HCI Design Project: Requirements Specification - Research Paper Example

Part 2: HCI Design Project: Requirements Specification Number: Lecturer: Part 2: HCI Design Project: Requirements Specification 1. Introduction The subsections in this section of the software requirements specification (SRS) document provide an overview of the entire document. It basically communicates to the designer what the system does so that the designer can effectively develop the system. 1.1 Purpose This document presents a detailed description of the sales management system. The document will explain the features and purpose of the system, its interfaces, the functionalities of the system, the constraints under which the system must operate and the methods in which the system will interact with external entities. This document is intended for the designers of the system as well as the major stakeholders. 1.2 Scope The software system will be a sales system for an online based business enterprise similar to eBay and Amazon. The system’s goals is to simplify the customer’s experience as well as the employees productivity by providing tools to ease the acquisition of the desired products that would otherwise be done manually and collected physically. By doing so the system would offer the customers an exciting and convenient shopping experience while at the same time simplifying the work of the respective employees. More specifically, the system allows the customer to maintain and manage their own shopping list and their payment methods more efficiently. A client can simply make purchases from the comfort of his or her home and use their credit card to make payment. Goods are delivered once the payment has been verified by the accounts department. The system also helps the inventory clerks to maintain accurate inventory of all items available. Communication with the client and the company will be done via the online platform and through the email provided by the customer. Fill in forms and selection panes are used through each stage of product cycle from inventory to purchase. The customer also provides their details through fill in forms and makes selection of products to purchase through the selection panels. Most importantly, the system contains a relational database where the product details and the customer details are stored. 2. The Overall Description This section of the document provides a description of the general factors that affect the system and its requirements. It provides a background for the requirements and makes it easier to understand. Essentially, this section offers the explanation to the customer’s interest. 2.1 Product Perspective The system is made of two parts the web interface and the employee interface. The web interface will contain the platform through which the customer can view their selected items. This interface is used to display product particulars to potential clients. Additionally, the client can easily manage their purchases through this online interface. It is through this platform that the client’s details and personal information is collected. The employee interface on the other hand has an interface through which the employees can record inventory; carry out stock taking exercises among other tasks. This interface is used for the general management of the business ensuring that all the needed tasks are performed effectively. The employee interface has the major purpose of maintaining inventor, client data and information and completion of the transactions that are initiated by the customers through the online portal. The system is data centric and depends on data stored in the company and those provided by the client. Therefore, a relational database is used to store all the information that is needed for the operation of the system. The database will store customer information, inventory records and transaction records. The two interfaces will communicate with the database to retrieve required information and to store data and information when necessary. 2.1.1 System Interfaces The system has several interfaces that are aimed at accomplishing system functionalities. The interfaces help the system to interact with external entities. There are two major interfaces for the customer and the Employee interface. The customer interfaces help the customer to interact with the system and carry out the desired transaction. On the other hand the employee interfaces are used to mainly interact with the system databases for defining products updating inventory details and completion of transactions. 2.1.2 Interfaces i) Customer Registration Interface This interface allows the customer to register with the company by providing basic personal information for identification and transaction purposes. The information is collected in a form that has blank spaces for names, address, location, social security number, phone number, credit card number among other credentials. This information is stored as customer details and is used during the entire transaction period. ii) Customer log in interface. Once the customer is registered in the company databases, they are issued with log in information such as username and a password to be able to access other resources in the system. In this interface the user must always provide the username and the password and click the login button to be able to log into the system to select items and even make purchases. iii) Main menu The main menu interface acts as a control panel where the customer can choose a range of activities or tasks that they can perform. For instance the user can decide to browse for items to purchase, make purchases, complete transactions among other activities. iv) Update inventory This interface is used by the employees to update the inventory records, this include adding new products increasing amount of products, changing product particulars and even deleting products. This interface is only used by the employees and in this case the inventory clerk. v) Transaction interface. The transaction interface is used to complete transactions for the items that have been bought by the various clients. The transaction interface helps the accountant and the management to determine sales and revenue for the company. Transaction details are stored in the database and occasionally retrieved for accounting purposes. vi) Product catalogue interface. The product catalogue interface provides a list of available products in different categories and displays their particulars for the customer. Product catalogue interface include product names, particulars including pictures and price among other details. In designing all the interfaces, all users that use the system have been considered including persons with disabilities. The system incorporates the use of voice input and output to assist persons with disabilities. 2.2 Product Functions The system is divided into the online interface used by the customer and the employee interface used by the company staff. With the online interface the customer is able to register, log in and browse for the various products of their choice. The results in this case will be based on the search criteria that are used by the customer. These results will be viewed in a list with product details and with pictures of the searched products. Each row of the list will have product picture, name, description, price and availability. The customer can then select the product of their choice and it’s automatically added to their purchase list. The online interface also offers a platform for which the client can carry out their transactions. The employee interface accords the employee the ability to update records of inventory, complete customer transactions and the general management of the system. The employee interface allows the employee to make the necessary changes to the database regarding the available products and the particulars. 2.3 User Characteristics There are mainly two categories of users who interact with this system, the customers and the employees. These two types of users have different uses for the system. The customers can only use the system to find products of their interest through the online portal and carry out their purchases accordingly. This means that the customer has to provide their credentials and details, log in to the system, search for products in the product catalogue, select their products and subsequently make payments for the selected products before they are delivered. The employees will use the employee interface to basically manage inventory and complete transactions initiated by the clients. Here the employees are able to update product quantities, descriptions and pricing among other tasks. References Heim, S. (2008). The Resonant Interface : HCI Foundations for Interaction Design. Carlifornia: Pearson/Addison Wesley. Read More