June 26th, 2001
In June 2001, the first pilot has been started for the INTELLECT consortium. Therefore, the first user meetings occured which have the issue to help the user for the adaptation of the INTELLECT platform to his own requirements.
The project is completely in the workpackage 4 phase and the time is critical, because till the 19th of July INTELLECT needs a runable system for the first pilot in Austria at Blauwerk. To meet this hard deadlines INTELLECT set-up a detail workplan for WP04.
Actually, the eShop system is going to get a more stable state. To get a stable prototype we installed a running Linux system at the BIBA's site and configured all software tools on this single workstation (also the Oracle database). Next issues are the integration of SSL, NetMeeting, and a perfect adaptation of the front-end/back-end functions.
Figure 1: Stefan Feßl and Walter Steindlegger during the meeting at Anecon
The configurator is working and needs data for a further pilot integration. Blauwerk provided information to BIBA, which is enough for the moment to work on. A better co-ordination between the names/types of the configurator and the user requirements is necessary for the administration and configuration for users/customers.
The 3D view status was presented at the review and has to be extended by animation and avatar functionality. Additionaly Atlantide has to find a way, either how to create the VRML files, or find an alternative product presentation.
The order processing is working and must be adapted to the user requirements. That includes the interaction with the eShop module and the user databases.
The help-desk system is written for Tomcat 4.X. The NetMeeting third party tool will be implemented on the INTELLECT sites at http://www.ist-intellect.com and after that in the first pilot.
Figure 2: Kai-Oliver Detken and Reingard Klingler during the meeting at Anecon
The following requirements are essential for Blauwerk:
- Visualisation of single products in 2D must be possible
- Configurations must be visualised
- 3D is not necessary for Blauwerk, but would be welcome if it looks good.
- A avatar is necessary, incl. animations, because Blauwerk wants to transfer a "look & feel"
- Quicktime or RealPlayer videos or video streaming sessions should be integrated
- Grey background on each web site
- Navigation buttons (Elevator buttons) will be placed at the bottom of each subpage
- The buttons must have an "mouse-over" effect (change to buttons colour)
- Quark Xpress is not useful for design adaptation for OptiNet; it is more sufficient to use Adope Illustrator to create HTML pages using other prodcuts from Adobe.
- Configurator button should be on each site; also on the home site
- Component typs for the city-bike should be available
- Structure
- Configuration of your personal bike should be available on each site
- Home (Starting Page) à the logo should be animated; this must be done by Blauwerk (GIF animation or flash)
- eShop (order process) - should be merged with the products category (e.g. Willy, City etc.)
- Products: world-of-experience should be shown
- Where to ride (Industry ,City Shopping, Freebyke, Leisure time/sports)
- Who we are
- News
- Configure your personal sidewalker
- Languages (german and english)
- Sign-Up
- Contact
- Differentiation between a customer and a retailer, B2B login
- Integration of video streams (should be available from Blauwerk): different qualities for different access bandwidths
Figure 3: Overview about the eShop sites
Therefore the following requirements are available to the developing partners:
- Requirements to Atlantide
- Much better visualisation of the components
- If one component will be replaced, the price has to be adapted, too
- Configureable components should be visualised, too
- Avatars should be available either in the 3D view or in the animation
- Improvement of the administration/configuration
- Improvement of the GUI-design is needed
- The currently selected component should be displayed beside the whole product
- Requirements to Blauwerk
- Adope Illustrator data is necessary at least to setup HTML pages and adapt this pages to XML
- Approx. 11 page layouts will be created, mainly focused on the products (catalog); For this OptiNet needs as soon as possible the default layout to generate by this data HTML pages and after that the XML pages.
- Product information: pictures in 2D, names, short/long description, order number (internal catalog number), price (excluding of value added tax)
- Requirements to BIBA
- Storage of the configuration every time
- Better mapping of the product categories with the module
- No absolute DB addressing, static references in code (arrangement with Stefan)
- Requirments to OptiNet
- Playing with the products must be possible (without using the basket); one possibility is to configure own products with an anonymous login
- Screenshoots from the configurator, 3D module, and eShop for the layouter to get a better impression
- Software installation on the user site is necessary to be able to use the 3D applet/view
- No static pathes, but a use of a configfile as Anecon implemented (arrangements with Stefan)
- Basket: Infos to the order processing, product group, product number, Produkt name
- Standard configuration or new configuration
Figure 3: Configurator with visualised components
Examples, which have been showed at the meeting regarding eShop systems to get a better impression were:
The conclusion of the meeting was that this information exchange between the user Blauwerk and the developers was necessary and useful. All uncertainties have been eliminated and solved. Exclusive the jobs of the partner Atlantide could not be discussed, because this partner was not available for this meeting. After this meeting the INTELLECT members have a good feeling to go on with the work very fast.