Patterns for E-Commerce Applications.

Abstract

In this paper we present some patterns we found in E-commerce applications. First, we briefly characterize these applications as a particular case of Web applications. We next review some Web patterns that can be used in E-commerce applications. Finally, we present five new patterns: Opportunistic Linking, Advising, Explicit Process, Easy Undo and Push Communication. Introduction The World Wide Web has become a popular platform for E-commerce applications. These applications combine navigation through an electronic catalogue with operations affecting this catalogue. In this sense e-commerce applications are a particular kind of Web applications with similar requirements: good navigational structures, usable interfaces, a clear domain model, etc. However, E-commerce applications present new challenges to the designer: we not only need to help the user find what he wants (a product he will buy) but also ease the shopping process. For example we should keep him informed about new relea...