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Family History Flash Cards App

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 7:14 am
by spencersessions
I would like to get in contact with an app developer that attended LDSTech conference or an emerging app developer to create a family history flash card based app to memorize the faces, names, facts, and which line a certain ancestor is apart of. The idea would have the user log into their family-search account and it would populate everyone that is linked. The opening page would ask which type of game mode you'd like to choose, you would then choose what subset of facts you'd like to memorize or learn about.
I believe this would spark interest for the younger generation to make important connections with their ancestors and, in turn, gain confidence in themselves by learning which ancestors have gone before them.
This would also be a great Sunday activity for the family - it might evolve into a "heads up" tablet based game that can be played for Family Home Evening.

I have a mental drawing of how it would look.

Who is interested in creating such an app? How difficult would it be to get a hold of a church mobile developer or to talk with someone over mobile applications to make this a reality? Perhaps this could eventually become a feature within the Family Search Memories app.

I'd appreciate any open connections or names you might know.

Spencer Sessions
Pocatello, Idaho

Re: Family History Flash Cards App

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:28 pm
by sbradshaw
I'd recommend sending feedback through More > Help > Give App Feedback, in one of the FamilySearch apps.

Re: Family History Flash Cards App

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2018 8:56 pm
by aebrown
spencersessions wrote:Who is interested in creating such an app? How difficult would it be to get a hold of a church mobile developer or to talk with someone over mobile applications to make this a reality? Perhaps this could eventually become a feature within the Family Search Memories app.
A couple of thoughts:
  • Mobile developers at FamilySearch take their assignments from product managers, so you really need to give your idea to a product manager, not to a mobile developer. Fortunately, the suggestion that sbradshaw gave for using the in-app feedback feature is a good one -- messages sent that way do go to the product manager. Note that the instructions for sending feedback were for an iOS app; for Android apps, just access the main menu and then choose Help > Give App Feedback.
  • You can encourage the product manager to consider your idea, but there's a long list of priorities and very limited development resources, so you probably shouldn't expect much chance of success with that route.
  • Fortunately, FamilySearch provides an extensive API that is available to third-party developers. That API works for web apps as well as mobile apps. You can see all the details at https://www.familysearch.org/developers/ , including how to register and gain approval for your app. So if you have a great idea for an app that use the data in Family Tree, you are welcome to develop it yourself or find an app developer who can do the development work for you.
  • BTW, your idea is more closely related to the Family Tree app, not the Memories app -- the Memories app is just for memories that you have personally uploaded, but the Tree app is for viewing any of your ancestors or relatives and includes memories attached to them that were contributed by anyone.