OptiPro — An Optic Store Management Application

OptiPro is designed to transform the operational landscape of optician stores, presenting a comprehensive and user-friendly solution for effective store management.

The project endeavors to meet the specific requirements of opticians and store proprietors by streamlining essential processes, including order creation, customer management, product inventory, user administration, and reporting.

Through a centralized platform equipped with robust features, OptiPro aims to empower opticians to dedicate their focus to providing outstanding service and care to customers while minimizing the intricacies of day-to-day business operations.

At its core, the project seeks to simplify management tasks, foster growth, and provide unwavering support for opticians to succeed in their businesses.

Project Team:

1. Hajar (Back-End Engineer): Role: The back-end engineer, I focused on the server-side development and database management of OptiPro. I was responsible of building the foundation that supports the application’s functionality.
2. Yassine (Front-End Engineer): Role: The front-end engineer, responsible for designing and implementing the user interfaces of OptiPro. He was responsible for developing a visually appealing and user-friendly interface to guarantee a smooth user experience. His emphasis was on integrating features that facilitate seamless interaction with the application, spanning from the product management to the order creation.

Timeline:

• Planning Phase (Week 1): Yassine and I collaborated to delineate the project scope, outline essential features, and structure the overarching architecture of OptiPro. In our detailed planning, we made decisions regarding the technologies, frameworks, and tools to be utilized.
• Front-End Development (Week 2): In this stage, Yassine focused on translating design and user requirements into code. He dedicated his efforts to implementing front-end components, incorporating user-friendly features to enhance the overall usability of OptiPro.
• Back-End Development (Week 2): During this phase, my attention was directed towards developing server-side logic, establishing a robust database schema, and implementing back-end functionalities crucial for order management, customer interactions, product inventory, user administration, and reporting.
• Integration and Testing (Week 3): Yassine and I worked together to integrate front-end and back-end components, ensuring seamless communication between the two sides. Rigorous testing was conducted to identify and resolve any potential bugs or issues.
• Refinement and Optimization (Week 3): Both Yassine and I collaborated on refining the application, optimizing its performance, and incorporating user feedback. This phase involved fine-tuning the application for a smooth and efficient user experience.
• Launch and Deployment (Week 4): With development and refinement completed, OptiPro was readied for launch. Yassine and I oversaw the successful deployment of the application, making it accessible to optician stores and businesses.

This collaborative effort between me and Yassine resulted in the creation of OptiPro, a powerful and user-friendly optician store management application designed to meet the unique needs of optician businesses.

The Story Behind OptiPro:

The inception of OptiPro, our optic store management app, can be traced back to a meaningful conversation between my partner, Yassine, and me. The genesis of this journey occurred when I joyfully shared my sister’s imminent dream of opening her own optician store.

As I narrated my sister’s aspirations, we couldn’t overlook the potential challenges in effectively managing an optician business. The complexities of order management, customer interactions, and inventory control loomed large, and the desire to support my sister evolved into a collective vision for us.

In that pivotal moment, I proposed a compelling idea — why not develop a tool to simplify the management processes for my sister’s future optician store? This suggestion resonated deeply with both of us. The thought of creating a solution that could empower aspiring opticians to focus on their craft instead of being burdened by administrative tasks was genuinely inspiring.

Motivated by the shared goal of aiding my sister in her entrepreneurial venture, we embarked on the journey to bring OptiPro to life. Our vision was to craft an application that not only streamlined the intricacies of optician store management but also became an indispensable companion for anyone navigating the challenges of running a successful optical business.

OptiPro transcends being a mere software solution; it stands as a testament to our passion for supporting small businesses and the dreams of aspiring opticians, much like my sister. We envision OptiPro as the catalyst for success, enabling opticians to concentrate on their core strengths — delivering exceptional service and care to their customers.

The Application Architecture:

The Database Schema Diagram:

Technologies:

We used many technologies to build the application, but here is a list of the most important ones, and why we used them:

• Tkinter and ttkwidgets: Tkinter is a standard Python GUI toolkit, and in combination with ttkwidgets, it was used to develop the frontend of OptiPro. Tkinter’s simplicity and cross-platform compatibility make it suitable for building a user-friendly interface, while ttkwidgets provides additional themed widgets for a more polished look.
• SQLAlchemy: SQLAlchemy is an Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) tool that simplifies database interactions. It was employed for database management in OptiPro, providing a high-level, Pythonic interface for database operations and enhancing the maintainability of the code.
• ReportLab: ReportLab, a powerful PDF generation library, was used in OptiPro to create detailed and customizable reports, specifically facilitating the generation of insightful order invoices.

Some OptiPro Features:

• Secure login: The user can use a username and a password to login, which makes the application more secure.
• Dark/Light Mode: The application supports dark and light mode, the application applies automatically a mode based on the users machine settings.
• Manage: The user has the ability to manage orders, customers, products, and users by creating, updating, and deleting them as needed.

Technical Challenge:

Challenge: Store an order

During the development phase, I encountered a significant challenge related to the storage of complex order elements, which consisted of various components such as order details, prescriptions, products, and treatments. Integrating and efficiently organizing these diverse elements within the system posed a complex task. Managing the intricate relationships between orders, prescriptions, products, and treatments required careful consideration to ensure accurate storage, retrieval, and seamless interaction within the application.

What I Learned:

• Database management by using SQLAlchemy: defining models as Python classes and easily modifying them allowed for quick adaptation to evolving project requirements. And Also the easy Query Expressiveness of SQLAlchemy.
• Modularization: Mastering the art of decomposing a Python application into modular components. Breaking down the codebase into separate modules allowed for a more organized and scalable structure. Each module encapsulated specific functionalities or features, fostering code reusability and maintainability. This modular approach not only improved the clarity of the overall architecture but also facilitated collaborative development by enabling team members to work on distinct modules concurrently.
• Dependency Management and Deployment: Managing project dependencies using tools like pip and virtual environments.
• Collaborative Development and Problem Solving: Collaborating with a team, understanding each team member’s role, and integrating code contributions.
• UI/UX Considerations for Optician Store Management: Understanding the specific needs and challenges of optician store management.

About Me:

As a dedicated software engineer, my passion for development has been a driving force behind my journey in creating numerous applications using Python, particularly with the Tkinter framework. Tkinter’s versatility in building graphical user interfaces has allowed me to craft applications that seamlessly integrate functionality with an intuitive user experience. My commitment to continuous learning is a cornerstone of my professional growth, as I actively seek new challenges to further refine my skills. The iterative process of building applications not only reflects my technical proficiency but also underscores my enthusiasm for staying abreast of industry trends and adopting best practices. With each project, I strive to enhance my abilities, ensuring that I am at the forefront of software engineering advancements and delivering high-quality solutions to meet evolving needs.

Some useful links:

• OptiPro Repository on GitHub
• OptiPro Landing Page (Please contact me of the link is not working)
• My Linkedin
• My GitHub Profile
• My Twitter Profile