Dishi
Before you proceed, feel free to download the apk and have a go at it. Note as you read the documentation below, you'll notice that there are three different account types and so while testing you may require atleast two devices to test the whole app concept.
Download (debug): https://bit.ly/2DYSIYW
Download official version 2.0 (A redesign of this repo version):
http://dishi.undatechinnovations.co.ke
Dishi 2.0 inherits quite a bit from this repo version. A learning curve if you will. This repo version had major perfomance and optimization downfalls and a more refined and complete redesign was neccessary. From database schema to more robusts tests on perfomance. The source code to Dishi 2.0 is not available publicly at the moment but if you're interested in contributing to the project do let me know.
Introduction
This project seeks to show the effectiveness of a digital distributed system that will connect multiple customers to a delivery service where concurrent orders will be made from the different customer endpoints and channeled to the respective restaurant or food provider’s endpoint. This communication link shall be real-time allowing an order on the go food service that also serves as a social platform for restaurant and food lovers.
This system is designed for small medium enterprise food and beverage industries, boda boda motorbike riders, campus students and the general public who prefer having a convenient tool in helping them order food in any part of the country. The chosen methodology for this project is throwaway prototyping methodology. This is because majority of the targeted user do not have the experience in using computerized system in food ordering procedure especially the small restaurants that have never had to work with such a system as they implement traditional ordering systems. Therefore, this methodology enables the developer to communicate with target user through the use of prototyping, which can let the target user review, evaluate, visualize and learn about the system before the final stable version of the system/service is achieved.
Dishi app also seeks to make the food ordering experience a fun and social journey for its user base. An engaging experience that allows smaller restaurants and food providers to be discovered and appreciated for their amazing food and service.
System Overview
Dishi is a front-end client which talks to the Firebase Database. It implements Google Maps API for live tracking latitude/longitude coordinates of user’s device once logged in. The live tracking module is given high priority and given most attention in terms of avoiding bugs and interface deficiencies. User Authentication is done using Google’s phone number authentication where a special code is sent to the phone number entered before accessing the system, this bars spam accounts as each account is linked to a phone number.
Screenshots
How it works
Dishi app uses the standard metaphor of a menu along the bottom. There are three functions for account type customer: “Order” where the customer can view food items from providers nearby, “Profile” where they can have a personalized social experience, “Restaurants” which loads all the restaurants in the system. Each includes an icon above it. The currently-selected function is visibly active by having the text slightly bold and icon raised. Account type Restaurant/Provider has “Orders” where the provider can receive orders in real-time, “Profile”, “Menu” where the provider can add and edit their menu items and finally “Deliveries” where the confirmed orders are displayed.
Overall Layout
Customer Account
Provider Account
Nduthi/Motorbike Account
Search Module
Should a user want to follow a fellow user, search for a specific food item or view a specific restaurant, they can use the search module which fetches the data of the word or character typed. Search module looks through the whole database and returns data if the character entered is contained in any of the data type names. With just a single character it is able to fetch all data of selected type that contains that character. This module comes in handy if a user is looking for a specific type of data in either of the three data type presets.
Social Aspect
Dishi is more than just a food ordering platform, it is a social tool as well. Allowing restaurants, customers and nduthi/motorbike accounts to post on each other’s wall in a social way that allows them to interact on a personal basis. In the case of a customer, he or she is able to do a small background check and see the reviews and comments about the service of a particular restaurant.
Ordering Process
The ordering process is very straightforward, once customer logs into their account they are able to set location preferences using the slider to the geographical radius they want to search. This gives a personalized experience in that each user only sees menu items within a set geographical radius. After a list of nearby menu items is fetched and displayed, they are able to add to Cart and if satisfied can complete the order. Once the provider confirms their order, they can monitor the status of their order in real-time using the tracking module.
After adding items to Cart, you can view your cart and complete the order, this sends the order to the respective provider(s) who will receive a notification of the order items.
On successful order sent, you can view order status in real-time. Immediately the provider confirms your order the status indicator changes to green indicating order confirmed. This activates the “TRACK” button that allows you to view the live location of your order and whether the provider has started the journey towards you.
The tracking module tracks the first item on the list that has been confirmed. This gives priority to confirmed items. If Customer has received the order from the provider they can confirm in the tracking module which later flags the order as complete allowing the provider to fulfil other orders.
Confirming Order
The provider receives order notifications in real-time from multiple customers and is able to prioritize on which ones he/she wants to fulfil first. The orders are stacked on a first come basis and the provider is able to confirm or decline on a rolling basis. On confirmation the status is sent to customer as you saw earlier which changes the indicator to green. On the provider end, he/she is able to track individual item customer’s location and deliver to the exact location the customer is in.
After the customer has confirmed receiving the order on their end the live tracking module on the provider’s side will be closed and a notification given. The provider’s list of confirmed items will also be cleared.
Nduthi/Motorbike Delivery
Dishi provides boda boda motorbike riders with an opportunity to make something extra from the platform by acting as the middle men that help fulfil orders if the provider does not have the means to fulfil the order to the customer. If a customer orders from multiple providers, the app prompts him/her that the app will search for boda boda riders nearby who can fulfil the order by going to the respective providers and collecting your order items after which they deliver to the customer.
Database Schema
Firebase is a schema-less database. All Firebase Realtime Database data is stored as JSON objects. You can think of the database as a cloud-hosted JSON tree. Unlike a SQL database, there are no tables or records. When you add data to the JSON tree, it becomes a node in the existing JSON structure with an associated key. You can provide your own keys, such as user IDs or semantic names, or they can be provided for you using (Google).
On signing up in the platform, all user data is stored under their phone number node. This acts as a primary key and can be referenced by objects that may want to access data on a particular user node.
Conclusion
Technology is ever changing, which means that more and more businesses will have to change with the growing demand of technology services for some of the most basic human needs. The Dishi system will go a long way in easing the way small communities order food items within their geographical areas. A sort of automation that takes care of the bulk computations an individual or business would have to endure just to perform basic tasks.
This is just a prototype and is open to further development. Do get in touch with me iin-case you're interested in helping making this project a reality or pushing it to the next level. I strongly believe that this project concept if developed to completion can actually solve a common social problem at the same time having a substantial commercial value.
my email: malcolmmaima [at] gmail [dot] com
Hit me up, buy me coffee, lets talk (^_^)