Project Overview & Goals

The Bronco Eats System Analysis & Design project addressed documented frustrations with Santa Clara University's (SCU) existing food ordering application. The current system was limited primarily to order pickup from campus dining locations, lacking delivery options which inconvenienced students. Furthermore, it offered minimal nutritional information, hindering health-conscious students needing details on ingredients, calories, or allergens. Users also reported unpredictable wait times and a generally "clunky" in-app experience.

The goal was to utilize Systems Analysis & Design elements and conceptualize a new, enhanced food service application, "Bronco Eats," specifically tailored for SCU students. The primary purpose articulated was to improve SCU's dining services by offering a "smarter way to order on campus". This involved designing a seamless platform encompassing several key functionalities: easy ordering from all campus dining locations (main halls and smaller cafes), comprehensive nutritional and dietary information access, accurate delivery time tracking, and features fostering a more interactive dining experience. Key objectives included overcoming the limitations of the existing app by adding diverse delivery options (dorm, scheduled pickup), providing more accurate wait times, offering detailed nutritional breakdowns, integrating student meal plan payments, and improving the overall user interface and experience. The project aimed to make food more accessible, reduce lines, manage meals efficiently, and provide valuable data for SCU dining services regarding demand and preferences. The project envisioned Bronco Eats not just as a utility but as a way to enhance student life, offer on-campus employment, support university sustainability efforts, and bolster SCU's reputation.

Methodology & Approach

​Project Approach

The project approach involved defining the concept and requirements for the Bronco Eats application, designing its system architecture through UML diagrams, creating user interface mockups, analyzing the competitive landscape, and assessing financial viability through a cost-benefit analysis. The team identified key stakeholder groups (students, dining staff, university administrators) and planned a comprehensive interview process to gather detailed requirements, understand operational challenges, and ensure alignment with university policies. This involved structuring conceptual interviews, preparing questions, assigning notetakers, and planning for follow-up documentation and analysis to consolidate findings into formal requirements and workflow diagrams.
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Project Execution

For project execution post-approval, a conceptual iterative planning and monitoring approach was proposed. This involved establishing a project environment with communication channels (like video calls for daily stand-ups) and technical resources (shared repository, development tools, database access). Development would occur in sprints, starting with planning sessions to prioritize tasks (e.g., refining UI, optimizing tracking) and estimate work collectively. A project manager role was envisioned to monitor progress, address issues, manage stakeholder communication (via status reports), and adjust timelines if needed. Each sprint would conclude with a review (to demo features and gather feedback) and a retrospective (to identify areas for improvement). This cyclical process aimed to ensure efficient development aligned with SCU's needs. The UI design focused on clarity, functionality, and ease of navigation, using SCU branding colors and a structured layout with clear labels and icons.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Key Activities & Execution

The team executed several key activities documented in the reports:
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Concept Definition

Defined the core concept of Bronco Eats as an SCU-specific food ordering and delivery app.​

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Requirements Gathering

Identified and documented user, system, and business requirements based on the perceived shortcomings of the existing system and desired enhancements. This included features like expanded menus, dietary filters, nutritional info, student reviews, wait-time comparison, real-time tracking, group ordering, student job applications, and meal plan integration.
 

Stakeholder Analysis 

Identified key stakeholders (students, dining staff, administrators) and planned an interview strategy to gather diverse perspectives and ensure alignment.

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Competitive Analysis

Analyzed competitors like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub, identifying Bronco Eats' differentiators such as SCU dining integration, meal plan payments, and campus-specific features.
 

System Design UML

Created multiple UML diagrams to visualize the system's structure and behavior, including a Use Case Diagram (showing user, delivery man, SCU employee interactions), Activity Diagrams (for reviewing items and ordering), a Domain Class Diagram (depicting entities like User, Order, Restaurant, Menu Item, Review, Delivery), a Sequence Diagram (illustrating the order processing flow), and a State Diagram (showing order state transitions from Browse to Completed/Refunded).

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User Interface Design

Developed UI mockups for key screens: the Landing Page (search, notifications, cart, categorized food, links to group order/rewards/apply), the Nutritional Information Page (popup with calories, fat, allergens, link to reviews), and the Tracking Page (progress bar, live GPS map, order details, cost breakdown).
 

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Conducted a financial analysis estimating development costs ($150,000 initial), operational costs (maintenance, staff, support, marketing), user adoption rates (projected 2,100 active users), meal assumptions (2 orders/week/user, $12/meal), revenue streams (subscriptions, service fees, commissions, advertising), and calculating net present value (NPV) and a payback period (approx. 244.5 days).

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Documentation & Presentation

Compiled the findings and designs into a comprehensive final report and pitch deck. The team presented the project concept before the class and professor.​

Deliverables & Outcomes:

The primary deliverables produced by the group, as documented, were:
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Systems Design & Analysis Final Report 

A detailed document covering the concept introduction, requirements (user, system, business), stakeholder interview plan, project planning/monitoring strategy, competitive analysis, UML diagrams (Use Case, Activity, Domain Class, Sequence, State), user interface mockups and descriptions (Landing, Nutritional Info, Tracking pages), and a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis with financial projections and risk assessment

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Pitch Presentation Deck

A presentation summarizing the project concept, key features, target stakeholders, competitor comparison, UX design mockups, key diagrams (Use Case, Domain Class), and the cost-benefit analysis highlights.

​UML Diagrams​

A set of visual models representing the system's design and functionality. These included diagrams illustrating user interactions, process flows, data structures, message sequencing, and state transitions.

User Interface Mockups​

Visual representations of the proposed application's key screens, demonstrating the intended layout, navigation, and information presentation.
 

Cost-Benefit Analysis

A financial assessment projecting costs, revenues, profitability (positive cumulative NPV over 5 years), and a payback period of approximately 244.5 days, presenting a strong business case for the project.

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The documented outcomes focused on the conceptualization and design of the Bronco Eats application, demonstrating its potential value proposition for students, SCU, and the food provider by enhancing convenience, transparency, efficiency, and engagement within the campus dining ecosystem.​​

Tools & Technologies Used

Diagramming Tools

Tools including Lucidchart and Draw.io were used to create the various UML diagrams (Use Case, Activity, Domain Class, Sequence, State) presented in the report.​

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UI Prototyping/Design Tool

The tool Penpot created the user interface mockups included in the report and pitch deck.
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Presentation Software 

Google Slides was used to create the Pitch Deck.​

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Word Processing/Document Software

Google Docs was used to create the Final Report.
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Communication Tools

Video conferencing was utilized for routine group meetings and was referenced for the planned conceptual daily stand-ups.​

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Collaboration Tools

Google Drive and Google Docs were the primary collaboration tools.