Check-in System Part 5: Application

Below is the screen flow of the children's check-in portion of our system. Remember from previous posts that the number, flow, and layout of the screens are all controled through an XML file.

Screen 1: Welcome Screen

This is the first screen parents see when they enter the room. Each room has a different theme animal (in this case a zebra). Below the theme animal is the room name, age range of the classroom, current number of kids checked in, and the time. The lion is our ROAR mascot. He's actually a dynamic flash file that when touched (it's a touch screen) roars. The kids love it... the teachers... well...

The parents have two options on this screen. They can scan their barcoded cards or press the "Check-in Using Phone" button.

Screen 2: Child Selector

If more than one child is found in the family for the age range of the classroom the parent is prompted to select which child they are checking in. In most cases there will be only one valid child for the room so this screen is not shown.

Screen 3: Service Time Selector

From this screen parents select which service(s) they wish to check their children in for. At CCV we emphasis worshiping a hour and serving a hour so many select both. If the earlier service has already started then this screen is not displayed. The number and times of the services is configured in the membership system.

Screen 4: Complete

This is the final screen that summarizes the check-in process. For many parents this is the only screen they see after swiping their card (if they are checking in for the later service and only have one child who matches the room).

Optional Screen: Phone Lookup

If the parent does not have their card they can select their family using the phone lookup.

Output:

Below is an example of the three reciepts that are printed. The first reciept shows the label that goes on the child's back. A few notes: The letters 'A' and 'P' signify that their are allergy and potty-training notes for the teacher to lookup. The small 18 in the upper right is the number of times the child has been checked into the system (a way for teachers to give extra encouragement to new visitors). The birthday cake tells the teacher that the child has a birthday coming up this week (the day of week is printed below the cake). These features again helps a large church like CCV feel smaller by helping to form closer relationships.

One thing that can't be shown through this blog are the sound effects and screen transitions. These are subtle but add an extra bit of wow to the app.