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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<link href="css/proposal.css" rel="stylesheet">
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="description" content="final project proposal">
<meta name="author" content="INFO 340 Group BA4">
<title>Project Proposal</title>
</head>
<body>
<header>
<h1>Winter Rental Software Proposal</h1>
</header>
<section class="problem">
<p><a href="https://www.playitagainsports.com/locations/lynnwood-wa" target="_blank">Play It Again Sports Lynnwood</a> is a new and used sports equipment retailer that also rents out winter sports
equipment such as skis, snowboards, boots, and more.
In order to be able to process rental customers in a timely manner, the company currently uses a third-party
scheduling system, <a href="https://simplybook.me/en" target="_blank">SimplyBook.me</a>, that allows for two slots of up to three customers to get fitted in the
store for any given half-our window.</p>
<section class="screenshots">
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.playitagainsports.com/locations/lynnwood-wa">
<img class="screenshot-link" src="img/before-screenshots/00-cropped-play-it-again-sports-lynnwood.png" alt="Play It Again Sports Lynnwood Website Homepage with store info and link to appoinmnent booking in front of a little league baseball game."></a>
<a target="_blank" href="https://playitagainsportslynnwood.simplybook.me/v2/">
<img class="screenshot-link" src="img/before-screenshots/01-cropped-simply-book-me.png" alt="Play It Again Sports Lynnwood SimplyBook.me screenshot, showing options to show store location on a map or book an appointment now."></a>
</section>
<p>Once the customer is in the store for their appointment, they will fill out a form with their contact
information and other information needed to get them the appropriate equipment. Some customers that have
already rented before and filled out this information.</p>
<p class ="larger">Our website application would:</p>
<ol>
<li>Represent a simplified and improved version of SimplyBook.me’s appointment scheduling.</li>
<li>Provide an option for customers to pull up previous rentals to see which equipment they’ve used before
and select the equipment they would like to use based on what’s available in the database that already
exists and the website has access to, with a fake “pay” button that would hypothetically link to a
payment option website or choose to have a standard in-person rental fitting.</li>
<li>Have a user recommendation system for equipment based on their rider information.</li>
</ol>
<p>There are third-party softwares that attempt to implement an efficient and accessible interface for renting
skis based on what customers will deem most helpful. One example is <a href="https://rentrax.com/" target="_blank">rentrax.com</a>, a service that provides
rental software solutions to up and coming rental business owners. </p>
<p>In their article <a href="https://rentrax.com/features-good-rental-manager-software/" target="_blank"></a>“Essential Features for a Good Ski Rental Management Software and Bike Rental Manager”</a>,
Retrax lists some of the “most important features” for a rental service software. According to them, some of
these features at the most basic level are:</p>
<ul>
<li>A user-friendly interface</li>
<li>The ability to manage customers</li>
<li>The
ability to manage reservations, including the ability to cancel or change them at the last minute,</li>
<li>Calculating ski DIN number automatically</li>
</ul>
</section>
<section>
<p>The proposed application hopes to ease the transition, and harvest more data to better the customer
experience from the Play it Again sports page, to the snowboard and ski rental booking page (hosted by
SimplyBookMe). Currently the third party booking site does not provide Play it Again Sports with data about
their customers fittings. Our users will include customers of Play it Again Sports, specifically those
requesting ski and snowboard rental equipment. Skiing and snowboarding is a rapidly growing past-time but
has a large barrier to entry thus renting equipment is the only way new-comers can access the sport. A
growing population of minority ethnic groups are enjoying skiing and allowing them a door for entry is
critical to allowing access to the mountain.</p>
<p>Some of the new interactive features we plan to implement include a user recommendation system, an efficient
booking system, and a login system with the option of signing in as a guest. The user recommendation system
will display to the user equipment that matches their sizes, experience, and other information that may be
inquired when creating an account. For example, a user with less winter sports experience may be recommended
cheaper, more beginner-friendly equipment. Our booking/scheduling system will be very accessible with a
simple and user-friendly GUI, allowing users to easily book an appointment with out any clutter or
confusion. More modern scheduling applications have made use of a simple calendar with dates having
different colors to show availability status. This is effective in displaying all needed information for
making a booking onto just one page. </p>
<section class="screenshots">
<img class="current-scheduling-interface-screenshot" src="img/before-screenshots/08-cropped-simply-book-me--time.png" alt="SimplyBook.me's scheduling interface, with horizontally enlongated calendar and teal appointment time slots at the bottom of the page.">
<p class="caption">
Current SimplyBook.me scheduling interface
</p>
</section>
<p>The user will be prompted to login or continue as a guest. The account will store equipment information, what
they have used in the past, payment information, and a history on their previous rentals. The user will be
viewing and providing a variety of information. The first step in the process is selecting a time for the
fitting. Next the user will select between a custom fitting (if they do not know what gear they should have,
best for first-time), and choosing their own equipment (best for returning members). For those choosing
their own equipment, they can enter height and weight and our matching algorithm will provide a recommended
ski length or snowboard size for the user. </p>
<p>This application will allow Play It Again Sports greater insight into their customers needs, while
simultaneously providing the renter with more customization of their fitting experience. Providing an easy
and approachable interface for first time skiers and snowboarders is essential to seeing returning
customers. By smoothing the transition between the current website and the booking interface we hope to make
the site a friendlier experience for customers. Additionally, collecting ski and snowboard rental data
allows Play it Again Sports to more efficiently buy equipment for the following ski season. Knowing what
sold well this year will better inform us on how to accommodate our clients needs in subsequent years. </p>
</section>
</body>
</html>