Rosa Rawlings

BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate in Information and Creative Technology

Unit 12: Software Development
Assignment 2: Travel Agent Software Program Design

The purpose is to design and develop a program to calculate currency exchange for the customers at
a local travel agent. The clients are travel agents for the software program and people going on
holiday aboard are the users. The clients would want the program to calculate the equivalent
amount of British Pounds into a foreign currency (Euros) and then calculate the equivalent in British
pounds. The likely user of the program could be someone inexperienced in foreign travel and in
money conversion figures. The age group would likely be of all ages from an older teenager to a
more elderly person. The IT ability are basic IT skills who at least knows about using the mouse, how
to start up the computer, the program and how to use the program.

What the program will need and how the program should perform:

 Data inputted – for the program to be clearly identified for knowing what and how to input
 Date to be processed – quickly processed in an amount of seconds
 Usability – run smoothly and as a public program to be easily accessed.
 Output calculated results – without any errors
 To be clear, easily usable and colourful – engaging users while using the program

Problem Definition:

The data the user will need to input to the software are number figures by two decimal places. The
processing of the program that will need to take place on the data, is multiplying the entered
amount with the entered rate, with error handling and validation. The results of the processing are
to be displayed in a text box and in a pop up message box. The system should pop up with an
informing message, informing the user of entering the incorrect information for the program, if
uncorrected information has been inputted.

Proposed Solution:

The type of program I intend to develop is a visual program, as it would be easier to operate than a
console program fitting to the basic IT requirements to run the program that includes simple
instructions and buttons. The method of data entry I will make available to the user is just textboxes
to enter data into. The functions, the program code needing button calculate click, statements, Dim
amount, amount multiplying rate and textboxes code. The visual program will have three textboxes,
two buttons, three texts, currency converter font, picture of money scales and with a pink colour
background. The output of the program will be displayed with a pop up message box telling the user
the result and the options buttons of exit and reset the program after one click on the calculate
button.

Pre-Defined Programs:

The functions I will need to use are conversion and mathematical functions. The subroutines will
need validation rules, amount of code, data exchange rates, display results and perhaps many more
codes are required. Pre-written programs requiring public class, private sub, handles, statements,
dim, as decimal, CDec, end sub, end and end class.
Rosa Rawlings
BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate in Information and Creative Technology
Unit 12: Software Development
Assignment 2: Travel Agent Software Program Design

Table of inputs, processes and outputs:

Input Process Output

Amount to be converted Multiply amount by exchange Amount due
rate
Exchange rate Check amount is data type Error message
Test Plan:

Test Method Of Testing Expected Outcome

Logic – currency conversion
Test data 1
Logic – error handling
Test data 2
Functionality – test buttons
Functionality - forms
Functionality – text boxes
Logic – Test data
Test data 3
Functionality – Pop up message
box
Form Design:
Input amount and exchange
rate
Input test data to text box.
Click on buttons.
Click on ‘End’ button
Click in and type in the text
boxes.
Test calculation, statements,
entry codes, closing codes
through running the form.
Click calculate button without
inputting anything in the
textboxes and then input
letters instead of numbers.
Click ‘Continue’ button to take
you back to the form and then
click ‘Quit’ to close the form.
Amount is correct
Error pop up message output
Result displayed in label
Form closed.
Show text that is typed in.
For the form to be functioning
to its purpose.
Pop up to appear after
incorrect information has been
inserted or none has been
inserted, with two option
buttons to take you back to the
form and to close the form.
Rosa Rawlings
BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate in Information and Creative Technology
Unit 12: Software Development
Assignment 2: Travel Agent Software Program Design

Alternative Solutions:

Interface: Alternative of the presentation of the form if I am unable to create a background colour
and scales picture, is just to leave the form as it is without the picture and any colour to the
background, having the titles and texts still in a stylist way.

Navigation: If not able to create a pop up message box where it has two option buttons: ‘Continue’
and ‘Quit’. If an error is made when inserted the incorrect information, the alternative would just to
automatically close the program down.

Input of data: Inputting in the ‘Enter Amount’ and ‘Enter Rate’ textboxes with the calculation result
shown in the ‘Amount Due’ textbox. The alternative is changing the texts of ‘Enter Rate’ to ‘Enter
Exchange Rate’ if the users are having trouble with understanding what is meant by Enter Rate.

Code: Alternative is removing all or some of the comments if having issues of setting up the form
box. As some comments may not be needed to set up the functionality of the program.

Error checking methods: Error checking methods including error message after inserting incorrect
data in the first two textboxes. An alternative to handling an error is to change the programming
coding to simpler coding to avoid less of a chance to have errors after inputting data in the textboxes
with a pop up message that the pop up message is most likely to appear without having to crash out
of the form box.

Functions: For the program to come up instantly, quick conversion, at least a few seconds from the
‘Calculate’ button click to the result and pop up message instead of crashing out. Alternative
solution would be to change the coding to fewer complexes for the form box to have fewer
functions, as it has less functions, it would have less functionality issues.

The amount of data that the storage can handle, for example: inserting more than ten number
figures in the ‘Enter Amount’ and the ‘Enter Rate’ that the storage wouldn’t be able to handle that
many figures, that it would probably be needing more codes inserted to allow to have limited set of
numbers. As a future alternative design, I could use a clearer font for my form box title which would
make the title easier to read especially for elderly people. Another future alternative would be to
add in a drop down menu to show the different types of currency rates available. Including more
pictures to fill in the spaces left and right of the scales image to have a more stand out format.
Changing the texts colour to have a more eye catching approach. Changing the format of the error
pop up message box and inserting a details option as well to show the details of the form box made
for users to know more in detail about the program set up. These alternatives rejected because of
the amount of complex programming and complex formatting the form box that would be involved.

Software Program Design:

Data items and their data type:

 Dim amount, rate, result As Decimal

 Integer (long, decimal, single or double)
Rosa Rawlings
BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate in Information and Creative Technology
Unit 12: Software Development
Assignment 2: Travel Agent Software Program Design

Details of validation routines:

 Comments of data declaration, calculation, displays of calculation result, display of error

message box, end button to close the form and checklists.
 Statements of try, if, else and catch, etc for message box to appear and input and output
exchanged data to be displayed on screen.
 Selective coding of selecting types of numbers for the out result to be and selecting objects
to each set of coding.
 Amount and rate = CDec (textbox). CDec to multiplicate the amount and rate for display
result.
 Amount Due Textbox = result. The amount due results to appear in a certain text box.
 Public class, private sub, end sub, end, end class to opening and closing sections and to give
the form coding an entry and a closed end.

Description of error handling and reporting:

How I will account for unexpected situations is inputting comments in the coding to give the
computer system more information about the program.

Test data:

The sort of data that will be used to test the system is the multiplication calculation out of the
amount and the exchange rate, CDec calculation, the comments and textbox equalizing into result of
the multiplication calculation. How this data is going to be used is checking the amount and rate
inputs , one click quick response from the ‘Calculate’ button, immediate results shown in the
‘Amount Due’ textbox, the usability of the form box opening and closing, typing in nothing or letters
in one or two of the top textboxes, click ‘Continue’ and ‘Exit’ buttons for response to take you back
to the form box and out of the form box, checking to include many comments and details in the
programming.

The test datas: integer decimal, currency, objects and debugging. Integer decimal to test any given
inputted numbers to have accurate calculate results without any errors. Testing that the currency
checklists matches to the decimal numbers in the enter rate textbox after selecting each of the
checklists options to the current currency figures. Testing the objects is in the right place of the
coding by going through the whole process of the program. Running the program with a pop up of
errors message with one of the two button options to debugging to resolve the slight issues.

Justification of designs:

The design of the program meets the needs of the client in basic IT skills. I have not been able to
implement the designs to how I wanted is the lack of programming skills in adding in more complex
colours as the background of the form box, the more detailed outlines of the objects in the form
box, including more pictures, not knowing how to change the grey colour in the buttons to a
colourful one. Including the sort of language that would allow me to change the colour form of the
Rosa Rawlings
BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate in Information and Creative Technology
Unit 12: Software Development
Assignment 2: Travel Agent Software Program Design

two buttons. The device capabilities in more terms of the quality of the form box, perhaps changing
the quality to a higher definition interface format.

The design is clear, easily usable and colourful to have the main simple requirements for users to be
engaging while using the program and have a sort of a clearly identified idea of how the program
works what to be inputted in certain textboxes and when to click the buttons. The calculate button,
dim amount, rate, result as integer decimal to have processed, accurate data. As the design above
shows simple not complicated design it would run smoothly for users. The end button after the
amount and rate to have calculated results.