Updated July 1998

User Interface Examples

An Educom/IMS working paper
by Brad Cox, Ph.D.

These screenshots were taken from a prototype implemented as a Filemaker Pro database. Working forms aren't available yet; the database is not externally accessible.

1: Person registers as a customer

The person clicks the "establish an account here" link in a web page such as this one:

This presents a registration screen such as this:

This example neglected to disclose initial charges that the backoffice might impose to process the application or to establish the microaccount with funds to establish whatever minimum balances might be required by backoffice policy.

An accepted application results in a configurmation screen such as this:

The CID is shown at the top. It was generated as a globally unique identifier by using the product name provided by the owner as the basis, then appendin an integer to form a unique CID.

2: Customer initiates a session

Customers initiate sessions via the IMS-defined standard for initiating a new session. The session creation user interface might look like this:

If the identifier and password are correct, the server presents an screen via which the customer can view or edit account information or add products.

An up to date microaccount balance is shown with a details link. The customer can use this to review transaction details within this billing cycle.The microaccount balance is $20.00 in this example because this amount is automatically transferred from the customer's macroaccount when new microaccounts are established.

3: Customer registers a product

The "New Product" button at the bottom of the previous screen presents a product registration window such as:

If product registration is successful, the backoffice generates a unique product ID from the information that the user provided and returns it in an acknowledgement screen such as this. In a production system, the owner would also be presented with instructions on how to use the new ID, eg to copy it from this screen and paste it into the Meter.query(PID) and Meter.commit() calls within his product.

Note: The terms and conditions field shows TBD because the prototype does not yet provide a way to upload TACAs (executable bytecodes).

Clicking OK returns control to the top-level customer page which will show the newly added product (see Step 7).

4: Producer delivers a product

No product delivery user interface is provided because product delivery occurs outside the superdistribution infrastructure.

5: Consumer uses a product

The terms and conditions (e.g. the price) is presented by free part of each product. The rules of just conduct specify that the terms must be displayed before charges can be made, and the price presented in such screens must the same (or higher than) the terms implemented in this product's TACA.

The price for the next lesson segment is $.$$. Proceed?

6: Meter sends cache to backoffice

When the cache fills or other triggering conditions (monthly, etc) are met, the meter initiates an information exchange with the backoffice:

Superdistribution meter initiating information exchange with backoffice

7: Customer views account

The customer's microaccount balance is shown at the top with a link via which the customer can obtain a detailed log of recent transactions against this account.