Business reference architecture: business to consumers
Chapter 2: Conceptual Design Stage
Microsoft Corporation
May 2001
Summary: This chapter will explain the conceptual phase of the Microsoft Solutions Frame (MSF) design process. At this stage, the design team will determine the main solution concepts and targets from the perspective of potential users and services. At the end of this phase, the design team will write function description documents, which is the basis for all application design work.
Introduction
In the conceptual design phase, the design team will determine a complete project front view according to the previously determined business and user needs and record it. Based on these needs, the team will prepare "Applications" (derived from "Samples"), then create a function description document to explain the working principle of the application from the user and supplier of e-commerce applications. This function description document is the document submitted at the end of the concept phase.
Application plan and use case
The application is created by detailed analysis of "use case". The use case is only an explanatory text that describes the interaction between the external "operator" (operator can be a user or existing system) and the designed application (or component). In addition to the user, the operator can also be a service, component, and the like.
When creating the usage case, two aspects should be determined: First, the operator's operation, the other is the expected result. The use case is usually discussed in a whiteboard (also known as the collective discussion), which will briefly summarize the use case, and provide a descriptive name. The details of the use case will then be developed and some linear sorting is performed.
The rest of this chapter will introduce a variety of applications developed as consolidateDretail.com applications, and provide an example of operational examples of the contents of various options.
Application plan reference architecture
In the conceptual design phase, the designers of the reference architecture application will determine the following application:
Applications 1: Customers log in to the site
Customers navigate to the login page and enter its username and password. The system will verify the username and password. If the user enters a valid username and password, a page is displayed, and the link it contains users to update their user profile information and view their order history (as described in "Application 6").
If the customer stays empty username field, it is prompted that the user must fill in the username field.
If the customer leaves the password field empty, it is prompted that the user must fill in the password field.
If the username entered by the customer is invalid, the login page will be redisplayed and an error message indicates that the username is invalid.
If the username entered by the customer is valid and the password is invalid, the login page will be redisplayed, and an error message will indicate that the password is invalid.
If the customer means that the password has been forgotten, an option will be provided to enable it to enter the user name and then receive a password in the email message.
Figure 2-1 is an example of an example to illustrate the login function.
Figure 2-1: Login function
Applications 2: Customer Search Products
Customers can search for products by entering the product's title, text, or instructions, the system will display all matching products, including the user's index key input in the search box.
Customers can navigate to the search box, search the product by entering a portion of the product name. The system will display the most matched products with the search criteria.
Figure 2-2 is a use case pattern to display a search executed by the customer.
Figure 2-2: Customer Executive Search
If the product name entered by the customer does not match the product, or the product name entered by the customer is incorrect, the search results will display a message, indicating that there is no product matching with the search criteria.
If the keyword entered by the customer does not match the product instructions, the system will display a message indicating that there is no product to match the search criteria.
Applications 3: Customers browse the products you want to buy
In this case, the customer selects the directory you want to browse. Displays the various categories and products in the root of the selected directory. The user can then select the product you want to view the details, or select a category to see the product set and subcategories in the selected category. Figure 2-3 is a use case pattern for explaining a browsing scheme.
Figure 2-3: Customer browsing
Applications 4: Customer Management Shopping Basket
When the customer displays the shopping basket, the shopping basket may be empty, or it may be included in this session or not purchased or deleted in the last visit.
If the shopping basket is empty, the app will display a message to prompt the customer to the shopping basket is empty.
If the shopping basket contains one or more products, the app will display a list, including the product name, price, quantity and total of each product, and total products in the shopping basket.
If the customer chooses to delete some product, the application will delete the product from the shopping basket.
If the customer selects all products in the shopping basket, the app will delete all the products in the shopping basket.
If the customer changes the number of a product, the application will update the shopping basket to reflect the number of this product.
If the customer updates the shopping basket, the app will recalculate the number and total number of products for each product in the shopping basket, and recall the total of all products in the shopping basket.
Figure 2-4 is a use case pattern for explaining shopping basket management scheme:
Figure 2-4: Customer Management Shopping Basket
Applications 5: Customer Checkout
Customers say they are willing to check out and willing to buy products in shopping baskets.
If the customer is currently not logged in, the customer will be required to enter a valid username and password according to "Application Scheme 1". Then, the application will display the list of delivery addresses associated with the current user. Customers can specify one of the addresses or edit the address or add new addresses. Customers can also specify to ship different products in the shopping basket to different addresses.
If the customer specifies a single shipping address, the application will prompt the customer to select a delivery method from the available delivery method list.
If the customer specifies the use of multiple addresses, the application will prompt the customer to select the address and delivery mode for each product in the shopping basket.
If the customer selects an add or edit address, the application redirects the customer to one of the delivery information pages described in Application Scheme 6.
When the customer provides the delivery address and delivery method information, the application will prompt the customer to confirm the payment address and provide credit card type, account holder name, account number, expiration month, and expiration year.
If the customer does not specify a payment address, the application will display a page that allows the customer to specify the payment address according to the Application Scenario 6.
Figure 2-5 is a use case pattern to illustrate the checkout function.
Figure 2-5: Customer checkout
Next, the app will display an order, delivery, and payment information page. Customers can confirm the order or modify the information.
If the customer selects a modification order, it will return to the shopping basket page described in Application Scheme 4.
If the customer confirms the order, the thank you message and the only order number will be displayed.
Finally, the application will send an order to the user to confirm email to confirm the order.
Applications 6: Customers provide accounts and delivery information
If the customer is browsing this site in an anonymous manner, you must enter the username and password according to "Application Scheme 1".
The "My Account" page contains links to multiple pages to facilitate customer changes account information, change delivery address information, change payment address information, change your password, and view order history.
If the customer selects changes its account information, the application will display a page, let the customer edit the user name, email address, phone number, and fax number of its account.
If the customer selects editing address information, the application will display a page, list all the addresses associated with the account. Customers can add new addresses or edit or delete existing addresses.
If the customer chooses to add a new address, the application will display a page, prompting the user to provide the name, recipient name, block address information (two lines), city, province, postal coding, and phone number. If the customer will "listed as", "Recipient Name", "Address Row 1", "City", "province", "Postal Code" fields, the application will prompt the customer to fill in the missing data. If the customer selects the editing address, the application will display the address field, which can be modified. If the customer selects the delete address, the application will delete the address of the account.
If the customer chooses to change its payment address, the application will display a page, prompting the user to provide the name, recipient name, block address information (two lines) of this specific address item, city, province, postal code, and phone number.
If the "Recipient Name", "Address Row 1", "City", "province", "postal code", or "listed as" is left empty, the application will prompt the customer to fill in the missing data.
If the customer selects to view its order history, the application will display a page, which contains details of the customer's previous order.
If the customer selects changes its password, the application will display a page, prompt the customer to enter the old password and the new password, and confirm the new password. When the user submits these data, the application will check if the old password matches the password in the account, and the new password matches the password in the confirmation information. If the password matches all, the system will change the password associated with the customer. If you do not match, the application will display an error message, prompting the customer to re-change the password.
Figure 2-6 is a use case pattern for explaining this scheme:
Figure 2-6: Customers provide accounts and delivery information
to sum up
This chapter describes the process of identifying an application plan for e-commerce applications and developing a conceptual design. Figure 2-7 is a use case pattern to display the defined accumulated application:
Figure 2-7: Accumulation application design
Applications and their base cases should indicate the expected behavior of the application in a variety of business processes. Applications should also illustrate the functionality of the application, and provide the basis for the logical design of components in the application. In addition, because the design process has iteration, if the previously unrecognized interaction is found during the development process, a new use case can be included in the design.
