Analysis and Enhancements of Touch Screen Registers for Fast Foods - Case Study Example

Computer science and information technology Analysis and enhancements of touch screen registers for fast foods of the of the university Abstract This paper explores a case scenario where a fast food franchise has introduced new touch pad registers to increase its efficiency. But this idea is hit by several problems in the practical implementation of the idea. This paper will analyze the system and come up with problems associated with the new system. Using there published journals on computer science and information technology, the paper will draw up improvements and necessary changes that need to be done so as to make sure that the system works efficiently. The paper will also contain the steps that are taken to improve the interface Keywords: interface, computer science, information technology, touch pad interface Analysis and enhancements of touch screen registers for fast foods As technology grows, it has become much easier to work. You can store a lot of information and retrieve it very fast at the touch of a button. Well, this has brought to end the carrying of books and pens to meetings. This trend has also been picked up by hotels. They are introduced touch pad registers to manage their work efficiently and easily. A fast food franchise introduced touch pad registers. They issued each register with a password and a user ID to log into the system. It allowed them to input their passwords four times before the system locked. With time the system became harder to operate. The touch pads became greasy and some of the of the workers forgot the passwords. The system was a good idea, but it had several flaws in its design. The fact that this system needed a password and a user ID to log in, it became a problem when the workers forgot their passwords. When a worker entered the password there times unsuccessfully the system locked itself and needed the managers card to reboot the system. In cases where the manager is not present it would be impossible for the workers to use the system. It took some time for the system to reboot. This lost time could translate to looses. If a worker for the password and asked another worker to log in so that they could use the system, it will take it hard for the employers to track the activities in the fast food franchise. This was the main aim of introducing the touch pad register. The issue with the workers forgetting passwords was because of the keyboard layout. The managers complained about the time that it took to reboot the system. If the shift of a worker ended and they did not log out the system, it needed the manager to reboot the system that took a long time to do. The accumulation of grease on the touch pad made it harder for the workers to input their details. This is because the touch pad did not have any protection against the grease. With all these problems, it became hard for the system to work efficiently. Several changes have to be done so that the touch pad register can work efficiently. There are several problems that are associated with touch pads. They can get scratched, broken the calibration might be wrong, and since it is being used by many people it might be damaged (Wright, 2014). To protect the touch pad register against all these problems you need to be careful while using it. Always clean your hands before touching the touch pad register. The keyboard layout should be simple and very visible on the screen. Do not incorporate numbers with letters. Instead of using an alphanumeric keyboard, it is better to use a qwerty keyboard and a separate number pad. This will be easier the workers to key in their passwords. When assigning the user ids and passwords, make them simple enough to be remembered by the workers. Combine simple words with numbers to make the passwords more secure. This will make it easier for them to key in the passwords into the system. Increasing the number of password attempts will also go along way in reducing the number of times that the system locks itself. Also finding other means to reboot the system when it locks itself will go along way in reducing the time that is spent looking for the manager to reboot the system. About the time spent rebooting the system, it would be better to upgrade the systems processors and virtual memory to enable it rebuilt in a matter of seconds. To avoid all these problems with passwords, it will be a good idea to incorporate a proximity key card and its reader to the system (refer to appendix 1). A proximity key card is a smart card that needs not to be inserted into a card reader. By holding it for a moment for the reader it logs in all your information and gives you access (Hancke, 2005). It is more effective and cheaper than the normal magnetic key card. This will reduce greatly the chances of the system locking itself. Also one control that the manager can use to control the system. This will go a long way in helping in rebooting the system. Also create a system that will allow for automatic log out if the system is left untouched for more than four minutes. Improving the interface will not be an easy ask. It will take a lot of programing and testing the task that will be used are: Uninstalling the interface. This process will take less This means that you have to remove all the commands and the information in the system. Programing. This task will take approximately 48 hours. This is the process of creating instructions, commands that will enable the interface to run properly (Beck & Andres, 2004). Since it is being integrated with a proximity key card there is a need for all commands to work together to perfection. Upgrading the hardware. This task will take approximately 8 hours. This process will help in increasing the amount of information that can be stored in the system. Creating a database. This process will take approximately six hours depending on the amount of information to keyed in. This information will help in controlling access to the system. Adding the proximity card reader. This process will take approximately two hours. It entails adding the proximity card reader. Setting up a central command. This will take approximately seven hours. This will be where the manager will be controlling this system. He will have access to all touch pad registers (refer to Appendix 1). With these adjustments to the system, it will be possible to have a secure touch screen register. After this system is complete, testing will be done to ensure that it runs smoothly before it is implemented in the fast food franchise. All the components will be arranged in a setting as shown in appendix 1. This will be the set up that will be used in the fast food franchise. The information in the system must be tested to concur with the proximity cards. Also testing must be done on the main control station to see if it can handle multiple tasks at the same time. Testing will also be done to show if the master station can take control of the registers at any time. The system must also show its capability of being online for longer times. This system balances security and usability in many ways. Having one center to control the system limits the number of people that can access the system. Also the use of proximity cards will reduce the time spent to key in passwords and also reduce the risks of blocking the system due to entering wrong pins. Also, restarting the system will take less time than before. Even if grease accumulates on the touch pad register, there will be no need to be scared because you can access the system using the key card. There is also a security risk if the card gets lost. Anybody who has found the card can access the system. To protect against this problem you can incorporate a thumb print scanner for additional security against unauthorized access. Also, you can add password to be used with the card to ensure that only the owner of the card can access the system. Reference Wright, J. (2014). Common touch screen problems. Retrieved on 20th Feb 2014 from: http://www.ehow.com/about_5652107_common-touch-screen-problems.html. Beck, K, & Andres, C. (2004). Extreme programing Explained: Embrace change. Retrieved on 20th Feb 2014 from:http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1076267. Hancke, G. (2005). A Practical Relay Attack on ISO 14443 Proximity Cards. Retrieved on 20th Feb 2014 from: http://www.rfidblog.org.uk/hancke-rfidrelay.pdf. Appendix 1 Read More