Implementation Design

Initially, I found the requirements for this application challenging to understand, as it didn’t follow a typical client-server architecture. Instead, the app needed to function as both a client and a server. The idea was to allow other devices to make API requests directly to the tablet, enabling them to display information, update the UI, and communicate interactively. To achieve this, I used the Flutter Shelf package to make the tablet act as a server hosted on its own IP, while simultaneously providing a user interface for interactions. It was an exciting challenge, as I realized I was building something similar to the self-service terminals used by McDonald's and KFC for order placement. This was more a problem of software engineering than traditional mobile development. To interact with the tablet app via its API, users needed to enter the IP address and port in their browser, opening a configuration panel secured with a password. From this panel, users could change the password, update the access port, define API keys for HTTP interactions, and configure the tablet’s theme, ad display, and carousel settings. It was a unique experience to design such a system.