How to quickly prepare cross-platform content for mobile devices (and a little about the Imagine Cup 2014 contest)

    Earlier in one of our articles, we talked about how we tried to defeat cross-platform and multi-screens and use not ordinary images, but the vector format of SVG images as resources.

    Our experiments did not stop there, and we decided to create something that will help us in the future to prepare cross-platform content even faster and more efficiently. And now, after a year, we want to share what we achieved, what we did and how it works.



    As a result, we got not just an application, but an entire PLATFORM for creating cross-platform entertaining and educational content. Let me introduce you to WA Edugame Creator.

    Interested in? I ask for cat.

    Why and for what


    You all know paper educational magazines (Murzilka, Fidget, etc.). Children enjoy studying with them. We saw the opportunities that mobile technology could provide developing magazines. Therefore, we decided to create an application in which:

    • there are interactive tasks
    • you can return to the tasks again and again,
    • in addition to the gaming component, the educational part must be present,
    • application and content must be cross-platform,
    • New content should be created quickly and easily.

    As a result, not just an application was born, but a whole PLATFORM and a series of applications created on its basis.

    Composition WA Edugame Creator


    Our WA Edugame Creator platform consists of:

    • designer - visual content editor;
    • server side;
    • a content viewer - or, more simply, an application for viewing created content on end devices.



    This is what our visual designer looks like with the help of which we create content for our magazines, set typical actions, and also we can immediately see how the content will look at certain screen resolutions.



    As the server side, we use Microsoft Azure.



    As you know, the device market, and accordingly the zoo of screen resolutions, is simply great. We adapt the content to all popular resolutions, and content adapted to his screen will be downloaded to the user's devices. Viewers are native applications for each platform (Andorid, iOs, Windows Phone, Windows Store).

    image

    The following applications have been launched on the basis of our WA Edugame Creator platform.

    I want to say about the last application separately. It was launched together with our partners from Uniline. The company "Uniline" is engaged in publishing cool children's magazines. One of the series - “3/9 kingdom” - with the help of our platform, we easily transferred to a mobile application.

    I want to note that if you have good educational content (in paper, electronic or other form) and you do not know how to properly turn it into a good mobile application, write. We are ready to jointly make new educational applications and projects.

    conclusions


    Approach the development and design process always with high quality and plan what will come. We spent a lot of time on the design of the platform, but now this time is more than paying off.

    In this video you can see a small fragment of the gameplay that is present in applications.


    What did we get:

    • A universal platform for the preparation of educational content has been created.
    • Magazines are prepared and issued without the participation of programmers.
    • Content has become cross-platform and multi-screen.
    • New issues of magazines and fairy tales are released on all platforms simultaneously.
    • Updating content is quick and easy.
    • Thousands of satisfied users, children and parents!

    We hope our experience comes in handy. All success.

    It will be great if you share your experience in developing cross-platform content in the comments.

    PS: What about the Imagine Cup 2014?


    Students work and train in our team, this allowed us to take part in the ImagineCup 2014 project. We submitted an application with the project " Children's Interactive Development Magazine " and went to the regional qualifying final.

    On the day of the qualifying round, we arrived at the Moscow office of Microsoft. About 20 teams took part in the selection. All projects were interesting. Some projects were strong and interesting, some were weaker.

    I would like to note that many interesting projects and ideas simply failed due to the fact that the teams did not prepare for the presentation and took more time to finalize the project than its presentation. Our advice to future participants: devote more time to the presentation of the project and be sure to conduct several rehearsals of your report. As Dmitry Soshnikov said, arrange shows on the stage, not reports. The jury and all spectators are waiting for the show.

    We entered the top five finalists, and our project was separately awarded by the jury, but, unfortunately, we did not reach the final (since only the top three entered it).

    Thanks to Microsoft for the excellently organized contest. We hope that next year one of the qualifying finals will be held in our city of Smolensk.

    Sincerely, Oleg Demyanov, WebCanape Team
    and Whisper Arts Mobile Development

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