Running head: LAB 1 – LOCALLINK PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 1
LAB 1 - LocalLink Product Description
Jason Dominguez
Old Dominion University
CS 411W
Professor James Brunelle
26 January 2020
Version 2
LAB 1 – LOCALLINK PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 2
Table of Contents
1. Introduction 3
2. LocalLink Product Description 4
2.1 Key Product Features and Capabilities 5
2.2 Major Components (Hardware/Software) 7
3. Identification of Case Study 7
4. LocalLink Product Prototype Description 8
4.1 Prototype Architecture (Hardware/Software) 8
4.2 Prototype Features and Capabilities 9
4.3 Prototype Development Challenges 10
Glossary 11
References 12
List of Figures
Figure 1 - Major Functional component Diagram 6
List of Tables
Table 1 - Competition Matrix 5
Table 2 - RWP vs Prototype 9
LAB 1 – LOCALLINK PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 3
Lab 1 - LocalLink Product Description
1 Introduction
Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying the famous quote “Time is money.”
Whether he was the first to come up this idea or not, there is truth in these words. Most
of us spend our lives trying to find ways to trade one for the other. Unfortunately, there
is not always an easy way to do this. For example, someone trying to save time on their
simple household chores may want to hire someone else to do them. To do this they
must first find a worker, evaluate their capability, and hope they are reliable enough to
show up and complete the work. Likewise, someone with some free time looking to earn
extra income doing odd jobs has a similar struggle. They must find someone who needs
work done and hope they get paid once the job is complete. Both sides of this example
lack an efficient way to get linked up with each other and verify each other’s credibility.
For some people, getting help with household tasks may be done out of
convenience. Our busy modern lives make it difficult to complete all the chores at home.
According to a 2018 study done by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we spend around 70
hours a month on household activities (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019). These
activities include everything from yard work and general maintenance to furniture
assembly and dog walking. For those who are disabled or otherwise unable to complete
these tasks, finding help becomes a necessity.
LAB 1 – LOCALLINK PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 4
There is no shortage of workers wanting to help either. According to a 2019 study
conducted by Bankrate, 45% of Americans want to earn extra money though side jobs
(Dixon, 2019). Even though the desire is there on both sides, there is currently no
efficient means of connecting these people.
The solution to this problem is LocalLink. LocalLink is an application that
connects people with small jobs they need done with people willing to do them. It allows
guest users to browse public users anonymously before logging in and connecting.
Once they are logged in, they can make connections securely with people in the same
communities and neighborhoods. These users benefit from the familiarity and sense of
community when working for those in their neighborhood leading to a higher sense of
job satisfaction (Hoogerbrugge, 2017). Once connected users have a secure platform
for communications and transactions, it should produce quality work and quality
connections.
2 LocalLink Product Description
LocalLink is a traditional 2-sided market based on the idea of connecting
neighbors to neighbors in order to get small jobs completed in exchange for
compensation. This will encourage neighborhood interactions while helping both users
involved. The platform will be available as a web or mobile application that provides a
secure platform for payment and communication.
The users of the application will be job posters and job workers. The job poster
uses the app to post small jobs they need done around their homes. The job worker
uses the app to find posted jobs to complete for compensation.
LAB 1 – LOCALLINK PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 5
The process of finding small jobs to complete or workers to do them is
challenging and time consuming. LocalLink make this process easier, more private, and
more secure. LocalLink allows reviews for both job posters and job workers so it easy
for users of the application to accurately assess who they are working with. The job
price cap and the limited matching radius creates an emphasis on small local jobs.
LocalLink will also offer encrypted chat for secure communication. Table 1 below shows
how these components of our application compare to our direct and indirect
competition.
Table 1 - Competition Matrix
2.1 Key Product Features and Capabilities
The LocalLink platform is focused on connecting job posters and job workers in
the same communities and providing them with a secure form of communication and
payment. Both job posters and job workers will log into the app through the same GUI.
Once logged in, users will be able to input and update information on their profile that is
LAB 1 – LOCALLINK PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 6
stored on the application’s database server. Browsing for jobs and workers can be done
by both logged in and guest users. The LocalLink matching algorithms will show users
public job listings and public worker profiles. The platform limits payment for jobs to
$150. The goal of this feature is to discourage large contractors from using the platform.
Once a match is found between a poster and a worker, secure communication is
accomplished through encrypted direct messaging. Secure payment is done through
offering 3rd party payment options (PayPal and Venmo) securely though the app. The
platform will allow workers to be directed to their jobs through the use of Google Maps
navigation API.
The LocalLink database server will store job poster and worker information. It will
contain all job history, encrypted chat logs, reviews for both parties, and transactional
records. Profile photos and job completion photos will not be directly stored on the
database but the address of their location elsewhere will be. The major software and
hardware components outlined above can be seen Figure 1.
Figure 1 - Major Functional Component Diagram
LAB 1 – LOCALLINK PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 7
Through an administrative interface, the team behind LocalLink will be able to
remove jobs and users as needed. Jobs, workers, and profiles may be flagged and
noted through this interface. Complete user history may also be viewed. The
administrative interface will allow administrators to manually create accounts.
2.2 Major Components (Hardware/Software)
LocalLink will be available on the web, Android, and iOS. The backend of the
LocalLink application will use a cloud based server such as AWS for web hosting as well
as database storage. The database will be running PostgreSQL. Web development will
use HTML, CSS, javascript and NodeJS. Mobile development with NodeJS and Swift
for android and iOS respectively. Within the platform GUI, PayPal will be integrated into
payment buttons for secure payment in the app. Throughout the development process
issue tracking, version control, and workflow will be accomplished using GitHub and
Redmine.
3 Identification of Case Study
The LocalLink platform is being developed for the Ghent Square Community
Association. The Ghent Square Community Association is a local home owners
association consisting of 462 units comprised of single-family homes, town homes, and
two condominium associations. LocalLink will be used to connect residents of this
community who need small household tasks completed to capable workers with the
time and desire to earn extra income. This may also benefit neighboring HOA’s by
promoting a stronger sense of community within the local area.
LAB 1 – LOCALLINK PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 8
4 LocalLink Product Prototype Description
The LocalLink prototype application will exhibit the key features of the full scale
application. These features shall include account creation for both customers and
workers, job post creation, communication between the workers and customers as well
the ability to browse for job posts. To test these features, the prototype will include the
ability to automatically create a number of simulated accounts.
4.1 Prototype Architecture (Hardware/Software)
The LocalLink prototype will be a web based application capable of being used
on any device that can run a modern web browser. The back end of the LocalLink
prototype will use NodeJS running on the Old Dominion Computer Science Department
(ODU CS Department) Apache Linux servers. The PostgreSQL database as well as the
web hosting for the prototype application will also utilize the ODU CS Department
servers. The font end of the application will be created with HTML, CSS, and
JavaScript. The prototype application shall utilize a Docker container that includes all
the necessary services.
[This space left intentionally blank]
LAB 1 – LOCALLINK PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 9
4.2 Prototype Features and Capabilities
The prototype application for LocalLink will only partially implement or eliminate
all together some of the functional elements of the RWP. A list of what will be fully
implemented compared to the RWP can be seen in Table 2.
Table 2 - RWP vs. Prototype
LAB 1 – LOCALLINK PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 10
4.3 Prototype Development Challenges
The development of the LocalLink prototype application presents challenges that
must be overcome for successful deployment. These challenges include a short
development time and a lack of knowledge in certain areas of software development.
Additionally the development team will also have the added challenge of collaboration
remotely for the entire project. Our team has taken several steps to mitigate the effect of
these challenges. These steps include implementing an Agile development process with
well-defined sprint planning. Stetting up communication channels on Google Hangouts
and Discord, as well as familiarizing the development team with the software systems
that will be utilized.
[This space left intentionally blank]
LAB 1 – LOCALLINK PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 11
Glossary
Job Poster: A user who posts jobs to be by workers, the employer of the job
worker. Also known as a Customer.
Customer: Used synonymously with Job Poster.
Job Worker: A user who does unskilled jobs posted by the job poster, the
employee of the job poster.
GPS check in: Proof metric workers can use to show they were at the job site at
a certain time.
Guest User: A user who has not given created an account with LocalLink or a
user who has not logged in.
Hold Harmless Agreement: A Legal document abstaining a party from liability
for another’s actions. For instance, if a Job Worker falls from a ladder while
providing services to Job Poster, protects the Job Poster from liability for injury or
damage that may result.
Photo Verification: Proof metric workers can use to log a picture of the
completed job.
ID Verification: proof of identity documentation, i.e a Driver’s License
User: A customer. A customer may be a Job Poster and/or Job Worker. They
may also be a Guest User.
Admin: LocalLink Staff responsible for managing the service.
LAB 1 – LOCALLINK PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 12
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019, June 19). Retrieved from American Time Use Survey
- 2018 Results.: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/atus.pdf
Dixon, A. (2019, June 05). Survey. Nearly 1 in 3 side hustlers needs the income to stay
afloat. Retrieved from Bankrate: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/
10.1080/02723638.2018.1474609
Ghent Square Community Association. (n.d.). Retrieved from Ghent Square Community
Association: http://www.ghentsquare.org/
Hoogerbrugge, M. M. (2017, April 07). Neighborhood-Based soecial capital and life
satisfaction: the case of Rotterndamn, The Netherlands. Retrieved from Taylor
Francis Online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/
10.1080/02723638.2018.1474609
Hughes, A. (2019, March 11). Mirror. Retrieved from Only half of Brits set a time to clean
their home once a week - and this is why: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-
news/only-half-brits-set-time-14119464
LocalLink. (2019). Retrieved from Team Silver: https://www.cs.odu.edu/~410silver/
index.html