Since its establishment, AllianceTek has been focused on providing clients with individual solutions that meet their requirements. One of our recent projects was the creation of a mobile and web application for a stock trading simulation to improve students’ financial literacy.
The app is fully compatible with the Stock Market Game (SMG) to allow the students to perform trades, check market data, and get live transaction news through Stock Market App Development services. The app has been effective in helping students understand various issues related to the stock market by making the app simple and engaging.
Stock Market Game: Brief
The Stock Market Game, a program of the SIFMA foundation, is an educational platform designed to help students from grades 4 to 12 learn about investing, economics, and personal finance through a virtual simulation of the global capital markets.
It aims to improve student engagement, financial literacy, and academic performance. The program offers mobile apps for easy access to portfolio management and trading features. Teachers report positive results in student participation, financial knowledge, and improved behavior toward saving and investing.
The Client’s Requirements
The client was an educational organization that aimed at providing students with real knowledge of stock trading. To do this, they required an intuitive, engaging app that would mimic live trading and link with students’ SMG portfolios. Their main objectives were:
- Design an application that will enable students to learn about the stock market.
- Make the real-time stock market data available to the students.
- Make sure that the app is available on both mobile and web.
- Engage more students and enhance their knowledge about financial markets.
To address these needs, the app had to include real-time functionality in managing trades, account summaries, transaction news, and live market updates through Stock Market App Integration services.
What AllianceTek Delivered
In this project, we set ourselves the task of developing an application that would allow the client to achieve their educational goals and at the same time be interesting for students.
This is how we added value:
Tailored Development
We designed an application that was feature-rich and enabled students to practice stock trading; the application included real-time data and improved students’ knowledge of the market and finances. The app was intended to integrate with the students’ existing SMG accounts, so they could easily switch between devices.
Improved Engagement
Due to the simple design of the app and the real-time capabilities, the response rate of the students was much higher. This way we ensured that students became more engaged in the learning process by making stock trading as easy as pressing a button.
Cost-Effective Solution
By following our hybrid development model, we were able to offer a more affordable solution without sacrificing quality or performance. The app was developed and deployed on time to enable the client to meet their timeline without going over the set budget.
Technologies Used
For the development of a high-performance app that could be used on both iPhone and Android, as well as on a desktop, We decided to use a combination of mobile and web app development services technologies.
For mobile technologies, here’s what we did:
Android Native
To make the most of the application for Android devices, we employed Android App Development services using the development environment of Android (Java/Kotlin). To this end, we used Android Studio to make the app highly responsive, fast, and capable of processing real-time data.
Swift 5 for iOS
For iOS, we decided to use Swift 5 as it is a contemporary language provided by Apple that helped to create an effective application for iPhones and iPads with iOS App Development. The fast and effective approach of Swift made the students’ experience on Apple devices as smooth as possible.
For web technologies, we followed:
HTML, JavaScript, and CSS
The web version of the app was developed using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS which made it possible to design a cross-device, lightweight platform. This made the development process much simpler and also made the app easy to manage.
TradingView (JS) and DGChart
In the case of the web version, we used TradingView (JS) and DGChart charting libraries to give students accurate real-time stock data visualizations. These tools enabled students to monitor the trends and performance of stocks in an engaging manner.
Third-Party Libraries and Web Services
To achieve the client’s requirement of real-time data access and interactivity, we incorporated several third-party libraries into the app, leveraging Stock Market App Integration services.
MPChart for Android
This library helped to create dynamic real-time stock charts for the Android application to help students visualize stock performance.
TradingView (JS)
For the web platform, TradingView allowed for real-time stock charting which allowed the students to explore and engage with real stock data and trends.
DGChart
Previously used to offer straightforward and easy-to-comprehend data analysis, DGChart enabled students to grasp the fluctuations of stocks in time through the graphical representation of the financial data.
Key Features of the Application
The app was filled with features that would complement the learning process and give students a real feel of stock trading. Some of the key features included:
Manage Trades
Students could trade in real time and would be able to conduct actual stock purchases and sales in a simulated environment.
Account Summaries
The app provided the students with an option of viewing summaries of their portfolios, stock performance, and the transactions that were pending.
Real-Time Market Data
It incorporated real-time market data and news feed to offer students a real feel of the market as they traded virtually.
Transaction News
Students got information about changes in the market which allowed them to be aware of the changes and adapt in case of need.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Technologies Employed
The technologies applied in the project had their advantages and disadvantages. Here’s a breakdown:
Mobile (Android & iOS)
Pros and cons for mobile app development include:
Pros:
Superior Performance
This way the creation of the app from the ground up for Android and iOS allowed it to run smoothly on both platforms. Students had fluid interfaces and quick response rates, including when processing big volumes of live data.
Platform-Specific Features
As a result of native development, we were able to take advantage of features such as push notifications and background data sync which are unique to the platform.
Cons:
Longer Development Time
To create native apps for Android and iOS, more time was spent than in the case of cross-platform development. However, this was not a big issue since other performance benefits were achieved.
Web Development
Pros and cons for web development include:
Pros:
Simpler Development
HTML, JavaScript, and CSS were used to create a simple web platform, which did not require the use of complex server-side scripts, which is convenient in terms of further maintenance.
Cross-Device Compatibility
The web app was responsive, meaning that students could use the platform on their desktops, laptops, tablets, and any other device of their choice.
Cons:
Limited Features
The web platform had fewer interactive features than the mobile app because it was built with APIs for server-side data loading.
User Authentication and Security
This was especially important for this project since the data to be collected is often considered to be sensitive. To prevent unauthorized access, we incorporated a user authentication system that would allow only the SMG program students to use the app.
User Authentication
Every student received a login credential that was associated with the SMG account and hence only the allowed users could use the app.
Data Encryption
To enhance the security of the data transmission, we employed SSL encryption, and all the data transmitted was encrypted.
Benefits for the Client
The app provided numerous benefits for the client, including:
Increased Student Engagement
Through the use of the app, which makes stock trading a fun activity, the level of engagement of students in the Stock Market Game was greatly improved. Students reported that the use of the app increased their level of participation due to the simplicity of the interface.
Improved Academic Performance
The practical component offered by the app allowed students to reinforce and use the knowledge of the stock market more effectively thus increasing academic performance.
Cost and Time Savings
Our development process was efficient, and therefore the app was developed as planned with no delay or extra cost. The client received a solution that was cheaper than other educational solutions while achieving all the goals.
Conclusion
The client’s requirements are met by our mobile and web application education app for stock trading. With the help of the technologies mentioned above, we created a system that not only captured the students’ interest but also provided them with important financial literacy.
This project proves that we are capable of providing affordable but efficient solutions that will address the needs of the client. The way we work with our partners along with our experience in mobile & web app development service allows us to create valuable solutions for both our clients and their customers.