Help: Advices from skilled users : Best app design?

Getting Started
1

Hi, being newbie on Xojo
I would be keen to get insights and advices on the best way to develop the project I will describe below. I would like to avoid to restart after months of dev realized I made a wrong choice on the architecture, way of working or any other point that I can miss or not anticipate …
Thanks a lot in advance for your insights !

Project : Easy to use Kiosk desktop application
Hardware Main app:

The Main Desktop Application will be hosted on a Raspi 4
only 5 keys will be available ( through the GPIO ) up, down, left, right , select

Hardware Config tool :

Mobile app

Main Application : full screen ( 800x400 ) desktop application which will be launched automatically when kiosk is started

The “philosophy” of the application is an equivalent to a wordpress website : there are several menus in a top bar. Each item menu can be configured to be a “module” which is part of a library

Ex :
Top left, a menu named “My Menu”. 2 sub items were created in the config tool ( cf later ) , using 2 modules part of the library :

module “display picture” set for sub “My Menu”. User selecting this submenu will have a picture displayed in full screen
Module “play a song” set for sub menu “My enu” ; User selecting this submenu will have a song played

This application can have up to 5 menu in the top bar, and unlimited number of submenus.

The Config Tool

For ease of use and config, I’m planning to have the config tool for the app hosted on a mobile,

User will open the config tool, creates his config with menus, modules …etc… when done, he activates the wifi on Raspi, connect to it with phone and update the config ( with modules, data, etc… ). Other option, which may be simplier, he connects directly and do the config “live” ( means mobile app is just the GUI and it requires always to have the 2 connected to do the config ). I would appreciate some guidance and suggestion here. I would tend to 2nd option as sounds easier and quicker, but any caveats ?

New Modules can be added at anytime to the libray and configured to be part of the new live kiosk config. On this part, it is really like CMS system with modules, plugin etc…

Thanks !

2

What is the app for? What is the design goal?

You say you want something like a Wordpress site. That doesn’t really say much because 25% of all websites are Wordpress sites.

When I do a new app or a part of the new app I start by listing the things the user wants to do in an app. Then I try do make a simple interface. You can do that on paper, in a prototype app or even in Xojo.

1 Like
3

Hi @Beatrix_Willius , Thanks for taking care.
This application will be like a “helper” for a wildlife gathering.
I mentionned Wordpress for the principal of the “modules”, as some new, on which I have no idea, may come in the future .
For now , the user will :

  • display a picture that they have link to one/several menu item(s) with a 1 to 1 mapping ) ( note : this picture can be a map, a picture of an animal, some notes …etc… anything )

  • search in a “wildlife” DB with some criteria to find the profile of the animal ( search by name, number of legs, color, size etc… )

  • play some videos

  • 1 menu to display a table , excel like ( to count animals )

  • one menu with a check list
    -one menu with a timer

  • one menu for settings

The content is “pretty” well known, I was more thinking about the technical architecture.
I was thinking to store the config of the menus in a DB, with related items, pictures … hence my question : is it judicious ?
Now , should I have a mobile app doing everything “in stand alone” or connect to the kiosk and just use the mobile app as GUI ?