Project Overview
Written by: Kulkarni Chitra Nirbhay
Posted by: Ademola Kazeem
The Team.
The team comprises of 5 vibrant ardent backend software developers, UI/UX engineers and testers. The application feature development is split accordingly among the team in order to fulfil the Agile Software development process selected for the development of this project.
A Scrum Master is selected among the team, as well as the Project owner so that we can make the full use of agile Scrum approach. Stand up meeting is held every morning to know what has been done, what needs to be done and what problem any member of team is encountering so others could help.
The Project Idea
The basic idea of our project is to develop an app named RestroFinder in which users can snap names of restaurants and get all the required information about the restaurants on the fly. The user is relieved of the stress of having to type the name of the restaurants in order to get information. Our app will help users get details about any restaurant they are interested in. To start up with, initially the user needs to login in our app. User can login using his/her Facebook or Twitter account or he/she can register with us. After logging the user just needs to snap a picture of the restaurant name. This could be carried out while the user is standing in front of the building of the restaurant. The image of the restaurant name will be converted into text. Based on that text we will call some API which in turn will fetch us the details about that restaurant. Details such as the restaurant location, opening time, food menu, restaurant rating and reviews and the cuisines served etc. will be displayed. An alternative option to clicking snap is user can speak out the name of the restaurant. Here using voice recognition an individual’s voice would be converted into text and the same process would be followed. The third option that we are providing is - any user can directly type in the restaurant name in the text field provided and similarly he will get all the details. This option is provided in case if the user’s camera is not working or if the voice is unrecognized then he can directly type in the restaurant name and get the desired details. In addition if the restaurant has some past history i.e. if the restaurant was shut earlier and then restarted due to some reason, then out app will provide those details as well. Below is the demo of how the page would look like:
Apart from providing details about any specific restaurant, out app will recommend an individual few other restaurants based on his current location. Initially the recommendations will be based on the users last visited history. For example if the user had last visited any Chinese restaurant then our app will provide him few suggestions of other Chinese restaurant in the location where he is at the moment. Similarly, if the user wants the details of any specific restaurant and he snaps a picture of it; then based on his current location we will recommend him few other restaurants in the nearby vicinity. A list of all restaurants within specific range will be suggested to him.
Features
- User snaps a picture containing the name of a restaurant and get information about the restaurants on the fly
- User talks to the app and get information about the restaurants on the fly
- User types in the app and get information about the restaurants on the fly
- The information maybe cuisines, opening and closing hours, prior closure, reviews etc.
- Based on user’s restaurants visits (location), other restaurants with similar cuisines etc. within some miles are recommended regularly for the user.
How would our app be helpful?
Suppose if you are new to any city or any place and have no clue about the restaurants out there, then our app with act handy. For instance, if you are randomly walking on a street and spot some restaurant or hang out place and are unaware about the opening/closing hours, prior closures, want to know the reviews, the cuisines served, or want to see the menu list; all you need to do is snap a picture or speak out the restaurant name and you will get all the details. Moreover, out app provides recommendations of the restaurants in the nearby area. So an individual can try new restaurants in the adjacent location where he is at the moment.
Who can use this app?
Any individual regardless of age limit can use this app. Our app will be handy for all the food lovers who are fond of trying new cuisines and restaurants or someone who is a frequent traveller.
Use case
Here there are two actors: 1. User – The one who will use the app 2. System – Who will do all the backend functioning
All the user needs to do is snap/speak or type the name of the restaurant and all the details pertaining to that restaurant will be presented to him. The entire functioning will be done by the system at the backend
Data Sources Used
- Restaurant data collected from Yelp, Zomato and Trip Advisor API
- Location Information will be displayed using Google API
- Food and Safety Authority: Ireland https://www.fsai.ie/news_centre/press_releases/april_enforcements_09052016.html
Technologies Used
In order for us to be able to develop world class application to be used by millions of people, different state-of-the-art technologies have to be adopted and put to use. These include but not limited to: * Android * Java * Oracle Database * SDLC-Scrum an Agile framework * SDLC tracking tool- Jira
One of the reasons for SCRUM approach is to allow for change, we might change some technologies and some requirements might be added as the project progresses.