My work by it's very nature sits at the forefront of my field - apps are still relatively new and the technologies involved are still evolving. Most educational games apps on touch devices are native to the devices, storing information locally specific to that device. In contrast, web apps can more easily be delivered across multiple platforms and syncronise data across all devices but lack the ability to deliver the same level and quality of functionality required for game applications that native apps can deliver.
My work is at the forefront of this debate because I want to maximise the benefits of both methods by producing native apps that sync data across all devices. Some native mobile apps already achieve this, but these tend to be m-commerce such as Amazon or Kindle apps. Educational apps have yet to take full advantage of this structure and technology.
Identifying the forefront
The field changes so rapidly and there are so many strands of specialism (technology, user experience, interface design etc...) that it is difficult to identify specific people who are at the forefront of the field. I find it more productive to maintain an awareness of the main players in the field and current thinking through a variety of resources to ensure that my work remains at the forefront. I achieve this through news and information sources specific to the industry (New Media Age, The Register, MIT Technology Review, Nielsen's Alertbox, UXMatters, TED Talks, twitter feeds), networking with industry contacts through twitter and linkedIn, LinkedIn groups and discussion threads and further reading around the subject from key theorists to gain better insight and understanding (such as Nielsen, Druin, Murray, Rosenfelt and others listed in my bibliography). This variety also enables me to consider any bias or opinion, such as the recent controversy over the content of TED talks. Another example is Jakob Nielsen, who is a prominent figure in the field of usability, but his purist ideas should be considered alongside the development of the whole experience (Bolter & Gromala 2003), particularly as we move towards multi platform solutions where the user needs and experience may differ from one device to another.
Key works at the forefront
Throughout the process I have also conducted extensive research into apps and website that relate to my work, and although the majority of this work was complete in the research phase at the beginning of my project, this process continues throughout to ensure that my work is at the forefront and maximises the benefits of any progress made in the field.
Technological developments
A key concern throughout the process has been the technical build of my work - should it be HTML5 or flash? Initially I thought that HTML5 web apps would be the most appropriate solution, but as I have followed developments in the field, I have become less convinced that this approach would work at this point in time. Many commercial practitioners are developing hybrid solutions as an interim solution until HTML5 catches up, and this approach is appropriate for my work, maximising the benefits of both approaches to provide greater functionality combined with cross platform delivery and data syncronisation.
Maximising the benefit of each platform
My work also aims to maximise the benefit of each platform whilst also ensuring the solution works across multiple platforms, for example, integrating activities that use the camera and microphone. Many apps in the field don't take full advantage of this, and young children could benefit from some of the additional functionality the technology can offer. For example the ability to record their own version of a story.
