Military Family Support

BY: RODNEYA ROSS

Description• This App is designed to provide technical assistance and support to Military

soldiers and their loved ones.

• This would give App Users a way to connect with other military families where they can build friendships, collaborate and share information.

• This App could be featured like a one Source stop for all Military personnel and their loved ones by providing them with essential resource information to make the transition into and out of the Military life seamless

• An added benefit for the users is the opportunity to locate stores, restaurants, entertainment and other venues that offer Military discounts, such as, One Source.

• The app would also cover OSPEC which is decorum and protocol for communicating what types of information can be discussed regarding deployed personnel in an effort to keep the troops safe while posting about them in public forums. This app would serve as the support system that military spouses sometimes lack and give them someone else that they can relate to.

Target Audience• The target audience for this app would be military spouses, significant others, and family

members. This App is necessary because it is difficult to get critical information quick, and sometimes accurate responses in a reasonable amount of time and from a reliable source.

• New Military spouses and significant others will find this App particularly useful as it is hard to get support from civilians or others that have never experienced being a civilian married to someone in the Military.

• This App will promote open lines of communication and take the frustration, worry, and hassle out of not knowing what to expect.

• Realizing that some people need to have someone they can talk to during tough times of deployments, separations and deaths, this App will accommodate those needs as well.

• Second, individuals that are new to the lifestyle don't always know about the resources that are available to them and they also don't know where to go to find out about these resources this App will answer many of their questions.

• This App will give them quick access to the information that they need.

Target Audience (con’t)

• Third Women will find this App very soothing since they can talk to someone they have something in common with they can become really good friends. With military families moving a lot they would be able to connect with people that live where they are moving to, find a common interest, and meet new people before they even move.

• I'm not necessarily targeting people outside of the military lifestyle. They don't always understand what these families are going through. And the resources and discounts and stuff of that nature do not apply to them.

• I will say though, that it would be a good resource for someone considering joining the military or someone who is considering a long term relationship with someone in the military.

Persona

• Meet Samantha Swincicki

• Age: 22

• Occupation: College Student

• Relation to app: In long term relationship with an Army ROTC Cadet. Plans to marry after graduation in May. Does not come from a military family. Needs advice and resources on being an army spouse.

Scenarios

• Samantha is moving to Texas with her boyfriend. She wants to meet some people before she gets there.• Military Family Support can help her connect

with other people that live near the base.

• Samantha is moving on base with her boyfriend. She is anxious about what to expect.• With the app she can ask post in the forum and

find out who lives on the base and any tips and advice for moving. .

Target Platform(s)

• iPhone

• iPod

• iPad

Feature List

• Bulleted list of resources available

• A complete overview of OPSEC

• Picture uploads

• Profile pages

• Add other members as friends

• Can post and respond to posts in the forum

• Can comment on pictures

Future Enhancements

• A collaboration with Skype to allow chatting with loved ones overseas

• A search option where they can easily search for someone or a resource

• A list of military discounts

• A chat platform within the app

Competitive Research

• This app is the first of its kind so there are no direct competitors. Instead I used apps that inspired the creation of this one.• Wedding 911 by The Knot (Free)• Instagram (Free)• Skype (Free)• Facebook (Free)

Wedding 911 by The Knot

Strengths

• Colorful

• Self-explanatory

• Buttons at bottom allow easy navigation

Weaknesses

• Small print

• Ad at bottom is big so it’s hard to avoid when clicking buttons at bottom

Wedding 911 by The Knot

Strengths

• Good colors

• Easy to follow

• Easy to read

• “Back” button says ‘Questions’ so that you know what you are going back to

• Answer button allows you to easily respond to the question

Weaknesses

• 500 character limit with both questions and answers

• Only 39 posts will show up

Wedding 911 by The Knot

Strengths

• Well organized by topics for easy access

• FAQ’s are readily available

• Icons for each category

• Colorful

Weaknesses

• “Ask Carley” can be misleading as “Carley” does not exist on app

• Ad at bottom is big

Wedding 911 by The KnotOverview

Strengths

• Colorful so it attracts attention

• Easy to navigate

• Can view questions and answers without logging it, but must log in to write questions and answers

Weaknesses

• Does not alert you when your question has been answered

• Word limit

• Cannot privately chat with other members

• Cannot upload pictures

• Can only see a certain amount of posts

InstagramStrengths

• Very colorful

• Easy to use

• Can give pictures different “themes”

Weaknesses

• Not user friendly

• Buttons don’t have labels so you don’t necessarily know what they are for

InstagramStrengths

• Can view individual profiles

• Can see the amount of pictures, followers, and who they are following

• You can click on each picture to make it larger

Weaknesses

• The buttons at the bottom can sometimes make it difficult to scroll through the pictures

• The back button at the top doesn’t tell you what you are going back to

InstagramStrengths

• You can easily search for friends to add

• You can easily view all of your activity

• You can change your account settings which includes making your profile private

• Well organized

Weaknesses

• The “about” button is useless

Instagram

Strengths

• You can follow specific profiles

• You can view when you get a follow request

• You can personalize your privacy settings to either private or public

• If you have a private profile you can approve or ignore follow requests

Weaknesses

• Small print

InstagramStrengths

• You can comment on pictures

• You can “like” pictures

Weaknesses

• Print is small

• The username above photo is annoying

• Not quite sure what the 3 dots are for

SkypeStrengths

• You can chat with people

• You can see their photos

• Says the name of person you are chatting with

Weaknesses

• The gray colored font can be hard to read

User Experience Design

User Interface Design

• My app will be very easy to use. I want the design to be nice and clean. I don't want it to be too much on the eyes.

• It doesn't need to be overly "pretty." Just very basic and simple. The colors will be red, blue, and white.

• I chose these colors because they are patriotic. I didn't want to use green because not all of the branches wear green. Red, white, and blue are common ground for all of them.

• I would like to incorporate stars into the app. Maybe as a background or just on the side.

Pricing and Marketing

• Free

• Free with ads

• Free with ads; pay $0.99 to remove ads

Other Notes

• Moderators• Since there are specific things that can

and cannot be said pertaining to military personnel there will be moderators to constantly check the app to be sure OPSEC is not broken.