Writing Mobile Code Essential Software Engineering for Building Mobile Applications [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

1.

Write down the mobile device scenarios.
There is no substitute for actually committing your list of user scenarios to writing. The more specific the scenarios, the better. Define who the mobile applications user will be. Define what devices they will be carrying with them. Define when and where they will use the mobile application. Define the tasks they will accomplish with the mobile software. Define the session length and frequency of their interaction with the device. Getting all of this down in writing will sharpen your thinking and also enable you to get specific feedback from team members, potential application users, and other relevant parties. Equally importantly, state the things that the mobile application is not intended to accomplish. This will define the bounds and scope of your mobile application.

2.

Decide what part of the system goes onto devices.
It is valuable to decide on a preliminary partitioning of your application into server, device, and desktop portions if appropriate. This will give you a good understanding of what the processing, storage, and communications needs will be for your mobile device.

3.

Do initial prototyping.
With todays RAD design tools, it is relatively simple to build a simple prototype that resembles what you have in mind. This is an excellent thing to do. Having a prototype put together and running on a device will give you a good understanding of the capabilities and limitations of your chosen hardware and expose design issues you may not have thought of. Having a prototype running will also enable you to get feedback on the usage scenarios you have defined.

4.

Consider whether the user interface developed in your prototype is appropriate for your target device.
Building a prototype application should give you a clear understanding of how the mobile application will present its data and interact with the user. Not every application is appropriate for every device. The prototype should demonstrate how the scenarios you have defined will look and work on physical device hardware. Based on this feedback, you may need to modify your scenarios, your user interface paradigm, or your choice of target mobile device.

5.

Consider the data implications of your prototype.
Your prototype application should give you a better understanding of the kind of data your application will work with and under what circumstances this data will be sent or received. You should be able to make a determination of whether a local database is required and what kind of local storage may be required. As with the user interface, the data needs of your application may force you to reconsider your selected target hardware based on database availability or storage requirements.

6.

Consider whether the connectivity implications of your prototype are feasible for your target device.
Think critically about the communications and connectivity needs of your mobile application. Is high-speed network access required? Is broad mobile roaming a requirement? Are syncing and network connectivity through a desktop or laptop sufficient for your needs?

7.

Proceed with the software design!
Armed with a good list of user scenarios, an initial idea of what the correct partitioning of your application should be, and valuable feedback based on building a mock-up of your application, you are in a good position to proceed with the software design of your mobile application.