COMP 4911 ~ COMPUTING SCIENCE PROJECT
POST 3: ANALYSIS | LINDSEY STEAD, T0059417
My COMP 4911 final project is a lightweight check-in and appointment system software application designed and developed for the Central Okanagan Food Bank (COFB). The system is designed to allow clients to check in for their monthly food bank appointments using their name and phone number. The clients will check in for their monthly appointments through a QR code for mobile users or a tablet pre-configured in a kiosk at the front of the building. The clients checking in will have a similar user flow through the system where they can confirm their special requests and notes for appointments, confirm or reschedule appointments, and answer basic dietary information for that day’s appointment. Admins manage appointments through daily CSV uploads exported from Link2Feed. The system will export the daily appointments and additional information as the scope of the project and constraints permit.
System Behavior and Use Cases
Clients check in for their monthly food bank appointments using a tablet or mobile device. The clients can confirm their special dietary and other requests for that day’s appointments, view their next appointment, reschedule if eligible (21+ days from the current day), and request appointment reminders through email or SMS. Admins upload appointment data via CSV, view or edit entries, and export the data in CSV format. Each day, an admin will upload the data in a CSV file to the admin panel, which will be sent to the back end for CSV parsing and removing anonymous client information. This customized solution can be designed and effective for their organization and reduce confidentiality risks and security concerns, as well as costs that come with implementing a traditional standard out-of-the-box software solution. The system enforces appointment rules and stores all changes in local state memory during the session.
Risks and Limitations
- If the uploaded CSV file is improperly formatted or missing expected fields, the CSV parsing will fail, and the system will not work.
- No persistent database means all data is lost if the page is refreshed or crashes mid-session or if there is a power surge and the system will need to be.
- Reminder preferences (email/SMS) may require external integrations and specific components and raise privacy concerns.
- Changes to the Link2Feed CSV export formatting could break the system without warning.
- Volunteers or clients may not be familiar with digital interfaces or have accessibility issues, which can cause delays or upsets in using the system or its long-term adaptation.
- All appointment logic and validation must be handled on the frontend client side, which impedes performance, modularization, and code reusability. If not carefully implemented, it can also make the codebase more error-prone.
- The system assumes daily manual CSV upload and export by staff or volunteers, which means missing data or incorrect uploads can hinder the check-in process for that day.
Assumptions
- Admins will export CSV files and upload the CSVs daily into the admin panel using a consistent format exported from Link2Feed.
- Clients are on-site and can use mobile devices or tablets, which are maintained and operational.
- Staff will manually export updated data at the end of each session.
- No sensitive data will be permanently stored, and all CSV parsing occurs within the program.
The above analysis defines and clarifies how the COFB client-in and appointment management system is expected to perform in terms of the overall system’s behavior, data flow through the system, and the edge cases represented as limitations. Designing and building a system by analyzing these cases early will produce better-quality software products and reduce negative outcomes throughout development.