Step 1: Identifying Problems, Opportunities, and Objectives
The proposed new application is going to be called the Calorie Calculator, and it will help users keep track of their calorie count in terms of what they intake and what they burn.
The application will allow users to enter the food and drink they take in during each meal. The application keeps track of their calorie intake for each day, so that they can easily track this information. They will have access to this information at any time, which will enable them to plan for their meals based on the number of calories they’ve already consumed.
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The application will also allow users to enter information about their activities or exercises for the day so that the calories they burn can be properly accounted for in relation to their calorie intake. As a result, the application can provide them with advice on how many more calories they need to burn and what sort of exercises they can perform to accomplish that.
Issues and Opportunities
People nowadays are becoming more and more conscious of their health. It’s not just for beautification and to gain self-esteem. People also want to stay healthy for their loved ones and so they can continue to enjoy life. However, with everyone being caught up in their busy schedules in addition to stressing about work, errands, and the like, it often becomes hard to track our health in terms of our food intake and our physical activities.
With an iPhone application that will help users keep track of their calorie intake as well as the number of calories they burn everyday, it will be easier for users to access information about their health. Since they bring their iPhones with them everyday and wherever they go, information about their health will literally be in the palm of their hands.
With this information, they will be more able to plan for their and their family’s meals whether they have the meal at home, in restaurants, or at friends’ homes. They will also be able to track the number of calories they burn, which will serve as a reminder for them to engage in physical activities. However, if they keep seeing how the numbers fluctuate, then they may even be motivated to keep the numbers down.
Objectives
1. Create a design and prototype for the application by March 1.
2. Perform and complete the initial usability testing by April 30.
3. Develop the requirements by May 15.
4. Commence development on May 20.
Step 2: Determining Human Information Requirements
Most of the mobile calorie counter applications currently available are just counters. Users use them to find out how many calories there are in the food they want to eat so that they can decide whether to eat it or not. However, these applications don’t keep track of the user’s calorie intake. They don’t calculate the user’s total calorie intake for the day.
While some applications provide the user with a diary or journal, it would still be the user’s responsibility to calculate their calorie intake, which they then enter into the diary. In the same manner, they also have to figure out how many calories they have burned and then enter the information into the diary.
With the Calorie Calculator, users won’t have to manually calculate and enter their calorie information into the application. They just have to enter the kinds of food they ate and the application calculates it for them. If, for example, the user does not know the ingredients of the food they ate, the application would also have a standard or generic calorie count for common foods and dishes. In the same manner, users won’t have to manually figure out the number of calories they burned. They just have to enter the type of exercise they performed and the length of time it was performed and the application does the calculation.
