Activity+Task+Analysis

=__ Problematic Task Flowchart: __= = = = = = __**Refined Task Flowchart:**__ = ==

** Getting Your Dry cleaning/ Laundries Done **
 * ====== ====== || ======**__ NEED TO COLLECT AND GET THE DIRTY CLOTHES TO THE CLEANERS. __**====== || ======**__ DRIVE TO A DRY CLEANING STORE TO DROP OFF YOUR GARMENTS. __**====== || ======**__ CONFIRM ORDER DETAIL BEFORE PROCESSING. __**====== || ======**__ DECIDE ON A DATE TO HAVE THEM PICKED UP BY. __**====== || ======**__ ARRIVE AT THE STORE TO PICK UP THE CLEANED GARMENTS. __**====== ||
 * ======**__ PURPOSE __**====== || ====== So we can clean our expensive clothes or the ones that need to be dry cleaned. ====== || ====== So we can physically get to the cleaners to drop off our dirty garments. ====== || ====== To decide between different methods of cleaning. ====== || ====== Customer can choose when to pick up their garments. ====== || ====== Customer finally arrives to pick up their finished product. ====== ||
 * ======**__ FUNCTIONS __**====== || ====== -Look through laundry basket. ======

-Separate the ones that need to go to the cleaners.
|| ====== Drive, walk or take the bus to the cleaners. ====== || ====== -Talking to the clerk. ======

- Putting a tag on the garment
|| ====== -Communication between the clerk and the customer. ======

- Leave the store and drive back home.
|| ====== Drive, walk or take the bus to the cleaners. Pay for the services done. Pick up the garments. ====== ||
 * ======**__ OBJECTS __**====== || ====== Clothes. A laundry bag. ====== || ====== Car. Dry cleaning store. Garments. Laundry bag. ======

Clerk.
|| ====== Clothes tags. Customers. ======

Clerk.
|| ====== Clerk. The receipt. ====== || ====== Clerk. Money. Car. The receipt ====== ||
 * ======**__ ROLES __**====== || ====== Friends and family members who also want to clean their clothes. ====== || ====== Customer. ====== || ====== Customer ====== || ====== Customer ====== || ====== Customer ====== ||
 * ======**__ LINKS __**====== || ====== -Drive to the cleaners. ======

- Pay.
|| ====== Setting a time for pick up. Paying. ====== || ====== Decide on a date to have them picked up. Drive for a pickup. ====== || ====== Pay for the service and pick up the garment. ====== || ====== Go home and return back to the store to drop off more laundry (if needed). ====== ||
 * ======**__ CONSTRAINTS __**====== || ====== Can’t find the winter jacket your wife put away. ====== || ====== Traffic. Time. Gas prices. ====== || ====== Large line ups. ======

System freeze ups.
|| ====== The pick up date might not be convenient for you. ====== || ====== The Garments could take longer than expected. They could not be ready. ====== ||
 * ======**__ ISSUES __**====== || ====== none ====== || ====== It takes up the customer’s time to go to the store. The dry cleaning store pays for rent and other resources. ====== || ====== All of this process takes up customers valuable time. ====== || ====== Time consuming. ====== || ====== The customer needs to make a second trip back and forth to pick up the garments.  ====== ||

When faced with a problematic task, it is important to create and model an alternative method for where that task is inefficient. This makes the process to better follow and get executed. Often technological advances result in physical labour and job losses In order to cut costs and maximize profitability. The best way to resolve a problematic task is to create new jobs if some are eliminated and use technological advances to better provide the service that is demanded out there.

The traditional method of getting your clothes dry cleaned involved many steps that was not only time consuming and costly to the customers, but also failed to squeeze maximum profitability for a dry cleaning business. It involved driving to the store to drop off the garments, then a second trip back to the store to pick up. In today’s world, where time is money. People do not have the time to make a trip to the cleaners early in the morning to drop off their garments when they are late for work. Getting stuck in traffic on the way is very costly since gas prices keep on rising. This could effect ones decision on whether or not the trip to the store is even worth it. Such decisions could have deadly effects on dry cleaners.

By utilizing the available technologies and the current and up to date method of placing online orders, it allows the customer to easily place an order with a few clicks and have their dirty garments picked up at a time specified by them and dropped off again when someone is home. This method will cut the cost of location rent, electricity, printing and providing a receipt for the customer. Instead delivery drivers will get dispatched for pick ups and drop offs. The customer can schedule a time that is convenient for them to have their clothes picked up. If nobody is available at home, then they can leave the garments inside the specially designed bins outside their home. These bins are waterproof and can only be opened with special keys that only the customer and the delivery driver will have access to.

As we can see both procedures get the job done, however the new model will avoid things such as: 1)wasting customers time and gas money to get to the store and back just to drop off their things. 2) Eliminates the need to have multiple dry cleaning branches and instead creates an online store that processes all transactions and orders.

Benyon, D., Turner, S., & Turner, P. (2005). Contextual Designs 2: From Models to Design. In //Designing Interactive Systems//. England: Pearson Education
 * __References:__**