About the Darmstadt Student Union
The cafeterias and bistros of the Darmstadt Student Union on the Darmstadt and Dieburg campuses offer students a wide variety of food options. The desire for individuality and changing eating habits have led to a high demand for information regarding the contents and ingredients, which must be met quickly and effectively. At the same time, the cafeterias must perform at a tremendous level during peak hours to serve all guests a meal on time and to a high standard. With the cafeteria app, students can customize their meals and decide where and what they will eat for lunch while still in the lecture hall.
The project
"The cafeteria app was developed natively for both Android (using Kotlin) and iOS (using Swift). It is complemented by a headless CMS built with directus, which is connected to the existing inventory management system and allows the student services organisation to easily maintain the content. The former INCLOUD, now q.beyond, used a GraphQL interface to provide data from the backend to the apps.
The entire infrastructure was implemented using a self-managed Kubernetes based on EC2 instances, and the project uses AWS as its cloud platform."
A practical everyday companion for students:
The cafeteria app is now an integral part of the smartphones of many Darmstadt students, and its use has become part of their daily routine.
The clear visualisation helps with decision-making and gives students the opportunity to customize their meals according to their own preferences. The feedback option allows students to actively influence menu planning.
Customer requirements
- Easy-to-use content management system that allows the student services organisation to add and update content independently of the IT department
- Connection to the existing inventory management system, so that dishes are automatically imported
- Filter function for eating habits, preferences and possible intolerances
- Option to view the offer for all locations
- Feedback function for students to continuously improve the service
- NFC function to read the balance of the cafeteria card
Project goals
- Information about the available options and distribution points for students will be available before noon
- Providing personalized information about ingredients
- Reduce crowding and speed up the food distribution process
Reference Customer Report
Are you planning your own Android and iOS app? Gain further insights in this report.
From idea to implementation: Our project highlights
"With the cafeteria app, we have created a comprehensive, individual and at the same time data protection-compliant service offering for students."
Elena Frankenberger, project manager at the Darmstadt Student UnionImages of the application
Sounds exciting?
Do you have any questions about the reference? Please feel free to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.
Florian Scharf