Criteria B - Developing Ideas

Introduction

In this part of my work I will be giving a preview of contents in the to be created database. To do this I have used the software Microsoft Word and used the 'Create Table' tool. I will also showcase the various designs I have come up with that could be used in the presentation of these contents within the database. Before that however, I will explain the specifications required to create the database in the design brief below.

Table Name: Restaurant Dishes

Field Name	Data Type	Width	Example
Item code	Number	5	13578
Dish Name	Text	15	Butter Chicken
Dish Description	Text	100	Warm chicken breast covered in wonderful orange curry
Ingredients	Text	100	Chicken breast, curry, spices
Cost	Currency	6	30.00$
Ingredient Cost	Currency	6	23.00$
Profit From Dish	Currency	5	7.00$
Spice level (NS,M,H,VH)	Text	2	M
Picture	OLE Object	-	-

 

Table Name: Restaurant Staff

Field Name	Data Type	Width	Example
Staff ID	Text	5	54A9F
First Name	Text	15	Krej
Last Name	Text	20	Jat Vaani
Date of Birth	Date & Time	10	20/1/1990
Gender	Text	6	Male
Working Since	Date & Time	10	15/10/2015
Occupation	Text	25	Cleaner
Wage	Currency	8	500$
Picture	OLE Object	-	-

Table Name: Restaurant Items 

Field Name	Data Type	Width	Example
Item Code	Number	3	092
Item	Text	15	Teaspoon
Place	Text	15	Eating area
Date bought	Date & Time	10	19/10/2015
Amount of item	Number	3	50
Individual Price	Currency	5	$5
Total Price	Currency	5	$250
Picture	OLE Object	-	-

Action Plan

Task	Reason for doing it	When to do it
Create action plan and introduction on the blog. Put the finishing touches on Criteria A & B and recap on them.	To make sure I can be on track during my work. I will go back on my research to recap on what needs to be done	3rd Nov 2015
Begin creating main menu page in Microsoft Access	This is the form from which you will be able to navigate to the other forms	5th Nov 2015
Continue creation of the main menu	^	10th Nov 2015
Create form for the dishes in the restaurant	This is a record I was asked to create	12th Nov 2015
Create form for staff in the restaurant	This is a record I was asked to create	10th Nov 2015
Create form for items in the restaurant	This is a record I was asked to create	17th Nov 2015
Finish off all the forms. Add useful features.	To clean up any unfinished work and for convenience.	19th Nov 2015

Design 1 - LABELS INCLUDED DIRECTLY BELOW IMAGE

Login Screen

The user is to enter a username and password in the grey sections provided and must click enter to enter the database. A jpeg image of the database logo will be placed above the login entry sections.

Main Menu and Dishes - Forms

Main Menu: The main menu will include a red background and green text boxes and labels. A jpeg image of the company logo will be placed in the top center of the screen with three pictures below. The three images will be clickable buttons to navigate to the 'dishes' form, 'staff' and 'equipment'. Above the pictures will be labels with the titles of the forms. 

Dishes: The design for this form will include a text box at the top for the title, a set of useful features in the top right and left corner (a calculator button connected to a macro and self explanatory navigation buttons on the right). The big box on the right with a question mark is the area where the OLE object / image will be inserted. The two boxes in the bottom left are large text boxes so that a lot of information can be fitted. The background colour will be red and the text boxes will be green.

Staff and Equipment - Forms

Staff and Equipment: In this design all forms will include similar compositions of a title, text boxes for the information, pictures as OLE objects, also list boxes will be used. The background colour will be red and the text boxes green. Navigation buttons will always be on every form for the convenience of the user.

Design Evaluation - Design 1

A lot of effort was put into this design, however there are a number of flaws that do not allow it to be chosen as final. The design includes some thought for the convenience of use and the appearance of the design. What it is missing is colour and consistency. In order for the database to look professional, the text boxes must be positioned more or less in the same area and order in all database forms.  The login screen does include colour, however it would be nice to have a login button or something that would allow the user to exit if the database is booted by mistake. The calculator shortcut appears to be missing in the third and fourth parts of the design while it is mandatory to have it on all forms. The design nearly meets the requirements on the design brief and does not exactly look visually appealing due to the absence of colour and organisation, meaning lack of a professional look which is what my client wants.

Design 2 - *** CHOSEN DESIGN *** LABELS BELOW IMAGE

Main Menu

Description: A very simple but straightforward design. The company logo at the top of the form, text box with a red background fill for the title in the center of the form and three navigation buttons leading to the specified locations on the database.

Login Screen

Description: In this design the login screen looks entirely different. The background is white, the text boxes for the username and password are transparent and in this one buttons are included for logging the user in after the correct information is inserted along with an exit button. The logo however is still included at the top of the form. The login button will function using a code that links with a separate table containing the login details. The 'exit' button will link to a macro that will perform a 'QuitAccess' function that quits MS Access.

Dishes

 

Description: The design for this form looks slick, attractive and organised. It includes a number of useful features for efficiency and convenience for the user. A button with a macro attached to open a calculator, buttons on the side to add a new record, go to the next record or navigate to the previous. The background will be green and the text boxes red. The title will also be red while the header area is grey along with the company logo. A list box will be used on some of the text boxes.

Staff

Description: The design of this form is similar to the one above. The form includes a grey header featuring the company logo and a red text box with the title. As well as that the text boxes containing the main information is stacked nicely in an organised and professional fashion on the left and bottom right. The navigation buttons along with a calculator button is included on the right.

Equipment

Description: The design of this form is similar to the one above. The form includes a grey header featuring the company logo and a red text box with the title. As well as that the text boxes containing the main information is stacked nicely in an organised and professional fashion on the left and bottom right. The navigation buttons along with a calculator button is included on the right.

Design Evaluation [DESIGN CHOSEN]

This design being done digitally and including colour stands out very nicely. The arrangement and use of company logo and colours makes the design look professional. The addition of buttons to the login screen makes a difference and the simple look gives a welcoming feeling to the user. The main menu is straight to the point as required and again, the organisation of the buttons and the colour scheme makes the form attractive. However, the main menu could use an exit button. The forms look identical in a good way since that means they all look professional. There is evidence of use of a list box only in the 'Equipment' form however that is only a small flaw in the design. By making small adjustments during the creation the database can safely be the number one design. It perfectly matches the criteria set by the design brief which asks for inclusion of the company's logo and colours, an organised professional appearance and handy features for ease of use.

Useful Features

- Forms: A feature that allows content from tables to be transferred onto an interactive form that can be filled out and updated by the staff.

- Login Screen: A security measure that requires you to enter username and password before using the database to verify that you are a member of staff and not an intruder.

- Main Menu: The primary page that the user will be lead to after logging into the system. From there the user will be able to click buttons and quickly navigate through the various forms in the database.

- Macros: This feature allows quick access of useful tools such as a calculator by attachment of a button to the macro.

- Buttons: Can be installed on a form and clicked on to perform a variety of functions like opening up a macro as mentioned above.

- Property Sheet: A feature that can be opened up when editing a form in design view. Allows the user to customise the visual content on the form and even create codes for various purposes.

- List Box: A feature in design view of a table that allows the user to make a list of choices for selection to be available in a certain text field on the form.

Test Plan

In order to make sure that the end product I have created is fully functional, I will personally go through every table and form in the Microsoft Access file. The login screen code, macro codes, buttons, validation rules, combo and list boxes will all be individually checked for correct functioning by clicking and observing whether the result action that occurs is the desired one. If not, it is to be reviewed and fixed as necessary. My client will also be interviewed and will test the product. If they wish for any changes to be made, it will be done accordingly.