Self-Portrait App

Goals for this Assignment

• (Class goal) Describe how our identities can shape our interaction with technology.
• Learn to use an app design/creation tool

Prompt

In this project, you should explore your identity and your relationship to tech. Think about how you interact with technology today, and how you were first introduced to digital technology (phones, computers, gaming systems, ...). Think about how this intersects with aspects of your identity or personal experience: race, color, ethnicity, national origin, hometown, accent, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, body size/type, ability status, socioeconomic status, age, family makeup, schooling prior to Midd, interests, friend groups, etc. Then you should design an app prototype (the app does not have to be fully functional but should be able to demo) that is a "technology self-portrait" where the artistic medium is not paint, or a photograph, but an app. (Note: you should not be creating an app that allows the user to take a self-portrait!) Your prototype could be a reimagining of an existing app or game to instead focus on YOU, or it could be an interactive story, or whatevery you imagine. Your app should be interactive in some way.

Note that we will be sharing these apps, so don't share any aspect of your identity or experience that you would prefer to be private. You also don't have to share every aspect of your identity and of your technology use. Focus on a few of the most important aspects to you personally.

To create the app prototype, I encourage you to use Adobe XD or MIT App Inventor. Adobe XD is a professional app prototyping tool, and the end result will be a pdf that steps through an app demo. MIT App Inventor is a block based programming language (which is a fun thing to play with if you have not used one before) for building a real Android app.

Sub-tasks

The parts of this assignment are:

1. Brainstorming ideas in class
2. Self-Portrait Proposal: short written description of the concept
3. Self-Portrait Live Demo: present your app demo in class
4. Provide feedback in class to other students on their apps and get feedback on your own app
5. In your reflection, comment on similarities and differences between your experiences and your peers'
6. Revise your app based on feedback