GR1 - Task analysis

User analysis

Our application is primarily targeted at high school and college students on occasions like birthdays, holidays, or congratulatory events, etc. 

User Characteristics:

• Age: 16-25 year old high school and college students
• Gender: Male and Female
• Language: English or other potential languages later
• Education: High school and College educated
• Physical Limitations: None.
• Computer experience: Sufficient.  Enough to surf the web and interact with different applications.
• Motivation & Attitude: Students want convenience and efficiency. They can coordinate messages and sign the same "physical" card without having to be in the same location.

After interviewing three different individuals within the student domain class, here are three persona that illustrates an average user:

• Jenny, a 16-year old high school sophomore who plays sports and many other extracurricular activities.  She enjoys surfing the web and creating artistic projects in Photoshop.  She likes to give birthday cards to her best friend, and would also like to include some of her other friends as well as in making the card. 
• Bill, a 21-year old international college student from China, who regularly web cams with his friends and family back home.  His 15-year old brother's birthday is coming up, and he would like to send him a card that includes messages from his parents and friends, from both U.S. and China.
• Tim, an 18-year old high school senior who is a traditionalist and hand-writes letters and cards to his family and friends.  He enjoys tennis and basketball, and when special occasions comes up, he is there to congratulate his buddies with flowers and cards.  When he plans surprise parties, he wants all his guests to be able to sign the card he made, even if they are very busy with school and work.  At the end of the day, he won't be satisfied with anything that isn't personalized and made from the heart.

Task Analysis

Register an Account

Prerequisites: User has a valid email address.

1. Input username, email address, and full name.

Login to Create a Card

Prerequisites: User has an account.

1. Input username and password into login screen.
2. Create Card for a recipient
3. Customizing theme/background picture of the card

Invite People to Card

Prerequisites: User has created a card, and has a list of people's email addresses he wants to invite.

1. Copy URL link and send to friends through user's email client
2. Manage group list and edit (CRUD) privileges

Edit Card

Prerequisites: User has read/edit privileges to card

1. Input and style personal messages through CRUD
2. Attach additional media including:
   1. Video
   2. Pictures
   3. Links
   4. Audio

Send Card to Recipient

Prerequisites: User(s) have created and finalized card. Must have email address of recipient.

1. Email the provided URL link
2. Print out physical copy

Domain analysis

Of the real people/things, there are card signers, recipients, and owners. Owners are signers, because they sign cards too. Card signers may or may not have an account, similar to a Doodle poll where participants may simply only have a link to participate, but not necessarily an account. Participants without an account can only add a message, but to edit or remove their message, they must have an account.

Participants, with or without accounts will, have a participation link to to sign the card.

Accounts have a username, an email address, and a password. Accounts may create and administer their own e-cards, or create, edit, or remove (their own) messages on e-cards they have access to. An account has a list of e-cards they own (spear-heading) and a list of e-cards they are participating in.

E-cards have recipient links to send to the card's recipients, who will view the card. E-cards have a participation link, and messages that participants create and edit. Messages will contain any number of multimedia objects such as text, graphics, audio, and video.