Manchester-based Apadmi was invited by Google North to deliver an app workshop for 22 employees from Carat Manchester - the independent media planning and buying specialist.
The workshop, named ‘APPrentice’ involved a brief introduction to Apadmi with the team sharing their secrets into creating a successful app, before the delegates were challenged to an ‘Apprentice-style’ competition where they had to come up with winning ideas for an exceptional mobile app experience.
The brief was to develop a concept for a fashion retail store app aimed at young women aged between 16 and 25 to drive in-store sales. The one caveat was that they couldn’t use the promise of vouchers to attract customers to the store.
The attendees were split into five teams of three or four and they had 30 minutes to come up with an idea, which they then pitched to Apadmi’s team of mobile experts in just three minutes. When all the pitches were done it was down to a majority vote to decide the winner.
The winning concept was an app called Fashionality, which integrated with social media to bring fashion inspiration to the palm of your hand. The team developed a concept which brought together the practical functions that a potential customer needs while connecting their shopping experience to a wider social network. The app had a minimalist design in which the user scanned a code on an item of clothing and instantly got reviews, stock information, sizes, similar clothes and options for different colours and styles. This was coupled with a ‘social’ button which provided the user with information about where the item sits in the world of fashion, who wore it when and what fashion bloggers are saying about it. The latter feature worked through keyword recognition, a simple technical solution that went down well with the Apadmi team.
The winning team won a free ‘App in a Day’ workshop which is to be hosted by Ian Joyner, technical consultant at Apadmi. The four-hour workshop will provide a crash course in the fundamentals of app development, and the team will get to produce a fully functioning iPhone app by the end of the day.
Sabine Douglas, Apadmi’s partner manager, said: “It was great to see everyone really engaged in the workshop’s concept. All the team’s ideas were incredibly creative and in just half an hour concepts were developed that could genuinely be translated into successful apps.
“At Apadmi, we passionately believe that it's our duty to support and encourage the next generation of talented designers and developers. Events such as this one will hopefully help to lay the foundations for Manchester to remain a world leader in digital for years to come.”
For more information, visit www.apadmi.com
