Join the Maker Movement with an App Development Degree

Tue 1 Dec 2020

Let Innovation Lead with an Online Master’s in Application Development
Collaborative Maker Culture is Ideal for Creative App Developers
Use Your App Development Degree to Embark on an Entrepreneurial Path

If you have a knack for the hands-on and the creative, you may have heard of the maker movement. The maker movement encompasses a wide range of independent creators that produce handcrafted, homemade works with digital, technologically-driven production methods.

This DIY movement of the digital age has become a big draw among creative types and artisans, initially gaining popularity in the USA before spreading to a more global audience. In 2012, the overall market for 3D printing and other maker-related services was $2.2 billion in the US, and is expected to reach $8.41 billion by 2020. The outlook in the UK is also promising, with the 3D printing materials market estimated to reach £6.9 billion by 2024.

The maker movement is a great opportunity for graduates of Falmouth’s Creative App Development MA, as they can apply their skills to the production side, like those who develop apps to aid and improve the 3D printing process, such as Tinkerplay and Print3D. Or, like makers who have developed innovative wearables and assistive technologies, such as the Lipsync joystick, which allows people in wheelchairs to access mobile devices and computers hands-free.

With such a wide range of exciting projects out there, App Development Master’s graduates can use the maker movement’s combination of creativity and technological drive to break the boundaries of what we understand apps to be.

Let Innovation Lead with an Online Master’s in Application Development

The connection between app development and artisanal creations may not seem obvious at first—why would programming skills be useful to a metal smith or textile artist? For the creative app developer, the connection comes down to design. App developers must consider user experience when building their projects, and these same factors are also important to the design of physical products. In the maker movement, physical design and digital design often go together, resulting in truly innovative apps like those found in “smart home” products or wearable tech.

Falmouth’s flexible App Development Degree helps students break beyond the traditional bounds of standard app development by allowing students’ own areas of artistic and technological expertise to drive their projects in the flexible learning process. Allowing for maximum creativity, this experience could allow the maker movement to be the perfect place for Falmouth graduates to continue to push forward with their out-of-the-box projects and ideas.

flexible learning course Flex FalmoTo put your creative work on the digital cutting edge, the maker movement is the place to be

Collaborative Maker Culture is Ideal for Creative App Developers

The maker production process usually involves digital fabrication tools, such as 3D printers, that have only recently become available for individual use. These tools are often made available in shared “maker spaces” that not only make high-tech production more financially feasible, but also facilitate the sharing of peer-led, open sourced information. This helps makers learn from each other while working on their own autonomous projects. Falmouth’s flexible online Master’s in Application Development is structured in a manner with parallels to the maker movement: students make progress on their own independent creative app project while benefiting from their classmates’ diverse ideas and areas of expertise through group discussions and peer feedback. The maker movement is a great opportunity for developers who thrive on information sharing to continue to learn as they create.

Use Your App Development Degree to Embark on an Entrepreneurial Path

For recent app development graduates, the maker movement provides more opportunities than ever to get started as an independent developer and apply the monetisation techniques learned during their programme. Large corporations like GE and Barclays provide maker spaces from which artisans can partner to sell their products, and foundations like Hackspace UK have made it easier than ever to find a space to begin your work. Further, the proliferation of online marketplaces like EBay and Etsy allows for easy distribution of more physical projects that are not suited for the App Store or Play Store. Whether you’re chasing corporate clients or personalised individual sales, the maker movement is a promising avenue for creative app developers to build careers that are both lucrative and autonomous.

Are you interested in an online Master’s in Creative App Development?

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