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Web Navigation:
Resolving Conflicts between the Desktop and the Web
Performing Transactions
Transaction systems involve getting information from the user
and providing information to the user, typically interacting
with a database on the server. We discussed two types of transaction
systems:
- those that change the database in significant ways (such
as e-commerce sites for purchasing goods and services online),
and
- those that make inconsequential changes to the database (such
as search engines).
Transaction systems typically have state information that
must be maintained.
Orientation
The orientation issues that apply to browsing apply here as well.
In addition, users are often confused about where they are in
the transaction. It is important to provide clear information
to the user on how they can correct errors, cancel the transaction
and when they have completed their transaction.
The Page Metaphor
The page metaphor begins to breakdown with this type of system.
An important design consideration is that not all transaction
systems are good candidates for being in an HTML page in a browser.
Our rule is: "When in a browser, behave like a page."
If the page metaphor really isn’t working, get the transaction
system out of the browser by launching a separate window.
The Back Button
The back button can be especially problematic for transaction
systems. Hitting the Back button loads the previously loaded
page from the cache. The user can then re-submit the page accidentally,
thereby ordering more products than intended or viewing information
that is out of date. Since the server and client are loosely
coupled, the server is unaware that the client has reloaded a
cached page via the back button and can therefore not warn the
user of potential problems.
Also, novice users may perceive the Back button as implementing
undo when it is strictly navigation.
When building transaction sites, the functionality of the
Back button should be taken into consideration with regard to
users’ expectations and required functionality.
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