Case study: NFC Application for Android
New technologies come into our lives every day. Not so long ago we were shocked by the ability to be constantly connected and receive calls from anywhere using first mobile phones. And now we can safely hold a video conference via our smartphones.
The world does not stand still, so self-respecting IT companies should always be on the wave of something new. Here, in Erminesoft, we understand this point and we are trying to keep abreast of new trends, new processes, technologies and development techniques.
So we have recently met the NFC and were pleasantly surprised. Have you ever heard about NFC technology?
Near field communication (NFC) technology allows easily and intuitively use your smartphone for some special purposes. It provides contactless two-way communication between devices, which are located in close vicinity (1-4 cm) from each other, thus you may send and receive data with that.
Check out the shot on Behance
What can we do with it?
This was the question that we asked ourselves and decided to find out for what NFC is used. For ease of understanding and not to bore you with a long search for the right information, we found everything that might be necessary for you, so:
1. Card emulation;
2. For reading out info;
3. Peer-to-peer mode;
Currently the most popular applications that make available NFC payment are Google Wallet (for Android devices) and Apple Pay (for iPhones but not fully supported by iOS devices).
How to use it in business?
We believe that the answer to this question can be found easily once you know where it's possible to apply this technology:
• NFC mobile payment;
• Ticketing;
• Reading RFID tags from street boards and ads;
• Pairing Bluetooth devices with a single touch of two mobile phones.
Soon it is expected to serve various purposes like e-money, e-commerce, online ticketing, identity cards, travelers’ cards, software protection dongle and other fields of application.
Read also: How NFC Technology Can Benefit Your Business?
Our experience
To tell the truth, we were very interested to deal with the question of how we can use the NFC and how to explore its possibilities. It was also challenging to develop and introduce new processes in development and product.
As a result of our work, we have made the application "NFC Office Tracker" for tracking employees work hours. But first things first.
Our application implies three roles: regular user, Admin and demo user. Check-ins are performed with the help of NFC tag, when user puts the mobile phone with activated NFC module to control button. The tag is attached to the wall near the entrance.
Users may modify their profiles (first and last names, photos, password). One may review check-in history and see how many hours a person actually worked.
Admins are able to perform wider list of operations that includes locking/unlocking users’ accounts, adding new control rooms and cards, limit specific devices etc.
The application may be modified as a means of monitoring availability of meeting rooms. It is convenient for recording workers’ clock-in/clock-out times. This is a very useful tool for managers, HR staff members and any person who monitors and leverages personnel’s working time. Or if you want another functionality - feel free to contact us.
Where it all began
It all started with the order. Our client needed to analyze the performance of employees in the following criteria:
1. Arrival / quit time;
2. Moving between departments;
3. Movement dynamics;
After the order acceptance (and a little brainstorm), we have found the solution in such points as:
• Tracking arrivals and quits of employees - we have placed chips and shooting the information. These made possible to see how long the employee has been in place and adjust the number of hours spent in the office;
• It has turned out that the largest number of checkings was recorded between the departments of development and testing, in third place - design department. This data have given us the understanding that these sections must be placed at the maximum short distance from each other. This is necessary for quick issues resolving (without extra costs) and not to waste time by walking through the corridors, etc.
• Also, after a little testing and analysis, it became evident when employees are active in movements and when they are focused on work. Accordingly, meetings, processing of the meeting results, lunch and so on were moved to convenient time. This helped to answer the question of how to plan the work of the enterprise to be comfortable and productive.
And NFC has helped us to provide answers and solutions to these questions.
In conclusion
Among other things, the functionality of the NSF is not limited just to instant payment or accounting system. With this technology you can, for example, make calls (if the chip is placed on advertising), or write messages (via email or SMS).
Since today, social networking entrenched in our lives and many things have integration with popular services, NSF is not far behind and allows checking in with Facebook, Twitter, Google Places, and other services.
We are all about innovations and new technologies! Have an awesome app idea? Get a free consultation from our CTO: [email protected]
