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The University of Westminster students’ union has teamed up with Escapism media to provide customers with a unique interactive tabletop computer system which allows them to skip queues by ordering drinks electronically from their tables. The application is being used in Inter:mission, the university’s new high-technology bar, and offers students a 21st century bar experience that includes electronic flirting and drinking games. The touch-screen computers (‘escape pods’) are located in tables, allowing customers to avoid bar queues and be waited on in luxury using a colourful interactive application built using Compuware’s OptimalJ application development tool.
“When most people think of student bars they conjure up the image of people queuing for ages to get pints of cheap lager. We wanted to make our new bar a bit different and improve the experience for our customers. This system will allow students to skip the queue and order drinks at their table and as it allows them to browse a range of drinks at their leisure, you might find lager is no longer the student drink of choice,” said Rayhan Omar, VP Comms UWSU. “Customers will be able to access interactive games, as well as access information about different events and clubs run by the student union. The application also allows students to send flirtatious messages to each other, which I’m sure will prove very popular.”
The computers are implanted into tables in the bar and can rotate 360 degrees and tilt up to 45 degrees. The simple, colourful application allows customers to order their drinks and play games via a simple touch-screen interface. The look, feel and content of the application can be customised to match the bar. For example, football matches could be shown on the monitors at a sports bar, or pay-per-view movies in a chill-out lounge.
The system incorporates a sophisticated payment scheme. Customers pay for their drinks by swiping their debit card at the bar and obtaining a card containing an RFID tag which they can then wave in front of any tabletop computer to purchase drinks – the system does not pin customers to one particular table. The escape pods use a ‘click-track’ system, so that Escapism can track customer behaviour throughout the night, implement spending limits or understand what else customers are looking at on the system when they decide to order a specific drink, providing valuable marketing information.
The escape pod application was developed using Compuware’s OptimalJ development tool, which enabled Escapism to rapidly build the new application through the implementation of Model Driven Architecture (MDA). This means requirements captured at the business level can be reinforced at the architecture and coding levels, whilst quickly assembling the skeleton of the application. Fundamentally, this means that business needs can be more faithfully and automatically translated into code, by facilitating collaboration between business-level executives and the application development team.
The application is the first of its kind and introduces a new level of interaction with, and between, customers. Plans are in place to introduce further modules, including a taxi ordering system so customers do not have to wait around outside and are encouraged to only use licensed taxis.
For more information, see www.escapismmedia.com and for a virtual tour of the system, go to: http://www.escapismmedia.com/fullscreenvirtualtour.swf |
