E-Commerce Application for Computer Hardware Sale - Essay Example

Literature Review One of the most important aspects of the web site is the Human Computer Interface (HCI). HCI involves the design and planning the interaction between the computer and the user. According to Thomas & David (45), HCI enhances the usability of the designed site and ensures that the user is not lost in the 'electronic space '. The user refers to both single users and group users. The computer represents the whole technology involving desktop computer, laptops and mainframe computers used to design the website. The HCI is an effective tool in designing the website. It is necessary to understand the principles of HCI as they enable the formulation of a user friendly website. Thomas asserts that, The main stages in the development of a good interface involves conducting a detailed requirement analysis which aids in establishing the goals to be achieved by the website, outlining the site design and architecture details and performing a task analysis, prototyping, creating, testing and launching the site. After launching the site, analysis of the feedback messages is necessary to improve the site. Dix et al (pg 84) ascertains that, the use of HCI increases the productivity and reduces costs. Saving results due to few errors, reduced user interruption, reduced support staff workload, elimination of maintenance, redesign and training costs. HCI involves the design, implementation, analysis and evaluation of computer systems in relation to the user, the work and tasks. According to Dix et al (94), for an effective HCI design and implementation, the skills of sociology, psychology, computer engineering, ergonomics, sales and marketing, graphic design and technical knowledge are necessary in order to archive a high quality and effective site. HCI design must emphasize on efficient methods of communication between the users. Usability engineering is necessary in the interface design which comprises half of the software work, done on the site. Models must be formulated to help solve solution and allow the designer visualize the situation at hand says, Cooper & Riemann (pg 231). For a successful HCI design, both the user model and the implementation model are important. Most software developers concentrate on the complex software design limiting the functionality and ergonomics of the site from the user's side. Newmann and Lamming, (pg 163) asserts that, conceptual design assist the user understand the system through the development of the user model. According to Newmann and Lamming, (pg 163-231), developments in the HCI field have lead to invention and use of different site enhancement techniques. These include text to speech technology which allows the synthesis of text to speech which greatly helps the visionary impaired people access the website and the use of multi modal interfaces which allow for auditory and visual interfaces creating a conducive environment for the users. These aspects of HCI greatly boost the universality of the system, says Cooper & Riemann, (pg 301). Other barriers that HCI overcomes include; colour blindness, tunnel vision, physically disability which results in the user being unable to manipulate the input devices and storage devices, age barriers and cognitive barriers. Eric (pg, 76), asserts that the security of any website is paramount especially when payments will be made using a computers and the internet. It is necessary to design an elaborate security system that prevents loss and malicious damage or access of information. There are many internet security systems that are used for enhancing security but Stephen (pg 98) argues that The SSL system or the secure socket layer is effective software for website protection. According to Stephen (pg 106), there are two major problems that occur in any network, these problems include not connecting to the right computer and loss of information/ malicious access to information when transferring information from one computer to another in a given network. The SSL system was developed by Netscape and is used for encrypting and authenticating the flow of information between the clients and the server. Among the internet data transmission protocols SSL layer 'sits' above the TCP/IP layer. The later is used for transmission and routing data while the former is used for security, authentication and encrypting. Above the SSL layer are the HTTP and IMAP layers. According to Eric, (pg 65) the key merit of SSL is the use of The Public key cryptography concept. This key ensures the transfer of information from one point to another. The information transmitted is encrypted and has passwords. The password is accessed by the sender and receiver of the information. The method is safe and secure but the transmittal of passwords is important as this can be accessed by other people. Stephen (pg 75), ascertains that the public key cryptography relies on two keys, the public key and the private key. Information sent using a public key can be decrypted using the private key. The user of the site sends their public key openly but reserves the private key for decrypting the sent messages. Stephen (pg 60-72) stated that SSL can accomplish several tasks, among these tasks is enabling companies to secure communications through the server company. Wagner (pg 63) asserts that the process has both the public and the private keys. The issuing authority issues the SSL key and certificates to the server operating a secure site. The issuing authority avails the server and publicizes the availability of protocol exchange between the client and the server. The SSL exchange is initiated with a hand shake which involves the exchange of information between the client and the server. The information exchanged regards the encryption information and is stipulated in the certificate. Once handshake is complete the client and server have the information on how to encrypt and decrypt the information. Thus as stated earlier by Stephen (pg 63), any hacker trying to extract information will end up with encrypted information which takes long time to decrypt. According to Wagner, (23)The information exchanged is usually very secure so long as the key for encrypting and decrypting the information cannot be guessed. The information sent using SSL can also be ciphered. This involves the symmetric encryption of information. Stephen (pg, 129) investigated and found out that the strength of the cipher greatly determines how secure and fast the SSL is; Weak ciphers are easily compromised but operate fast. The 128 bit cipher is recommended. A 256 AES encryption for the SSL offers maximal security. According to Stephen (pg 86) SSL has been successfully applied in the securing of Web email, securing corporate data and information and in securing information sent during bank transactions. According to Eric, (pg 53), The use of the internet in E-commerce has greatly advanced, the old methods of payment using cheques and money orders have now be replaced by faster methods which harness the power of the internet to perform all kinds of transactions. One of the most common services in use is the 'pay pal'. Damon (pg, 134) sates that, Pay pal provides electronic means of transferring money and facilitates E-commerce on the World Wide Web and that the site has 190 markets and operates more than 184 million accounts. The account holders can send and receive money using 19 different currencies used by different countries. Damon (pg, 151) adds that, Two types of accounts are commonly used, the (pay pal .com) account and the (pay pal. cn) account. Both are used for sending and receiving money but money cannot be exchanged between the two accounts. According to Margaret (pg, 1174-1175), for the business and money transaction to be conducted, it is necessary to have adequate protection policies. In pay pal, Sellers are protected using the seller protection policy; this ensures that, if the seller produces proof that he delivered the goods, the company cannot refund the money sent to him by the buyer. Thus the sellers are protected against the buyer's claims of non recipient of goods and unauthorized payments. Similarly, the buyers are also protected by the consumer protection bill. Shannon et al (pg 231) insists that Security is a key issue in money transaction; Paypal uses a two factor authentication process for protection of the user account. In this system, the user is prompted to enter his user name and password. Then the client is promoted to enter a security key comprising of 6 digits. Shannon (pg 291), states that, Pay pal is regulated by Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA). According to Jacob (pg 21), the development of the web application plays a pivotal role in the overall effectiveness of the developed site. The development of the site should be divided into tasks which should be accomplished following a defined procedure and within a stipulated time frame, different methods can be used. These methods include the waterfall and the spiral methods and the MSF model. According to Royce (pp, 1-9.), the water falls model inventor, the tasks are divided such that each task represents a milestone. A group of tasks must be completed before going to another group of tasks in a different phase. The main milestones in this model include software design, implementation, integration, testing, installation and subsequent maintenance work. It is important to monitor the schedules because of the fixed transitions. However, Jacob (pg 17) argues that, the use of the water fall model is not very effective and can only be used if the design and project requirements are fully defined and fixed and no deviation or modifications are required. Many other software developers have also criticized the model arguing that it is impossible to complete one phase in software design perfectly as most designer restructure their original designs based on the problems and findings during the implementation stage. The water fall model however has the merits of been easy to monitor and follow, says Royce (pg, 1-9). Barry Boehm (pages 165-194) in his article, "Balancing Agility and Discipline" described the spiral model as a superior method for the software development as compared to the water fall model. Barry (pg, 61-72.) adds that, the spiral model uses RAD (Rapid Application Development) and is suitable for small projects because no clear transitions are incorporated. The process offers flexibility in the design process as graphics and other changes can be made to the original plans. Aydin, et al (pp 127-128) adds that the budget estimates and schedule are more realistic as the project progress. This means that changes in the project life cycle are inevitable. However, according to Abrahamson (pg 254), RAD has a disadvantage as the process cannot be applied for large scale software development due to its inability to have clear transitions. According to peter (pg, 1), the Microsoft Solution Framework (MSF) was introduced in 1994 by Microsoft. It comprises of a set of highly and fully integrated software development tools that guide the users during the development of the web applications. Peter (pg 2) describes the MSF model as a combination of the best aspects of the waterfall model and those of Rapid application development. This makes MSF model a more superior and effective software development tool for use by both small and large scale software developers. According to peter (pg, 3-7), The MSF process involves five major phases. These include; envisioning, planning, developing, stabilizing and deploying. In the envisioning stage, the overview of the problem and how it affects the corporation is studied. In the planning stage, a blue print for the solution is formulated. This involves preparing conceptual design, logical design, data layer design and presentation layer design. It also encompasses the process of creating the technical and security specifications. The third phase involves the writing of the code while the fourth phase involves solutions geared to improve the code. At this stage the code is tested and mistakes corrected. The last or the fifth stage involves the application of the code in a production environment (Michael Turner, pg 61-233). According to Microsoft white paper, (pg, 7 ) the key success to the development of MSF as a website development tool depends four principles; these are; the ability of the customers and team members to have the same vision, objectives and goals towards the site being developed, continued change in the project plan and development, satisfaction of the client/customer needs and delivery of business value to the corporate world and lastly openness in communication which results from free flow of information. According to peter (pg, 2), these milestones makes MSF a more superior method for design and development of the website as compared to other models. In fact peter (pg, 1), a web services integration manager, argues that the MSF model is highly scalable, customizable, efficient and effective integrated set of software development tool that guides the software developer in web design process. According to Walther (pg, 121-435), web hosting is constituent and important process in web design. Walther asserts that, after completion of the website, it must be hosted. This allows for individuals and companies to provide or make accessible their website on the World Wide Web. Most web pages are hosted by web host companies which provide space on serves where the applicant for service can lease and use. Walther (pg, 133) asserts that the web host companies provide data center space and internet connectivity to their clients. Files are uploaded in the net in form of file transfer protocol or a web interface. According to Carl, (100-254), the hosting services greatly vary and are determined by type of service. There are different types of hosting services offered and they are determined by the complexity of the services being offered. Nikhil/Datye, (pg 231) adds that Complex hosting requires advanced packages such as ASP.NET, PHP, java etc. these packages provide platforms for development different applications and database support. Single page hosting is used for personal web a page says, Carl (pg 100- 254). As Nikhil/Datye (pg 346) describes, active server pages is a fantastic and simple language to use for side server scripting language. Nikhil states that ASP.NET can be integrated with simple HTML and results in dynamic and well generated web pages. Karl (pg 142) adds that ASAP allows the programmer to make password protected pages, send and receive forms and emails, set cookies among other numerous activities. Karl (pg 165) states that the principle advantages of using ASP are that the language follows the functions and instruction set by BASIC (Beginner Advanced Symbolic Instruction Code); however the author states that the ASP only works with servers running on windows. Work Cited Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, David Cronin. The Essentials of Interaction Design. New York: Wiley. 2007 Carl Burnham. Web Hosting. New York: McGraw-Hill/OsborneMedia. 2001 Damon Williams. Pro Paypal E-Commerce (Expert's Voice). California: Apress. 2008 Dix Allan, Janet Finlay, Gregory Abowd & Russell Beale. Human-Computer Interaction. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1993. Michael Turner. Microsoft Solutions Framework Essentials. New York: Microsoft Press. 2006. Newmann & Lamming. Interactive System Design. New York: Wiley. 1995. Shannon Sofield, Shannon Sofield (Author) > Visit Amazon's Shannon Sofield Page Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author Learn about Author Central Dave Nielsen, Dave Burchell. Paypal Hacks. Cambridge: O'Reilly Media. 2004 Stephen A. SSL & TLS Essentials: Securing the Web. New York: Wiley. 2000 Thomas Erickson & David W. McDonald. HCI Remixed: Reflections on Works that have Influences the HCI Community. Cambridge: MIT Press. 2008. Microsoft Corporation. MSF Whitepaper: MSF Team Model v3.1. http://www.microsoft.com/technet/itsolutions/msf/default.mspx. 2002 Boehm, B.; R. Turner, Balancing Agility and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley. 2004 Aydin, M.N., Harmsen, F., Slooten, K. v., & Stagwee, R. A. An Agile Information Systems Development Method in use. 2004 Abrahamson, P., Warsta, J., Siponen, M.T., & Ronkainen, J. New Directions on Agile Methods: A Comparative Analysis. 2003 Eric Rescorla. SSL and TLS: Designing and Building Secure Systems. United States: Addison-Wesley Pub Co. 2001 Wagner, David; Schneider, Bruce Analysis of the SSL 3.0 Protocol. The Second USENIX Workshop on Electronic Commerce Proceedings, USENIX Press. 1996. Margaret Jane. Internet Commerce the Emerging Legal Framework (2nd Ed).New York: Foundation Press. 2006. Royce, Winston. Managing the Development of Large Software Systems, Proceedings of IEEE Wescon. 1970. Jacob Apelbaum. Rapid Application Development Framework. (1st Ed) Technology Press. 2002. Barry Boehm, A Spiral Model of Software Development and Enhancement, IEEE Computer. 1988 Walther Stephen. ASP.NET unleashed "Illustrated edition" New York: Sams. 2001 Nikhil/Datye, V. Kothari. Developing Microsoft ASP.NET Server Controls and Components (Pro-Developer). New York: Microsoft Press. 2002 Karl Moore. The Ultimate VB .NET and ASP.NET Code Book. California. Apress. 2003 Read More