Group Activity - Benchmark & Brainstorm

# Group Activity - Benchmark & Brainstorm In this session, you'll work in a group to examine your favorite production apps and evaluate what makes them so great. Armed with that knowledge, you'll brainstorm and evaluate new app ideas for potential projects. ### Activity Outline 1. App Exploration & Benchmarking - What makes a great app? *(15m)* 1. App Brainstorming - *(15m)* - **Due Tuesday, Nov 11th when session begins** ### 1. App Benchmarking The point of this exercise is to examine aspects of apps you really love or use frequently in order to identify some of the elements that make a great app. 1. Split up into a group 1. Create a collaborative workspace doc Designate 1 group member to [create a new collaborative HackMD doc](https://hackmd.io/new). The creator of the HackMD should share the doc with the group by (Email, Slack, FB Messenger, etc.). - **How do you use HackMD?** 💡 The left panel of HackMD is where you will edit text using **[Markdown formatting syntax](https://guides.github.com/pdfs/markdown-cheatsheet-online.pdf)**. The right panel is how the text will be rendered. If you don't see both panels, try switching **[modes](https://hackmd.io/features#Modes)** to **Both**<br> <img src="https://i.imgur.com/yieU2Ub.gif" width=500><br> 1. Record your favorite apps you use - Referencing the shared HackMD, each team member should record 2-3 existing apps that they love and use all the time in the HackMD. - [Example](https://hackmd.io/x51INeBPSHac4rEtuUmHwA?both#Favorite-Existing-Apps---Lists) 1. Review and categorize favorite apps 1. Read, reflect and discuss the **Generating Ideas** and **Evaluating Ideas Protocol** in the [[App Brainstorming Guide|group_project/01_app_brainstorming_guide]]. 1. As a group, choose the 5 apps that everyone is the most familiar with and identify what common categories they fall into and evaluate them using the **Evaluating App Ideas Protocol**. Record your collective notes under each app in the HackMD. - [Example](https://hackmd.io/x51INeBPSHac4rEtuUmHwA?both#Favorite-Existing-Apps---Categorize-and-Evaluate) :::info 💡 For an idea of how apps are categorized, Look up the actual app in the App Store to see it's info. ::: ### 2. App Idea Brainstorming This activity is a bulk ideation session and is just to get your creative juices flowing. You'll be working with a random group of students (who are **not** your group project group) to come up with 5 new app ideas you think are the best. We'll use the results of your brainstorming in the next session, a group mixer, to help you learn about everyones preferences and interest areas in order to decide who you may want to work with. 1. Generate new app ideas 1. Use the same HackMD collaborative doc from the bench marking activity. 1. Each group member should record 10+ new app ideas in the HackMD, including a brief description of each idea. - The point of this phase is to think of as many app ideas as possible. Don't worry about filtering or editing at this point, you should literally be vomiting 🤮📲 app ideas...ok, maybe NOT literally. - [Example](https://hackmd.io/x51INeBPSHac4rEtuUmHwA?both#New-App-Ideas---List) 1. As a group, determine your top 5 new app ideas - As a group, discuss and vote to determine your top 5 new app ideas. - [Example](https://hackmd.io/x51INeBPSHac4rEtuUmHwA?both#Top-3-New-App-Ideas) ### What's next? In the next session, you'll meet all the other members of the class in a group formation mixer and see what common interests you may have for a project. At the end of the session you'll fill out a group formation survey to help your Tech Fellows sort everyone into groups. All the apps you entered into the App Brainstorming Form during today's session will be appear in the Group Formation Survey and you can select the top 3 apps your interested in working on. **Note:** in the end you and your group can choose to work on whatever app you decide and are not restricted to apps from the brainstorm list.