Web Application Design Patterns- P4

Web Application Design Patterns- P4: This is the type of book you’ll want to read with your entire team and a fl ip chart becauseevery page will produce a list of actionable changes for the applications you’re developing.Pawan Vora has produced an amazing catalogue of the essential patterns for designingtoday’s web-based applications.
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Web Application Design Patterns- P476 CHAPTER 3 User Authentication (a) (b) FIGURE 3.36 Agile Commons (hosted by HiveLive) emails the link to reset the password after verifying the email address (a). Clicking the link displays the reset password page (b). instead of emailing the current password, assign users a temporary password that they can change as soon as they log in. Alternatively, users may be emailed a link to reset their password (Figure 3.36). CONFIRM USER IDENTITY WITH SECURITY QUESTIONS If the web application stores sensitive information, additional layers of security may be necessary to verify the identity of the user claiming to have lost log in information. Additional identification questions may include information that only the account owner knows, such as the last four digits of his or her Social Security number, account number, and so forth (Figure 3.37). The identification Fogot Username/Password 77FIGURE 3.37 Advanta, a credit card company, asks for several identification-related questionsbefore resetting user ID and password.may also require users to answer one or more security questions set up duringregistration.Related design patternsUsers may realize that they have forgotten their username and/or passwordwhen they are prompted to log in. Therefore, options to retrieve them shouldbe presented along with fields that are required to log in (LOG IN).This page intentionally left blank CHAPTER 4 Application Main Page 79INTRODUCTIONAn important decision for designers is what users should see or which pagethey should be taken to after they log in to the application.For web applications that allow access without logging in (e.g., consumere-commerce applications), users either remain on the same page or are taken tothe next page in the sequence. For example, if users decide to log in on a prod-uct details page, they remain on the same page. However, if they log in dur-ing the checkout process, they are taken to the next page in the sequence—theshipping information page.On the other hand, applications that require users to log in before accessingtheir functionality may show one of the following, depending on the nature ofthe application: ■ An INBOX, where users can see a list of items to view or act on. ■ A CONTROL PANEL, which serves as a launch page to access application functionality. ■ A DASHBOARD, with an at-a-glance view of the most important perfor- mance indicators. ■ A PORTAL, which aggregates information from several sources and serves as a launching place for information and applications users may access. PORTAL pages often incorporate some aspects of CONTROL PANEL and DASHBOARD in order to enable users to quickly access functionality and content supported by one or more applications.Application main pages are typically personalized based on user profiles,interests, and information needs with the intention of presenting the mostrelevant content and filtering out the not-so-relevant information. However,PERSONALIZATION driven by business rules or some form of social filteringmay not be able to accurately predict the information users may need. Thus,applications often offer users CUSTOMIZATION options to allow them to80 CHAPTER 4 Application Main Page tailor the application to their preferences and compensate for personalization shortcomings. Customization is not limited to information and task-related needs; it often extends to a choice of colors, logos, themes, fonts, and page layouts. An often-overlooked design aspect of many web applications is what first-time users will see (BLANK SLATE). This is particularly important for applications that rely on users to fill in the application with appropriate data. INBOX Problem It is essential that users know the items they need to work on or the activities that have happened since they last logged in. Solution Show users a list of items they can act on or need to review. For example, for email applications, show users a list of emails; for defect-tracking applications, show users a list of defects; and so forth (Figure 4.1). Why Applications focused on managing items of ...