new app

MRTULES

Hi looking at getting an app developed and would love some input and thoughts on the finer details. On initial download you would need to enter details like name, phone number ect. Can the app garner this info without having to get the person to add it manually?
Next would be the home screen (the one that would open first after first use registration) this would have 2 buttons for navigation to next page. We'll call these "new order" & "previous order". New order would take you to a screen where the phones camera would be used, think Amazon's barcode scanner but without needing to actually scan anything, just take a picture. The previous order button would take you to your gallery of previously sent images. After taking a picture or selecting a previous picture the next screen would bring up a list of businesses.
This is where it gets tricky (for me anyway). I would need this list to populate from a database (that I can add to). Either through their current location (GPS) or a preset location entered during registration. I am not sure of an example I can give. I'm thinking along the lines of daft map search (either map or list view) entering say Dublin 24 or something populated by all businesses on the database within 5km of your location.
Once the desired business was selected it would send the image to said business and the final screen would appear saying "oreder sent, thank you for using this app"

The sending of the image to the businesses is yet another part I am purely guessing about. Email? Fax? I'm hoping something similar to when you order food on line and the take away gets a receipt printed out. I would be happy to provide these machines but haven't the first clue as to what software is behind them.


Sorry for the long story but I thought it best to provide as much info as possible first time around.
Any advise, thoughts, ideas on cost or any comments at all are much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

GarIT

So you just want to send an image to a business that a user selects from a list? There is no other purpose to this? The business receives it and then does nothing with it.

Does the user select the business to send the image to?

What is the benefit of sending pictures to businesses, this can already be done through snapchat.

MRTULES

GarIT wrote: »

So you just want to send an image to a business that a user selects from a list? There is no other purpose to this? The business receives it and then does nothing with it.

Does the user select the business to send the image to?

What is the benefit of sending pictures to businesses, this can already be done through snapchat.

First off, thank you for the reply. I'll try answer your points.
The business will process the order after receiving the image.
The individual selects the business from a list.
The benefit is no waiting time when at the business.
I have seen apps used in a similar way for lunch time trade. Preorder to avoid long wait time.
Hope this explained a little better.
TThanks again

GarIT

MRTULES wrote: »

First off, thank you for the reply. I'll try answer your points.
The business will process the order after receiving the image.
The individual selects the business from a list.
The benefit is no waiting time when at the business.
I have seen apps used in a similar way for lunch time trade. Preorder to avoid long wait time.
Hope this explained a little better.
TThanks again

So I assume the user takes a picture of a product? And the image is recognised by humans rather than machines, if that is the case non of it should be too difficult.

MRTULES

Yes that's it exactly. So do I just approach app dev companies looking for quotes?
Is there a resource with a list of reputable companies/individuals in Dublin that could/would do this?
Google so far has not been my friend on this.

Atomic Pineapple

You'll need much more than an app to make this a proper product. To compliment the app you'll need a backend and some web services based on your description. Then you will need to be able to deploy at the very least a web client user interface for each business you are working with so that when a user sends them a picture they get alerted and have the software at hand to do what needs to be done to process the order. Your business customers won't use your product for very long if all you're doing is sending them an email with a picture attached and at the same time sending the picture via email on the app won't be a great consumer experience either.

MRTULES

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

You'll need much more than an app to make this a proper product. To compliment the app you'll need a backend and some web services based on your description. Then you will need to be able to deploy at the very least a web client user interface for each business you are working with so that when a user sends them a picture they get alerted and have the software at hand to do what needs to be done to process the order. Your business customers won't use your product for very long if all you're doing is sending them an email with a picture attached and at the same time sending the picture via email on the app won't be a great consumer experience either.

Thank you for this.
Regarding backend and web services, this is where I am really looking for advise. I have not got the first clue as to what I may or may not need so any further thoughts on this is especially welcome.
I am quiet happy that a thermal receipt printer would be what the business would use. The only example I can think of is in betting shops where the receipt looks like a photocopy of a betting slip.
I would prefer not to just send an email attachment or at least not have it look like that form an end users perspective (I wouldnt mind too much if this was going on in the background).
Again the only thing the business needs is a small receipt/fax of the image.
Thank you very much for the input.

The Corinthian

TBH, you're still at the basic idea phase. To get even a rough quote you realistically need to work out the principle business process that your app would be achieving - step by step - and to do that you'd need to sit down with a BA for at least a few hours and walk away with a simple bulleted functionality list.

You're not going to get that level of effort and detail on a public forum, let alone for free. Hire someone for a day to do this.

MRTULES

Thank you very much.
You are right on everything.
One question, what is a BA?

The Corinthian

Business Analyst.

MRTULES

The Corinthian wrote: »

Business Analyst.

As I suspected, just don't like to "assume" I know.
Thanks all for the advice/help