Student
Workbook
About Technovation
Mission: Our mission is to promote women in technology by
giving girls the confidence and skills they need to succeed in
computer science and entrepreneurship
Vision: Our vision is to empower every girl who wants to have
a career in technology entrepreneurship.
Goal: Our goal is to teach you the basic skills that will allow
you to understand the opportunities in technology.
2
Table of Contents
Week
Content
Pages
N/A
Task List
4
N/A
Judging Criterion
5
1
Brainstorming App Ideas
6
2
Example Surveys
7-8
2
Brainstorming Survey
Questions
9
2
Design Survey and Summary
10
2
Plan for Completing Prototype
11
3
Usability Testing of Competitor
Apps
12 – 13
3
Build Your Paper Prototype
14 – 17
4
Test Your Paper Prototype
with Another Team
18
5
Business Model
19
6
Business Plan Template
20
6
Design Your Business Plan
21 – 24
9
100-Word App Description
25
11
Pitch Feedback
26
N/A
List of Terms
27
N/A
Sketchbook
29 - 30
3
Task List
This is your syllabus for the course, to keep track of what needs to be done and
when. The tasks for each week can be started with your mentor and finished up
as “homework,” as long as they are finished by the time she arrives the next
week. Determine your class meeting schedule and write the dates in below.
Week
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Date
Tasks
Before class #1, please complete LadybugChase tutorial,
along with all other tutorials you didn’t finish at the Hack
Day.
Finalize your app idea. Complete QuizMe tutorial before next
class.
Create a survey and ask friends to take it. Outline a plan for
completing prototype. Complete Lots of Circles tutorial
before next class.
Analyze competition by testing usability of similar apps.
Finish paper prototype and bring to class next week. Get 20
responses on your survey. Complete Remember tutorial
before next class.
Test your paper prototype and incorporate feedback from
peers. Finish skeleton of screens in App Inventor.
Complete business model worksheet in Student Workbook.
Continue to work on prototype-- implement all transitions in
the blocks editor to help the user move from one screen to
another.
Work on first half of your business plan. Continue to work on
prototype-- work on the functionality of each individual
screen, starting with the easiest components.
Work on second half of your business plan. Continue to work
on prototype. Don't spend time making it pretty, just work on
the functionality for now.
Work on PowerPoint presentation. Continue to work on
prototype and test out its functionality with a target user.
Finish PowerPoint presentation. Write 100-word app
description. Continue to work on prototype- beautify your
app. Change background image of your screens and
customize the buttons, fonts, and colors. Test it on a user
again.
Finish remaining tasks. Take screenshots of your app to
insert into your PPT slides.
Film your pitch and upload to YouTube. Finish all remaining
tasks.
Submit your app source code, business plan, team photo,
app description, and slide deck to P2PU.
✔
4
Judging Criteria
The following is the criteria that judges will use to evaluate your project.
App Demo:
Does the app prototype give you a sense of the product? Does it have
functionality?
Score: 1 – Not at all
2
3
4
5 – Definitely
Communication Style:
Is their pitch clear and concise? Does the pitch convey their message?
Score: 1 – Not at all
2
3
4
5 – Definitely
Critical Thinking:
Did they analyze the problem that they are solving? How well thought out is their
solution? Do they understand the size of the opportunity? Do they understand
their competition and how they are differentiated?
Score: 1 – Not at all
2
3
4
5– Definitely
Strategy and Implementation:
Do they leverage the capabilities of mobile technology? Do they have a vision for
extending the capabilities of their apps beyond the prototype?
Score: 1 – Not at all
2
3
4
5– Definitely
5
Brainstorming App Ideas
Week 1
Rules of Brainstorming
1. Find a comfortable meeting environment. Set up for the session – get
materials etc.
2. “Timebox” the session = set a defined period of time to brainstorm
3. Appoint one person to record the ideas that come from the session.
This person is called the “scribe”.
4. Be sure to record your ideas in Workspace – even if you write them on
paper first!**
5. The objective of the meeting is to generate as many ideas as possible.
6. Later, as you brainstorm to iterate – be sure to define the problem you
want solved clearly, and lay out any criteria to be met in the exercise.
7. Ask people to give their ideas, making sure that you give everyone a fair
opportunity to contribute.
8. Encourage people to develop other people’s ideas, or to use other ideas
to create new ones.
9. Don’t stop to evaluate ideas.
Brainstorm Ideas Here:
6
Example Surveys
Week 2
Shazam is a mobile app-based music identification service.
Survey Questions:
The goal of this survey is to find a group of people that can give you
information about your idea/ product / market opportunity
1. Do you enjoy listening to music? (yes or no) _______
2. How satisfied are you hearing music you like but you do not know
the title of? (1= not satisfied, 10 = very satisfied) ______
3. How can we contact you to talk further about this? ____________
Resulting Metrics (data we received):
Divide the number of people who responded in a selected way by the
number of people who took the survey.
1. 45/50 said yes, they enjoy listening to music
2. 22/30 reported a satisfaction level of less than 4
3. 40/50 included at least one way to contact them
What we learned:
• There is a large market size for our product
• Most people are not very satisfied listening to music that
they don’t know the title of
• People are interested in talking to us about it
7
Week 2
Example Surveys
Angry Birds is a mobile app game
Survey Questions:
The goal of this survey is to find a group of people that can give
you information about your idea/ product / market opportunity
1. Do you enjoy puzzle games? (yes or no) _______
2. How satisfied are you with your options of mobile phone
games? (1= not satisfied, 10 = very satisfied) ______
3. How can we contact you to talk further about this? _________
Resulting Metrics:
Divide the number of people who responded in a selected way by
the number of people who took the survey.
1. 30/50 said yes, they enjoy puzzle games
2. 12/30 reported a satisfaction rate of less than 7
3. 40/50 included at least one way to contact them
What we learned:
• We have a good market size for our app
• Most people are fairly satisfied with their options of mobile
games
• People are interested in talking to us about it
8
Week 2
Brainstorm survey questions here:
What do you want to know about your target user?
9
Week 2
Write your Final Survey Questions and Results Here:
Survey Question
1.
Summary of Survey Results
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
10
Plan for Completing Prototype:
Week 2
Create a plan for how you will complete your prototype. Figure out what basic
features or components your app will need (text-to-speech, accelerometer, lists,
etc.) and then research videos or tutorials that will teach you how to implement
those features. Finally, make a plan for when you will work on each component.
Feature
Resources to learn how to use feature Timeframe
11
Week 3
Usability testing of competitor apps
Name of
competitor
What does it do
well?
What could it do
better?
How will your app
be different?
12
Feature Comparison Chart
Week 3
List features that your app or your competitors’ apps have, and put a
checkmark when each app has that feature
Example comparison chart: Music mobile apps
Name of app
Free
version
exists
Can play
No ad
Intuitive,
any
song I Automatically
interruptions
easy to
want,
plays similar use user
in free
whenever I
songs
version
interface
want
Our team’s
Technovation
music app!
Default phone
music player
Spotify
Pandora
Slacker Radio
Your comparison chart (include this in your ppt. slides!):
Name of app
13
Sketch Your Paper Prototype
Week 3
Draw your screens out here or use index cards. Think about how your screens will interact
with each other, and draw arrows to indicate the flow of your app.
14
15
16
17
Week 3
Test your paper prototype with another team:
Take notes on the feedback you receive here.
18
Week 5
Business Model
Value Propositions: What value do you deliver to the customer?
Market Size: There needs to be enough people who will buy your app to make $
Revenue Streams: What are the different ways that you will make money?
Cost Structure: What are the expenses beyond programming your app? Access to
platforms? Employees? Renting space? Storing data on a server? Hiring graphic designers?
Distribution Channels: How are you getting your product to customers? How are you
increasing your market size?
19
Week 6
Business Plan Template
Team Name:
App Name:
Team Member Names:
Executive Summary: The executive summary is like an abstract or introduction in a scientific
report – it tells the reader what they’re about to read. It should summarize the major points from
the rest of the plan. It should clearly state the goals of the business and the vision of the business
– that is, what do you want to do and how will that change the world?
Company Summary: List the individuals on your team and describe the experience, knowledge,
and skills they bring to your company.
Product Description: What is the product or service? What does it do? And how will it benefit
customers?
Market Analysis: Describe who the customer and what their needs are. You will also describe any
competitors and how you plan to differentiate yourselves from them.
Strategy & Implementation Plan: How will you bring the product or service to the market? And
how will you build awareness of it amongst your consumer base? The key here is list the actions
you will take to launching your product or service, and highlighting how you will draw customers to
it.
Financial Analysis: How much does your product or service cost? How much money will you
make? You need to figure out the pricing scheme for your product, which will change over time.
Initially, it can be higher or lower than your competitor depending on if you are cheaper or higher
end option. Eventually pricing needs to consider the cost involved in making and selling the product
or service. You can use your market size to figure out how much money you will make. This is just
a prediction but it should be realistic.
How would you spend the $10,000 to take your app to market? Would you develop the app
yourselves, or hire professional developers? How many developers does that get you and for how
long? How much would you spend on advertising or promotional materials, and what kinds of
materials would you make? Would you do any of the PR/marketing yourselves? What else would
you spend it on?
20
Week 6
Design Your Business Plan
Use this space to outline your basic ideas. The final business plan you submit should be typed
and submitted as a PDF.
Team Name:
App Name:
Member Names:
Executive Summary:
21
Company Summary:
Product Description:
22
Market Analysis
Strategy & Implementation Plan
23
Financial Analysis
How would you spend the $10,000 for your app?
24
100 Word App Description
Week 9
Use this space to brainstorm your 100-word app description. This description
should be fun and catchy, and entice someone to buy your app. Have fun!
Remember to type up your final draft, count the words, and have it saved and
ready to submit by April 13th.
25
Pitch Feedback
Week 11
Record feedback you received from your practice pitch here.
26
List of Terms
User-Centered Design: Designing with the user in mind (Remember, you are not
necessarily the user!)
Interface: A common boundary or link between two things.
User Interface: Interface between person and thing, especially in software.
User Interface Design: Designing things that will make sense for the end user, by
thinking about how the user will interact with the product.
Market Research: Figuring out what your market wants. What problem is your
customer interested in solving and does your product/service solve this problem in the
customers’ eyes?
Lean Startup Methodology: Talking to your customers early and often, testing your
product with potential customers as early as possible even if the product is imperfect, and
learning as much as you can about your market and business quickly, before pouring
resources into it. The Lean Startup Methodology was developed by Eric Ries.
Pivot: Changing your business strategy/app idea to suit either a new customer or the same
customer… for example, making your app a solution to a problem that your customer indicates
as a problem, rather than the one you originally intended to solve.
Customer development: Understanding your customer’s needs even better than they
do, and making sure customers will use your product.
Value Propositions: What value do you deliver to the customer? Low Price/
/Accessibility/Convenience?
Distribution Channels: How are you reaching your customers? Which method works
best? Which are the most cost-efficient?
Cost Structure: What are the important costs in your business?
Market Size: Who are all the people and organizations for which you are creating value?
There must be enough people who would buy your product/service to make a profit.
Revenue Streams: To be a business, you have to make money…from whom and how?
Paid apps? Advertising? In-game purchases?
Profit: The extra money that you have made, subtracting any costs incurred, at the end of
the day. Profit = Revenue – Cost.
27
Design Sketchbook:
Use these pages for sketching out ideas, brainstorming, and recording what you
learn during the Technovation program.
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29
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