Jacqueline O'Connor
Information & Links
LinkedIn
Technical JournalIntroduction
Hello! My name is Jacqueline O'Connor (Jac/Jackie) and this is my individual portfolio for my final year module: Collaborative Project. My main roles for this project include: Project Lead, Scrum Master, Backend Development and QR Code Development. As a mature student pursuing a BSc (Hons) of Computing in Software Development, I have gained a wealth of knowledge and skills over the past four years here at DkIT. Upon completion of my work placement with Yahoo, I have a dual interest in both management and organizational roles, as well as backend development. I enjoy the challenge of leading and managing teams to success. I believe that my combination of technical competence and leadership skills makes me well-suited for roles that involve backend development and management. Through this portfolio, I hope to showcase my growth and accomplishments while providing insights into my learning journey over the course of this module. Thank you!
What is Qardless?
Qardless initially began as a loyalty rewards style application. Customers could use stamps they earned through product purchases to get rewards from the company; for example, each time they buy a coffee, they earn a stamp and then after so many coffees, they earn a free one. It has since been transformed completely into a secure digitized training certificate application. Instead of storing reward cards, we store certificates!
Qardless is a SaaS (Software as a Service) application targeted towards businesses who provide paper certificates as proof of obtaining a qualification and consists of two sperate applications.
- A mobile application for end users.
- A web application for businesses & their employees.
The dangers of certification loss or fabrication is decreased as employees store clients certificates digitally in cloud storage using our web application and clients can then access them via our mobile application. Qardless helps businesses manage their certification process and reduces the overwhelming burden on their administrative staff who have to deal with the traditional paper certificate method. Since certificates have an expiry, businesses can easily stay on top of the certification process by exporting a list of clients due for certificate renewal.
Teammates:
Brian - Frontend Dev
Ethan - UX & Testing
(Finbar - Separate Releases)
The QRew - Qardless - Final Release Portfolio
Main Roles & Specialisms
Project Lead
As the leader of this project, I was responsible for overseeing the project from start to finish. I ensured our goals were met. It was a challenging but rewarding experience. I definitely learned a lot about myself and also how to deal with people and conflict. I have developed valuable skills as a project lead that will serve me well as I progress through my career.
Scrum Master
My role as scrum master tied in nicely with the project lead role. As project lead, I had a clear understanding of the overall project and I was able to ensure the project was organized and aligned with the teams overall goals. I helped keep the team focused and motivated. I organized stand-up meetings to allow team members to check-in and keep the team on track. I organized sprint retrospectives to allow for feedback and to see how we could improve our progress as a team. I planned sprints and releases with the teams work abilities and competency in mind. I liaised with the product owner and kept a clear line of communication.
Backend Development
I created two APIs, one was in C# using ASP .NET Core and the other was a Python Flask API. After release 1 when the project was split into two releases, I became responsible for redesigning the database for the API created using ASP .NET Core, the database was created using entity framework core. I created an Azure storage account to host PDF certificates. I hosted the Flask API on Azure which contained the QR code generator along with a separate QR code data database for storing data for the purpose of data analytics. Backend development is a crucial part in any software application, working on a complex backend like Qardless' was challenging at times but I used it as an opportunity to learn and grow as a developer.
QR Code Development & Security
I created a privacy policy for users to view and agree to when registering. I had the important responsibility of developing the QR code functionality for Qardless. I researched and evaluated different frameworks and QR code types before finally settling on the appropriate solution for our application. Each iteration involved learning and refining and lead to the success of QR code functionality for Qardless.
Miscellaneous
I was responsible for managing and delegating work when completing the team Mahara collections for assessment deliverables and project documentation purposes. I was also involved in some documentation such as UX analysis and security. I created the promo trailer for our application.
Personal Goals Achieved:
Develop and improve my leadership, communication and people skills.
Develop my organizational & time-management skills.
Develop problem-solving skills.
Develop my coding skills and technical proficiency.
Try coding using a language/method out of my comfort zone.
Use this module as a learning experience.
Say yes to any challenge that comes my way!
Creating the Promo Video
I created the promotional video for our project and I am extremely proud of it. I had a lot of fun working on it and It was nice to take a break from backend coding and work on something more visual and creative.
I do not have a lot of experience when it comes to creative media but I enjoy a challenge and learning new skills. I used tools I am familiar with such as PowerPoint, Audacity, Pixlr and ClipChamp.
I wrote a script of what I wanted included in the video, ensuring I covered our core concepts. I used PowerPoint to then create slides and split the script up slide by slide. I then used the animation feature to bring our application to life.
I downloaded a free sound online and used Audacity to remix it slightly to how I wanted it to be. I have used Audacity previously during an Erasmus project creating an educational game for schools across Europe, so I was familiar with how it worked.
I used Pixlr, a free online image editing tool, to ensure all the images were clean and sharp and ready to use on the PowerPoint.
I used the PowerPoint rehearsing tool to ensure I had the correct timing set for each slide and I then recorded the PowerPoint as a video. I could then export this video and import it into ClipChamp for further editing.
For sound, I used my phone to record myself speaking the script slide by slide, I was then able to upload each slide recording and clip and chop them to where I needed them to go in the video. I could not find a 'clicking' sound effect that I liked, so I recorded the sound of my own mouse clicking and I edited it slightly and used that.
I am happy with how the video turned out and I have gained confidence to tackle future challenges like this.
Women in STEM Conference March 2023
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My Classmate Jessica and I at the DkIT stand. |
I was invited to attend the Women in STEM conference with DkIT in Croke Park in March. The summit brought together thought leaders, educators, policy makers, innovators and pioneers to discuss how to empower women with the technology and skills necessary for a better future.
I also had the chance to network with many companies and organizations such as An Post. John Paul Construction, Bank of Ireland, Xperia, BAM, The Irish Military, Fidelity and many more.
Whilst there, I was able to speak to two large construction companies about the idea of Qardless. Since joining with an external collaborator, Qardless has been aimed towards construction businesses. I spoke to BAM and John Paul Construction; specifically, their administrative staff who both loved the idea of Qardless and described it as amazing! I used this opportunity to gain market research for our business plan we had to prepare as part of our Entrepreneurship module.
Me with employees from John Paul Construction
at a Women in STEM Conference stand 2023
Future for Qardless
Unfortunately, due to the size of our development team, we were forced to prioritize certain functionality over others. As a result, we had to make the difficult decision to drop some features that were deemed unfeasible for the scope of the project. While this was unfortunate, we were ultimately able to deliver a high-quality product that met the needs of our product owner within the given constraints.
Not implemented for Final Release:
- Expiry dates on PDF certificate view.
- Watermark PDF certificates.
- Password protected PDFs.
- Hosted website.
- Deactivate/Delete accounts.
- Text & Email Authentication.
- Notification to user when QR code is scanned.
- Email user when certificate is about to expire.
- Add to Google Wallet.
Human Factors in Design
I completed a module in Human Factors in Design (HFD) along with my teammates Brian and Ethan. This involved an in-depth analysis of various aspects of HFD. For my part, I delved into the realm of human information processing (HIP) and conducted cognitive analysis to better understand how users interact with the Qardless mobile application.
Based on my analysis, I was able to recommend several potential improvements to the Qardless mobile application:
- Qardless QR code scanner application with instant feedback.
- Log of QR code scans kept.
- Wearable QR codes.
More details of this analysis can be found in the miscellaneous tab of this portfolio.