Milestone 4

The team has managed to drastically improve the website's ability to scrape menu information. Utilizing the lightweight and fast Express framework for node.js,  The team was able to implement the necessary backend functions efficiently.  With no prior experience working with  React JS or  Javascript, the beginning process involved many learning experiences, but through all stages of development, features, and infrastructure were designed to achieve the needed functionality while not cutting corners. This ensures the code is modular and allows for new features and additions to be integrated with little difficulty as the knowledge of the development team grows with the website.
Mobile Application and Website Development have both been core features of the Allergenics project. To optimize development and the use of each team member's programming abilities, the development of the mobile app and website was split between two dedicated development groups. This decision early on in Allergenic's development process has minimized confusion and allowed each respective group to hone their skills in focused areas and programming languages. App optimization was focused on fixing issues with crashing during certain inputs. Before, touching the cards in the restaurant list would cause the app to immediately crash. Now, the app runs better, with significantly less input lag. Also within the development of the app, each member looked into different feature implementations to streamline the workflow. Each members contributions were then merged together to form the working end product.

The operational performance of both the website and mobile application will be tested locally on team members' devices.  Although this project is not yet publicly available, the team is able to test and demonstrate core features of the product that will be scaled for production. These core features include acquiring menu information from nearby restaurants, cross-referencing ingredients and dish descriptions with our allergen database, and displaying this information based on the dietary restrictions input from the user. Both the mobile application and website are able to get the GPS location of the user and functionally display this information along with nearby restaurant information. The website will be ready for public release once the Allergenics team finalizes development, acquires a website domain, and chooses a backend host for the server. The app is planned to release for Android devices through the Google Play Store and depending on user and community feedback, development of an IOS application will be considered.

Great teamwork and task management have been essential to the Allergenics development process. Stellar communication is a major component of a project's success and has been a priority for the Allergenics team. Regular meetings, communication, and updates have helped keep all team members on the same page with the same goals and objectives. This is a major factor in the efficiency of development as it ensures team members' time working on problems is spent effectively and prioritized tasks are completed in a timely manner.  All design and development ideas from each team member are seriously considered and Allergenics has developed an inviting atmosphere that is both serious about project success and light-hearted. Equal contributions from each team member has greatly helped avoid potential gaffes and blunders some project with a singular leader may experience. Depending on the assignment or development hurdle, different team members have taken the lead in addressing and coming up with a solution allowing the strengths of each team member to be fully utilized.