version. I successfully entered the required code on my project to connect the API. But I am still trying to figure out how to retrieve data from the API. I am using the location id '4988' as a tester to try and retrieve the rainfall probability of this particular location. Once I have successfully retrieved the unique data from that location, I will feel confident in finding all the other attributes like temperature, wind etc. I have also created a few scenes for my app including a nav bar controller and a table view controller - the table view controller will be where all the filtered locations will be displayed once the user searches their preference. 

 Today I completed my assignment. I finalised the last 3 slides of my presentation and practiced it aloud to make sure I was not going over 7 minutes. I made sure I used a lot of images to represent words to keep the user engaged. I also decided to use a storyboard to make the presentation more exciting and entertaining. I also used the presentation tips in Canvas to help me prepare my speech in a professional manner. 

Today marks the second-to-last week of working on the assignment. I spent my time focusing on creating the presentation slides and had to think thoroughly about what points were important to touch on and what could be omitted. To capture the audiences attention, I have decided to use a storyboard at the beginning of my presentation with colourful cartoons and a story. However, I am still searching for the perfect hook. After completing the presentation, I spent time organising the report's layout, including the table of contents.

Today in class I finished the decision matrix for technology requirements. Here I used my existing knowledge from my research to create the matrix in an accurate manner. Using this knowledge, I also had more of an understanding about the system architecture for my application so I started to hand draw the diagram of the system architecture. Furthermore, as we are taking part in a practice presentation next week, I began to design the slides for my presentation, taking into consideration the concept, theme and branding of my application SPOTTER. 

 This was a public holiday so there was no class. However, before Friday I had been working on the wireframes and mock up for the application. I made a mind map to brainstorm the logo's and colours for the branding of SPOTTER aswell. 

I was unable to attend class this morning due to a work commitment. However, I was able to catch up on some assignment tasks from 11am. This week, I completed 95% of my research but still had to complete the social surveys. Fortunately, I have finished the first survey for campers and surfers and sent it off to many friends/people I know that like to surf and camp. Furthermore, I have already begun working on the diagrams for my app, which includes an activity diagram and ER diagram. I have also started to seriously consider the layout and flow of the navigation for the user, using the knowledge I  gained from the subject 'Interface & Experience design' which has been immensely helpful.  Once the prototype is complete, I plan on conducting a Usability Test and Survey.  The view the surfing and camping survey, click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16A7tUFBibqG5QIxGJUO1KOja0Hmh68PCeONDkEBbmVw/edit

In class today, we had a presentation about the importance of branding, which was insightful and inspiring. However, I have decided to postpone working on the branding of my mobile app, SPOTTER, until I have completed the necessary research. By doing so, I believe I will have a better understanding of the app's personality and intentions.  For my second assignment, I have started to research the technology, social, legal, and economic considerations and requirements for SPOTTER. My aim is to have all research done by next class. Once this research is complete, I can then focus on creating a branding strategy that aligns with the app's objective.  

 Today, my focus was on finishing the first assignment. I had a room meeting with Kriss to gain a better understanding of documenting the technology research as I found it quite confusing. After our meeting, I decided to explore existing weather apps on the market. I noticed that many weather apps only provide temperature, rain and wind, but they don't include swell, which is a crucial element to the apps functionality. Therefore, I will take this into account when looking for the right API. Additionally, I noticed that WeatherZone app has a disclaimer on their loading screen, stating that their weather data is sourced from a third party. This made me think that I should use something similar for the SPOTTER app to avoid responsibility for weather inaccuracy. 

Today in class I focused on the implementation plan of my project. I took into account that we have a 4 week holiday period which I decided to include in my project duration time. From studying code for the past two years, I have noticed that writing code is very time consuming and thought I would give myself an extra month to get started on my code so I do not feel rushed when submission time comes around.  I also started completing the communication plan for my app. To start this off, I used 6 major steps: 1. Define the target audience 2. Identify communication objectives 3. Identify communication channels 4. Develop key messages 5. Develop a timeline 6. Execute the plan We also partook in a class activity helping us reference in the correct format which was very helpful.