Student Application Package Final Report
By Alvin Qin, Ricky Hartmann, Brett Schuler
CSE 333
Professor Rong Zhao
16 December 2012
Introduction:
Imagine you are a new student at Stony Brook University. There is an overwhelming amount of
information scattered from one webpage to another. This includes recreational center times and
availability, access to meal plans, and even reviews on professors. Would it not be convenient to
have all this data in the palm of your hands?
User Manual:
The platform for this application is mobile. The applications are simple to use and easy to
navigate. There are five applications in the “StudentAppPack.”
A. Settings Application:
-Here the user needs to enter three types of information: Solar ID number, Solar
password, and/or their Campus Dining password
-After the user has entered these three required information, they are ready to access two
other applications: Classes and Accounts
B. Classes Application:
-Here the user possesses information on their current class schedule. The classes are
listed in alphabetical order and displays the time of each class, the location of each class,
and the days of which each class is occurring
-The top part of the page also shows the user the time and date of when the application
was last updated
C. Accounts Application:
-Here the user acquires information (based from the settings application) of how many
bookstore points, campus cash, flex credits, and money in his or her Wolfie Wallet.
D. Library Application:
-Here the user may search anything in the Stony Brook University’s library database.
Simply by entering any keyword, the search picks up that specific keyword and displays
all the results found and its links.
-Runs a query to a school service to give information about books in the library
E. Recreation Application:
-Here the user has access to updated occupancy number (traffic) of the Campus
Recreation Center
-The user has information of occupancy levels including: free weight room, gymnasium,
multi-purpose room, wellness studio (room 128), cardio area, stretching area, track,
wellness studio (room 216), cycle studio (room 211), wellness resource room, multiactivity court (MAC), and the lobby
-Each room is dictated by a specific color: red, yellow, green which shows the level of
occupancy. Red shows a maximum number of occupants (or close to it), yellow shows a
warning of reaching red, and green is a safe level number of occupants.
*Please note:* All applications contain a refresh button on the top right hand side and an update
notice on the top (shows the user the time and date of when the application was last updated)
User Analysis, Task Analysis, and Scenarios:
Most users will be Stony Brook University Students. Several scenarios exist; they are listed
below:
1. New student just transferred from another school. He or she is not sure of whether there
is a night class on Thursdays. The new student does not have access to any computers or
laptops but only a phone. The user can now enter his or her information under the
“Settings Application” of the Student Application Package and go to the “Classes
Application” to view his or her class schedule in an easily displayed page.
2. A student wishes to work out at the new Campus Recreation Center. He or she does not
know if the basketball courts will be crowded. The student can simply click on the
“Recreation Application” from the Student Application Package and view the number of
occupants in each room and region of the recreation center. If it is green, the user will
attend; however if it is red, the student may decide to attend another convenient time,
thus saving the trip of walking across campus.
3. A student needs to find out what book was mentioned in class. He or she does not know
the title but knows that it is about computers and JAVA. The student may access the
“Library Application” from the Student Application Package and search in keywords
such as computers and java. The application will run a query from the library’s database
and display information about books on the related search topic. It will display the
library’s link page and the title of the book.
4. A student does not know if he or she has any meal points left. He or she is currently at
one of the dining halls and does not have access to a computer or laptop. The line is too
long at the register. The student can simply press the “Accounts Application” and the
user can now view all meal points, bookstore points, and the amount of money in his or
her wolfie wallet.
*For more information, please see the attached images. There are pictures and screenshots of
the application*
Computer Prototype Design:
1. Front End Components:
-The five main applications on the screen: Settings, Classes, Accounts, Library, and
Recreation
-Icons are properly labeled with original artwork
a. Settings Application:
-Icon is a gear (easily recognizable for settings issue)
-User enters three pieces of person information that allows him or her to get started
on using the application: Solar ID#, Solar password, and campus dining password.
b. Classes Application:
-Icon is a student sitting by a desk
-User can view the class schedule of that specific week; for example: if the week is
during Thanksgiving Break, classes will only show Monday through Wednesday
(given there are no classes on Thursday and Friday)
c. Accounts Application:
-Icon is an identification card
-User can view how many meal points and how much money is in his or her Wolfie
Wallet
d. Library Application:
-Icon is a pantheon
-User can search books from library database through keywords
e. Recreation Application:
-Icon is a set of weights
-User can see the number of occupants in the recreation center and traffic reports
2. Backend Components:
-Maintenance of traffic reports from Campus Recreation
-Compilation of daily traffic reports
-Maintenance of system users
-Backend was done in MySQL
Please note: Since we were using the library’s API, sometimes the application did not
work due to slow servers or broken API.
User Interface Design:
Introduction:
The whole purpose of this application is for usability for Stony Brook University students.
Because there is an amount of information on the school’s system, many students do not know
how to take advantage and access this type of information. This application combines most of the
important data into the palm of their hands.
When designing this application, we first wanted icons that were easily spotted and noticeable.
We decided to go with the generic icons that would best fit and represent those applications. In
addition, we had multiple ideas that we wanted to incorporate. Such ideas included a directory
and even a graphical picture for the campus recreation traffic reports. Other ideas include being
able to check out or reserve a library book on the library application, adding meal points on the
application, and even having a map of campus with tabs on each location of the user’s classes.
However there was simply not enough time to accomplish all these tasks. During the paper
prototype process, we realized we needed an update tool for each page. So we incorporated a
reload/refresh button on the top right corner of each page. We also included a time stamp of
when the last update was accomplished so the user would know whether he or she was looking at
new or past data. Overall, we wanted to get something working properly and smoothly.
Project Management Review:
Ricky:
-worked on frontend (coding)
-worked the backend portion
-made sure application worked on an emulator
-wrote the README txt file
-designed the app and icon layout
Alvin:
-worked on the frontend (coding)
-assisted in design of app layout
-worked on the requirement analysis
-worked on the final report
Bret:
-worked on the backend (coding)
-assisted on frontend (coding)
-constructed the paper prototype
-assisted in writing case diagrams
Overall: Work was divided evenly based on strengths and weaknesses. All team members
learned different things from each other and simultaneously bounced off ideas from each other.
Working environment was ideal and friendly.
Project Review Evaluation:
*Please see physical copies handed in*
Other Information:
This diagram shows the traffic reports for the Campus Recreation occupancy levels.
Some of the Screenshots of Application:
Continued:
Extra Credits:
1. All icons and design and layout are original artwork. We did not copy or use any Google
images. We used paint and Photoshop. The only icon that was taken from a source was
the Stony Brook University shield icon.
2. The addition of a refresh button and time stamp so users are notified whether the page
they are viewing is old or new.
3. The “classes application” shows classes for that specific week instead of just the generic
weekly schedule. It relays information from SOLAR itself. For example, classes canceled
on Thursday and Friday will not show up for that specific week.
4. The inclusion of traffic light icons (red yellow green) for easier and quicker display for
users who want to attend specified rooms in the Campus Recreation Center.
5. Throughout the semester, we have been attending meetings with directors from different
divisions to discuss about potentially launching or using our application. Some of these
directors are listed below:
a. Jessica Saley - jessica.saley@stonybrook.edu of Campus Residences / Division of
Information Technology
b. Keith Bradley – keith.bradley@stonybrook.edu of Campus Residences Technical
Support and Division of Information Technology
c. Durron Newman – Durron.Newman@stonybrook.edu Assistant Director for
Student Personnel & Marketing Campus Recreation
d. Jay Souza – jay.souza@stonybrook.edu Director of Campus Recreation
e. Marie Turchiano – marie.turchiano@stonybrook.edu Associate Director of
Department of Campus Recreation
6. In addition, the new campus recreational center has decided to use our “recreation
application” (lists the number of occupants in each different room)
7. This application can potentially be expanded farther with the addition of maps, variety of
more functionality, connecting to social networks etc. What we have is merely a
prototype and if time is allowed, we will continue working on expanding this application
for student usage.