ProjectProposal-CarrellKillebrew
From CS160 User Interfaces Fa06
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Target User Group
The user group I am targetting is restaurants and the waiters who work at them. Waiters need a fast and concise system of delivering patrons' orders to the kitchen. Restaurants need a convenient way to check the signature of patrons who pay with credit card against the signature that the credit card company has on file.
Problem Description
One goal is to give waiters a better method of forwarding a patron's order to the kitchen. When a patron orders, the waiter must write down the order then walk back to the kitchen and give it to the cook, or put it where the cook can get it later. This is inconvenient for the waiter and lengthens the time for the patron to get her food. A method for instantly delivering that order would benefit both parties.
The second goal is to provide a method for checking the patrons signature when they pay for their meal with a credit card with the credit card issuer. A way to upload the patron's signature immediately to the credit card company would solve this problem.
Problem Context and Forces
Waiters today are accustomed to taking down orders on a pad of special paper carried in their pocket, using their pen. This pad and pen could get dirty from food if the waiter cleans up tables. So any solution must be small, portable, and resilient to food. It must be easy and fast to use so that patrons are not kept waiting. It can't be too complicated because some waiters have little education. I believe there might exist a solution of waiters using a tablet-PC like device for taking down orders, I don't remember well though. Such a solution is not as simple or resilient as paper and pen method.
Currently, those who pay for their meal with credit card sign a paper receipt that the restaurant keeps, using a pen supplied by the waiter. I don't know the inner workings of the system, but I assume the restaurant uses this receipt in case of a dispute, but never sends the signature to the credit card issuer unless there is a problem. Patrons may have no education at all, so they need a simple solution. It must also still function if food or water gets on it.
Solution Sketch
To assist the waiter in delivering orders to the kitchen, my inital idea is to use a special pad of paper that works with the Anoto pen, and then the waiter would take down orders like normal. The pen would send the order straight to the kitchen as the waiter writes.
The customer would be provided a receipt that works with the Anoto pen, as well as the Anoto pen. Their signature would be uploaded to the credit card company for verification. Then waiter would check that verification is complete and the customer would be done paying.
