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Coursework 1 Report: For Foodies By Foodies (FFBF) App
Introduction
The mobile phone has become an essential tool for modern life, especially in large cities such as London where people rely on apps to make daily decisions. Eating out or ordering food is one of the most common activities, yet the experience is often scattered across different platforms. Users must switch between review sites, delivery apps, and restaurant websites, which can make the process confusing and time consuming. The project titled For Foodies By Foodies (FFBF) was developed in response to this challenge. The app aims to offer a single digital space where users can find restaurants, read and write reviews, order food, and connect with other food lovers in London.
This report explains the design and development of FFBF using Android Studio. It discusses the user experience and accessibility features built into the app, explores the database design that supports its functionality, and reflects on the properties of mobile devices and the challenges of cross-platform development. The report shows how theoretical knowledge from the module has been applied to practice in order to create a real mobile business solution.
App Concept and Purpose
The goal of FFBF is to improve the foodie journey by providing a community-driven platform. Unlike general apps that only focus on delivery or reservations, FFBF is designed as a lifestyle tool for people who love food. The app allows users to search for restaurants, filter by cuisine, price, and location, and view user-generated content such as reviews and photographs. A built-in rating system encourages engagement, while personalised recommendations are generated from past searches and ratings. By combining community knowledge with business functions like ordering and reservations, the app helps users make quicker and more informed choices.
From a business perspective, the app benefits local restaurants as well. Smaller food outlets that may struggle to compete with big chains can showcase their menus and reach new customers. The app therefore supports both consumers and businesses, making it a mutually valuable digital product.
User Experience and Accessibility
A major part of mobile app success depends on user experience (UX). In designing FFBF, the team placed emphasis on clarity, consistency, and minimal cognitive load. The interface uses a simple colour scheme inspired by food tones such as warm oranges and greens, creating an inviting and appetising look. Icons and navigation are kept consistent across all screens, so that users can quickly learn how to move around the app.
Accessibility was also carefully considered. The app provides support for users with visual impairments by integrating screen reader compatibility and scalable font sizes. Colour contrast has been tested to meet accessibility standards, and alternative text descriptions are attached to images. These features are important because an inclusive app attracts a wider audience and ensures fairness in design. The app also uses haptic feedback and clear button labelling to make it easier for elderly users or those with limited dexterity.
Database Design and Functionality
As a database-backed app, FFBF relies on storing, retrieving, and updating large amounts of information. The core database structure was built using SQLite, which is lightweight and well suited for Android applications. The main entities include Users, Restaurants, Reviews, and Orders. Relationships between these entities are designed in a way that supports quick queries while maintaining data integrity.
For example, a user can submit many reviews, but each review is linked to one restaurant. Orders are associated with both users and restaurants, allowing a clear record of customer behaviour. Data security is also prioritised through encrypted storage of sensitive information such as login credentials. By designing the database in this way, the app ensures reliability, efficiency, and scalability.
Properties of Mobile Devices and Development Issues
Developing for mobile devices presents unique challenges. Smartphones have limited battery life, processing power, and storage, so the app must be optimised to perform smoothly without draining resources. During testing, memory usage was reduced by compressing images and minimising background processes. The app also adapts to different screen sizes and resolutions by using responsive layouts in Android Studio.
Another key issue is connectivity. Since many features of FFBF depend on live data such as reviews and orders, the app was designed to handle both online and offline modes. When a connection is weak, the app temporarily stores user actions and syncs them when internet access returns. This increases reliability and user satisfaction.
