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ER: Requirements Specification Component

The project Trade-a-Bid is an online auction system available over the Web for users to buy and sell digital products.

A1: Trade-a-Bid

This project intends to specify, develop and promote an online auction platform for users to buy and sell all kinds of digital products, such as e-Books, digital keys, or subscriptions, through a bidding system.

Currently, most websites that provide auction services focus on physical items that must be transported from the seller to the buyer, which entails various complications such as creating false addresses to bypass shipping costs and using built-in or third-party messaging applications to transfer the item bought. Therefore we seek to explore this untapped market and create a web platform to auction exclusively digital products.

Our platform will provide an array of useful features for the users, such as tracking, saving, planning, searching (with different criteria), and creating auctions, with a fluent, responsive, straightforward design in mind, focusing on the ease of use and the general user experience. Users will be able to rate and review each other to build their reputations and allow other users to feel safer on the platform.

Users will be categorized by groups with different permissions, such as unregistered, registered, and admin. The unregistered users are only allowed the browse the website, without participating, whereas registered users might both sell products or bid on open auctions. The admins are superuser accounts whose role is to manage and regulate any anomaly or discrepancy within the platform. As these accounts' sole purpose is management, they are not allowed to participate in auctions. Registered users might have their accounts linked to an external OAuth API.

A2: Actors and User stories

This artifact contains the specification of the actors and their user stories, serving as agile documentation of project requirements.

1. Actors

For the Trade-a-Bid system, the actors are represented in Figure 1 and described in Table 1.

Actors Diagram

Figure 1: Actors.

Name	Description	Examples
User	Generic user that has access to public information and can perform actions such as search, view auctions, and user profiles	N/A
Guest	Unauthenticated member that can register itself (sign-up) or login (sign-in) in the system	N/A
Authenticated Member	Authenticated member that is logged in its personal account	janedoe
Bidder	Authenticated member that participates or intends to participate in an auction as a bidder	janedoe
Seller	Authenticated member that posts or intends to post an auction to sell an item	janedoe
Admin	Authenticated user that is responsible for the management, supervision, and moderation of users and auctions	admin
OAuth API	External OAuth API that is used to manage the registration and authentication into the system	Github OAuth API

Table 1: Actor's description

2. User Stories

2.1. User

Identifier	Name	Priority	Description
US001	See Home	High	As a User, I want to access the home page, so I can have a general view of the website
US002	Search by keywords	High	As a User, I want to search for auctions and users using the search bar, so that I can easily find them
US003	Filter search results	High	As a User, I want to filter search results using different criteria, so that I can further narrow down what I'm searching for
US004	Sort search results	High	As a User, I want to sort the search results using different criteria, so that they are ordered
US005	View auction	High	As a User, I want to check auctions' information, so that I'm informed in greater detail about it
US006	View user profile	High	As a User, I want to check a user's profile, so that I'm informed about their rating, name, description, and auctions
US007	See About	Medium	As a User, I want to access the About page, so I can see the website's complete description
US008	See Contact	Medium	As a User, I want to access contacts about the system's maintainers, so that I can report any technical issues and give feedback
US009	See statistics	Medium	As a User, I want to check usage statistics (for example the most bid auctions), so that I stay informed
US010	See FAQ	Low	As a User, I want to access the FAQ, so that I can see the frequently asked questions to clarify common issues
US011	View top auctions	Low	As a User, I want to check the most popular auctions at the moment, so I have an idea of the current trends
US012	View auction bidding history	Low	As a User, I want to check the bidding history of a certain auction, so I can analyze the growth of the bids and plan ahead

Table 2: User's user stories

2.2. Guest

Identifier	Name	Priority	Description
US101	Sign-up	High	As a Guest, I want to register a new account, so I can authenticate myself
US102	Sign-in	High	As a Guest, I_ want to authenticate into the system, so that I access privileged information and participate in auctions
US103	OAuth Sign-up	Low	As a Guest, I want to register a new account linked to an external account service, so I can authenticate myself
US104	OAuth Sign-in	Low	As a Guest, I want to authenticate into the system through an external account service, so that I can access privileged information and participate in auctions

Table 3: Guest's user stories

2.3. Authenticated Member

Identifier	Name	Priority	Description
US201	See Dashboard	High	As an Authenticated Member, I want to have access to a personal dashboard, so I can easily access my resources (such as followed users, bookmarked auctions, etc... )
US202	Edit profile	High	As an Authenticated Member, I want to edit my profile information (eg. name, description, profile picture, etc...) so it can always be updated
US203	Report user	High	As an Authenticated Member, I want to report users, so the platform is kept safe and friendly
US204	Report auction	High	As an Authenticated Member, I want to report auctions, so the platform is kept free from fraudulent or indecent auctions
US205	Rate user	High	As an Authenticated Member, I want to rate users, so I can reward good sellers and punish bad ones
US206	Delete account	High	As an Authenticated Member, I want to delete my account, so my right to be forgotten is respected
US207	Sign-out	High	As an Authenticated Member, I want to log out from the system, so that my session is terminated
US208	Consult bookmarked auctions	High	As an Authenticated Member, I want to consult my bookmarked auctions, so that I can easily remember what auctions I saved
US209	Consult bidding history	High	As an Authenticated Member, I want to consult previous auctions I bid on, so that I can easily revisit them
US210	Consult auctions history	High	As an Authenticated Member, I want to consult previous auctions I created, so that I can easily revisit them
US211	Consult personal statistics	Medium	As an Authenticated Member, I want to consult personal statistics, so that I'm informed about how much I've spent and earned so far
US212	Consult recently visited auctions	Medium	As an Authenticated Member, I want to consult my recently visited auctions on the homepage, so I can easily return to them
US213	Follow User	Medium	As an Authenticated Member, I want to follow a user, so that I can reach their profile easier and stay informed about their auctions
US214	Unfollow User	Medium	As an Authenticated Member, I want to unfollow a user, so that I'm no longer notified about their activity
US215	Consult notifications	Medium	As an Authenticated Member, I want to be able to check my notifications, so I'm up to date with all the relevant updates on auctions I bookmarked and users I'm following
US216	Filter inappropriate auctions	Medium	As an Authenticated Member, I want to filter auctions by their content's mature rating, so that I can be in control of my experience

Table 4: Member's user stories

2.4. Bidder

Identifier	Name	Priority	Description
US301	Bid	High	As a Bidder, I want to bid on current auctions, so I can acquire the item in question
US302	Notify outbid	High	As a Bidder, I want to be notified when I am outbid in an auction, so I may make another bid
US303	Bookmark add	High	As a Bidder, I want to add auctions to my bookmarks, so I can easily keep track of their updates
US304	Bookmark remove	High	As a Bidder, I want to remove auctions from my bookmarks, so I can stop keeping track of their updates
US305	Notify auction opening	High	As a Bidder, I want to be notified when an auction I have bookmarked opens, so I may take action and place my bid

Table 5: Bidder's user stories

2.5. Seller

Identifier	Name	Priority	Description
US401	Create an auction	High	As a Seller, I want to create an auction, so that I can sell my product
US402	Set base price for auction	High	As a Seller, I want to set the base price for an auction, so the product doesn't get lowballed
US403	Delete auction	High	As a Seller, I want to delete an auction, so that it isn't available anymore
US404	Schedule auctions	Medium	As a Seller, I want to schedule auctions for my items, so I can inform possible buyers beforehand
US405	Get notification about the auctions I created	Medium	As a Seller, I want to receive notifications about the auctions I created, so that I can keep track of the bids

Table 6: Seller's user stories

2.6. Admin

Identifier	Name	Priority	Description
US501	Restrict user	High	As an Admin, I want to restrict users, so that they are prohibited from participating in auctions or create new ones
US502	Unrestrict user	High	As an Admin, I want to unrestrict users, so that they readquire all of their rights that were restricted
US503	Ban user	High	As an Admin, I want to ban users who do not comply with the rules of the site, so they cannot access the site's functionalities
US504	Unban user	High	As an Admin, I want to unban previously banned users, so they can access the site's functionalities
US505	Cancel auction	High	As an Admin, I want to cancel an auction, so I can prevent fraudulent auctions
US506	Sign-out	High	As an Admin, I want to log out from the system, so that my session is terminated
US507	Check reported auctions	Medium	As an Admin, I want to see all the reported auctions, so I can take the most appropriate measures
US508	Check reported users	Medium	As an Admin, I want to have access to all the reported users, so I can take the most appropriate action

Table 7: Administrator's user stories

3. Supplementary Requirements

3.1. Business rules

Identifier	Name	Description
BR01	Self bidding	The same member cannot bid on an auction they created
BR02	Selling date	The selling date must be greater than the date the item was put to sale
BR03	Auction duration	The auction must have a specified duration, within a limit, after which it will close and the item either is sold or not
BR04	Digital items	All items sold in auctions must have a digital nature and must not require shipping for the buyer to acquire them
BR05	Credit system	All monetary transactions are done recurring to a credit system, in which the users add funds to their credit account to participate in auctions. When they do so, the credit quantity of the bid in question is discounted from their account and returned if they don't win the auction
BR06	Delete account	A member may not delete their account if they have any on-going auctions or bids
BR07	User information	When a user account is deleted, all personal user information that might identify the user is erased from the database after a certain period of time, but not their bidding or auctions history
BR08	Minimal increments	When bidding in an auction, a minimal increment must be done over the current bid
BR09	Auction time limit	The auction duration must be within certain minimal and maximum limits
BR10	Auction overtime	To prevent auction sniping, when a bid is done the duration of the auction is extended
BR11	Rating users	A user can only rate another user after they have had an interaction
BR12	Reporting users	A user can report every user he deems inappropriate
BR13	Reporting auctions	A user can report every auction he deems inappropriate

3.2. Technical requirements

Identifier	Name	Description
TR01	Availability	The system must be available 99 percent of the time in each 24-hour period
TR02	Accessibility	The system must ensure that everyone can access the pages, regardless of whether they have any handicap or not, or the Web browser they use (except IE).
TR03	Ethics	The system must respect the ethical principles in software development (for example, the password must be stored encrypted to ensure that only the owner knows it)
TR04	Database	The system must use a PostgreSQL 13.2 database management
TR05	Framework limitation	The system should only use complex frameworks after the prototype has been developed
TR06	Performance	The system should have response times shorter than 2s to retain the user's attention
TR07	Robustness	The system must be prepared to handle and continue operating when runtime errors occur
TR08	Portability	The server-side system should work across multiple platforms (Windows, Linux, Mac OS, etc.)
TR09	Scalability	The system must be prepared to deal with the growth in the number of users and their actions
TR10	Security	The system shall protect information from unauthorized access through the use of an authentication and verification system
TR11	Utility	The system must be useful, otherwise people wouldn't use it
TR12	Usability	The system should be simple and easy to use
TR13	Web application	The system should be implemented as a web application with dynamic pages using the most up to date technologies (HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and PHP)

From these technical requirements, the three most important would be the following:

Performance - Many devices are old and have problems running modern software. Since browsers also tend to use more and more resources, performance and response times must be prioritized without compromising the usability or the design of the platform.
Security - Website security is crucial to safeguard the users and their data, in a world where data leaks and malicious exploits can have devastating consequences. Greater security leads to increased trust from members and helps attract new users.
Usability - A simple and intuitive design helps users adapt to the platform faster, improves the user experience and boosts user retainability.

3.3. Restrictions

Identifier	Name	Description
C01	Deadline	The system should be ready before the end of the semester

A3: User Interface Prototype

Trade-a-Bid is a web application based on HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. The user interface was implemented using the Bootstrap 5.0 framework.

This user interfaces prototype (or horizontal prototype) has the following goals:

Help to identify and describe the user requirements, and raise new ones.
Preview and empirically test the user interface of the product to be developed.
Enable quick and multiple iterations on the design of the user interface.

This artefact includes three elements:

Overview of the interface elements and features common to all pages;
Overview of the information architecture from the viewpoint of the users (sitemap); and
Identification and description of the main interactions with the system (at least two), organized as sequences of screens (wireflows).

The interface's descriptions are presented on the end of the document.

Invision Project

1. Interface and common features

Interface Desktop

Logotype and name
Navigation bar
Page content
Footer

Figure 1. Interface's guidelines.

In this figure some characteristics common to all pages are highlighted:

The web design implemented has a responsive flow which allows the web page layout to suit most screen sizes and resolutions, from a 15'' laptop down to a 4'' smartphone.
The common links and buttons that give access to the several website pages, mainly the ones placed in the navigation bar and footer, maintain their position to deliver a consistent user experience.
The most important sections are displayed in a darker color relative to the rest of the page to better convey their importance and assist with the visual flow of the page.
Various hover events were applied to buttons and cards which alter their scale or perform small transitions in order to make each page feel more interactive and fluid.

2. Sitemap

Figure 2. Sitemap.

3. Storyboards

The presented storyboards represent some of the main interactions with the system using a sequence of interfaces and explaining how navigation is done between them.

The following interfaces describe the main content of the web pages and their relative priority and help the project team previewing the features and behaviour of the final product's different screens, both their desktop (left) and mobile (right) versions.