Question

Assume you are a software architect who establishes technical standards and makes high-level design decisions for company X. Additionally, these diagrams depict and clarify the requirements and context of the key system components.Company X wants to develop an automated parking rental system for its client. As a software architect, you choose to create a use case diagram to help your client visualize the system after completing some research on the project. The user will be able to reserve a parking place through this app if one is offered for rent. For reserving a parking place the user must register to the system using their NID or passport. If a reservation is accepted by the owner(person who offers a parking space for rent) then the user will receive a confirmation. Our system would keep track of how long a user spent utilizing the parking facility. At the time of check-out user needs to complete the payment for using the parking facility. If a user uses this facility for the first time, the service is free; otherwise, a fee must be paid in cash or by credit/debit card. For promoting cashless payment the client urges to facilitate a discount for the user. Therefore, company X decides to offer coins for card payments that may be exchanged for discounts on subsequent transactions. However, in case a reservation is declined the system will showcase other parking spots that are available at that moment. A parking spot can only be offered by an owner once it has been verified by our security team, keeping in mind the security issues. The security team physically visits the location for verification, gathers ownership documentation for the parking space, and obtains access to the parking space's security camera. If the place is under CCTV surveillance then it would be considered a premium parking spot. Draw a Use-case diagram based on the above information.

Answer 1

The use case diagram for Company X's automated parking rental system captures user registration, reservation, payment, and security verification interactions, in accordance with the design principle of 'form follows function'. This systematic representation reflects functional requirements and provides a foundation for the system's architecture and implementation stages. A discount mechanism promotes cashless payments within the system.

Step-by-step explanation:

As a software architect in charge of establishing technical standards for company X's automated parking rental system, the creation of a use case diagram is instrumental. The use case diagram will visually articulate the system's functionality to stakeholders. It will capture interactions between the system and its users, comprised of the parking space owner, users seeking to rent parking spaces, and a security team verifying the spaces. Users must register with a NID or passport, reserve a parking spot, receive confirmation of the reservation, and complete payment upon check-out, with the first-time use being free and subsequent uses subject to a fee, which can be paid in cash or via credit/debit card with an incentive for card payments through a coin system. Declined reservations will trigger the display of alternative available spots. Security verification includes physical visits, documentation checks, and CCTV surveillance, the latter leading to a premium parking spot classification.

Form follows function is a guiding rule in the design architecture process, which shapes products according to their intended purpose. Thus, the use case diagram must reflect the functional needs of the automated parking rental system. The design architecture will include the assignment of functional elements to physical components, staying true to the requirement of depicting clear relations between the system's components and their respective actions, influencing the layout and the interactive processes within the system.

Further, the principle of promotion of cashless payments influences the design decisions around payment methods and discount mechanisms within the system architecture. Finally, as the design architecture is refined and developed in detail, it will guide the subsequent prototyping and implementation stages for the system.