Case Study

Project Motivation

• Reason for undertaking the project: Developed as a master's computer science project.
• Context or background information: E-commerce website.
• Specific events or trends that triggered the need for the project: Increasing trend of businesses moving online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Objectives

• Main goals of the project: Lead and develop a dynamic website for online purchase of groceries.
• Specific targets or metrics you hoped to achieve:
  • Create a rich frontend.
  • Create admin and user portals.
  • Add functionalities for admin portal such as adding, updating, and deleting items and users.
  • Add functionalities for user portal such as registration, sign-in, purchasing items, adding to cart, and wish-listing items.
  • Create a database for storing all application-related information.

Challenges

• Technical challenges faced: Integrating frontend and backend seamlessly.
• Operational or logistical challenges: Setting up an effective MVC framework and deploying on AWS.
• User-related or market-related challenges: Maintaining session persistence and providing a smooth user experience.

Approach and Process

• Initial steps taken to start the project: Started with database creation.
• Methodologies or frameworks used: Agile methodology.
• Key phases or steps in the project development:
  • Requirement analysis.
  • Prototyping.
  • Iterative development.
  • Testing.
  • Deployment.

Technologies Used

• Development Tools: VS Code.
• Frontend: Angular, Bootstrap.
• Backend: NodeJS.
• Database: MongoDB or MySQL.
• Deployment: AWS cloud services.
• Grocers-API: bcrypt, cors, express, mongoose, nodemon, validator.
• Grocers-UI: fontawesome-free, chart.js, mdb-angular-ui-kit, rxjs, tslib, zone.js.

Implementation

• Key milestones or phases in the development process:
  • Database setup.
  • Frontend development.
  • Backend integration.
  • Deployment on AWS.
• Important features or components developed:
  • User authentication and session management.
  • Real-time comment updates.
  • Responsive design.
• Major achievements or breakthroughs during development:
  • Completed within the deadline.
  • Integrated all required features for the course.

Results

• Quantifiable outcomes: User numbers and transactions are still being evaluated.
• Qualitative outcomes: Positive user feedback and potential market impact.
• Awards or recognitions received: None yet.

Lessons Learned

• Key takeaways from the project:
  • Importance of thorough planning and documentation.
  • Effectiveness of the Agile methodology.
  • Need for continuous user feedback.
• What went well and what could have been improved:
  • Achieved primary objectives.
  • UI/UX refinement and backend optimization needed.
• Insights on project management or technical aspects:
  • Agile methodology and iterative testing were beneficial.

Future Improvements

• Planned features or enhancements:
  • Integrate payment system with Stripe.js.
• Areas for improvement identified during or after the project:
  • Refine UI/UX and optimize backend processes.
• Long-term vision or goals for the project:
  • Host and deploy the application to the public.