This app uses JSON to pull images from xkcd as well as related images from Flickr. It only shows one at a time; you can switch from xkcd image mode to Flickr image mode and vice versa by tapping on the image. This allows for each image to maximize the viewing space, which is important when viewing on smaller devices like phones. The app will remain in each mode until tapped to switch to the other, even when switching to other comic pages.
The app starts off on the most recently released comic. The title as the comic number and release date are listed at the top of the app, followed by navigation buttons for going to previous and next comments. The app also has a random comic/image feature to start from a random location in the app, and is functional in both portrait and landscape modes.
I tried to keep the visual aesthetic of the app close to the website; I pulled as close of a background blue as possible, kept the important segments housed in white boxes, and used fonts from the same family. I also named the buttons in the same manner as the website to encourage easy cross-platform usage.
To summarize the extra things added outside the basic prompt:
- Added a Random Button
- Added linked functionality between the first and last comic so that they are still connected by the next/prev buttons, and had the app check for the last comic rather than just use the number of the current last comic
- Added extra information at the top of the app in a non-interruptive manner
- Designed with the original xkcd website layout in mind so that users could easily transition from webpage to app
- Presented the Flickr image in a non-obstructive and (arguably) creative way
- Designed with Landscape functionality still in mind
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