Q3 developed a kiosk-based bill payment/balance top-up application that enables its user to select the language of their choice, check their balance, to make a bill payment on a contract service, and to top -up a non contract service.

Q3's global sourcing model gives the maximum benefit to customers in terms of cost savings, improved quality, access to highly talented professionals, flexibility of operations and reduced time to market.

Company Profile

The Client is a UK based business that has customers worldwide and provides software solutions for three main sectors globally:

• Telemetry and data solutions for vending machines.
• Kiosk platforms.
• Screens on public transport

The solutions are provided as a unit software or as a hosted software – SaaS model (Software as a Service model).

The Client’s vision is to create the data convenient, useful, and cost-efficient products using friendly hosted software tools. The Client connects technology to deliver business benefits. The Client’s solutions connect, manage and optimize intelligent devices. From internet kiosks to vending machines, to screens on public transport they work harder and smarter. The software created by the Client reduces setup cost, risk and hassle for their customers.

Business Situation

The Client needed to develop a Kiosk-based application for making bill payments. The requirement was placed by one of the high-profile customers of the Client and the customer had set a sharp deadline for the project. The Client showed his faith in Q3 and handed over to them the responsibility to develop a kiosk-based application using the latest version of Microsoft platform.

The Client wanted the application to provide the following functionalities:

• Multilingual Support: Allow users to select the language of their choice and operate the application in their own language.
• Check Balance: Allow users to check their account balance.
• Bill Payment: Allow users to pay their bill payments.
• Top-up: Allow users to recharge their account in 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 currency denominations.
• Receipt Printing: Allow users to receive a printed receipt after each completed transaction, which will be in the language chosen by the user at the start of the application.
• Services: Allows user to choose services, such as Telephone, Internet, Mobile, and e-Vision.
  

Challenges

The challenges were as follows:

• To implement Dot NET Framework 3.5 with Visual Studio 2010 as Dot NET Framework 4.0 is by default integrated with Visual Studio 2010.
• To create a multi-lingual environment.
• To provide two layout option for Right to Left and Left to Right languages.
• To allow different length of text in different languages.
• To deliver project in a short span of time.
• To create a demo environment of kiosk based application without using the kiosk platform for integration and testing.
• To understand the flow and functionalities from specifications required to develop the new module.
• To create environment to simulate cash payments.
  
  

Solution

Q3 came up with the dedicated team of developers to understand closely the Client’s requirement by studying specifications sent by the client. To meet all the client requirements, Q3 used N-tier architecture with WPF, SQL Server 2008, Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, WCF, and multilingual support, which comprise the screens for Kiosk-based application.

Q3 developed the application using the latest Microsoft technology i.e. Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 with Dot NET 3.5 SP1 platform. The application developed by Q3 allowed the users to choose recharge their account, view their account balance and choose the language of their choice in a multilingual environment, and also, to print receipt after each completed transaction in the language selected by the user. Each transaction is logged for further reviews, so that, in future if any problem arises then the client can view all the transactions made and find the possible solution to the problem.

As no kiosk platform was provided from the client for integration and testing, therefore, the QA experts at Q3 got involved from the very beginning and tested the Client application by creating the test harness for the methods, properties, and events raised by API’s, to ensure desired quality and bug free application.

Tools/ Platforms and Services

• Operating System : Microsoft Window Server 2008
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010
• IIS 7.0
• SQL Server 2008
• SVN Version control
• WPF 3.5 SP1
• WCF
• .NET 3.5
• C#/.NET Framework 3.5
  
  

Benefits

• Quicker time-to-market.
• It can be used as a component in real kiosk based application.
• Increased level of scalability and flexibility.
• Reduction in operational costs and increase in operational efficiencies.