WAITer Waiting Assistant Information Technology GROUP 1 Andrei Boutyline, Neetin Gulati, Ha Nguyen, Randy Shoopman

WAITer Waiting Assistant Information Technology WAITer is a handheld computer application designed to increase the efficiency of the processes involved in taking a restaurant order. This process begins with a server taking an order and ends when a customer pays for the bill. Our application will achieve this goal by revamping the ordering process to provide quick service for customers while simultaneously ensuring a more cost effective and efficient turnover of patrons for restaurateurs.

Presentation Overview 1.Current Problems & Proposed Solutions 2.Representative Tasks 3.Design Evolution 4.Final User Interface Description 5. Summary

Current Problems & Proposed Solutions Problems: paper & pen order-taking process is inefficient customers do not like credit cards to be taken out of sight face to face communication w/staff can be challenging because continuously moving servicing multiple tables can become confusing servers must remember daily specials and suggest sides orders and drinks to complement main dishes Solutions: wireless order submission & order status updates bills processed at table or anywhere else wireless messaging electronic organization of customers can keep orders separate and monitor table status automatically menu is continuously updated with specials and out-of-stock items removed; recommendations built-in

Representative Tasks EASY: A customer has a complaint and wishes to speak with a manager. Contact Bob and ask him to go to Table 5. Very straight-forward and serves as a good introduction to the system MEDIUM: Four customers have been seated at Table 1. They already ordered 2 Cokes and an Evian water. Please add a turkey burger with no mayonnaise to the order, send all the orders off to the kitchen immediately and process a cash payment. This task takes you through the entire process of serving a table, from ordering to processing the bill.

Representative Tasks HARD: Cindy, a customer at Table 3 complains that her steak was overcooked. She doesn't want another steak so you need to subtract it from her bill. In addition, in order to comply with the restaurant policies, the customer is entitled to a free dessert. Cindy wishes to have the apple pie. Place the dessert order, but do not add the charge to her bill. This task uses some of the more complicated features of the application, such as changing prices. It also builds upon the previous task since users have to use the menu again and remember to send the order to the kitchen.

Transition between Lo-Fi and Hi-Fi vertical toolbar merged w/ horizontal toolbar flat menu improved using eVBs treeview ctrl order tab changed to view order due to confusion with menu tab associating ordered items w/ individuals removed since it slowed down the order-taking process messaging utility now has option to use keyboard input in addition to handwriting recognition messaging utility increased from 1 to 2 frames due to space required by pop-up keyboard

Transition between Hi-Fi and Final UI Price editing given its own screen A more functional order summary screen with additional options Functionality Changes An easier, faster to use Price Editing screen with additional options A more functional order summary screen with additional features A drop-down menu with selection of usernames added to the login screen

Heuristic Evaluations H2-4: Consistency and standards "Custom" button changed to "Customize" "Edit" button changed to "Customize" "Checkout" button change to "Process Payment H2-5: Error prevention added confirmation to deletion of items from the order H2-6: Recognition rather than Recall Log-in screen has drop-down list of known usernames H2-7: Flexibility and Ease-of-Use Order customizations can be modified after ordered Number of items ordered changed from a drop-down menu a text box with arrows H2-8: Aesthetic and minimalist design Larger buttons Disabled tabs are now in a strike-through font H2-10: Help and Documentation added "Help" button to login screen Heuristic evaluations gave us more suggestions then any other form of testing, which made them the most useful.

Final UI Description What it can do? enable waiting staff to input orders directly into a handheld computer which wirelessly communicates the customers order to the kitchen. wireless messaging between managers, wait staff, host/hostesses, kitchen staff, and bartenders. bills can be processed directly at the table using cash or credit card prices can be adjusted orders can be taken at once yet submitted to the kitchen at different times designed using Microsoft Embedding Visual Basic for PocketPC devices, such as the HP Jornada How does it work?

The User Interface quick, color-coded table links table status, menu, order summary, billing user log-out help utility The toolbar on the bottom allows for transitions between global functions, like the restaurant homepage, waiter homepage, messenger, and help, as well as to change between specific table homepages Table toggle wireless messaging employee homepage (tips, schedule, etc.) keyboard toggle

The User Interface Tbl Home Shows table status and any messages Menu Shows menu in tree format Allows for customizations View Order Shows current order Here you send items to the kitchen Bill Shows items ordered & prices Allows for price changes Can process payment with cash or credit card Notes Allows waiter to write notes regarding this table for future reference Tabs allow for transitions between table-specific commands, such as taking an order, sending orders to the kitchen, and processing the bill.

Final UI Description Additional Hardware Whats Missing? Help system Ability to split checks quickly and easily Allow notes and messages to be saved to an archive Recommendations for drinks and sides based on main dish Training Program / Tutorial Wireless LAN technology Integration of credit card reader into device to allow for processing at the table Integration with a belt-mounted printer to give the customer a receipt immediately Back-end server with management features, such as menu editing and statistics collection

Summary PROBLEM: Wait staff at restaurants are faced with the complicated task of remembering details about multiple tables while customers demand attentive customer service. In the digital age, everything must eventually be entered into a computer for accounting and record-keeping purposes. SOLUTION: WAITer – an innovative wireless electronic ordering system that fits in the palm of your hand.