IA1: Barbiesphere Technical Proposal

IA1: Barbiesphere Technical Proposal

1. Existing Solutions

   • Existing Solution 1: BarbieDB.com
     • Purpose
       • Stores and displays data and images on Barbie doll info such as doll type, model number, release date, and pricing, at lowest, average, and highest values, and allows users to search for specific dolls using search bar
     • Pros
       • Modern, user-friendly layout with search features for specific Barbie editions. Detailed information on doll values, helping collectors estimate worth.
       • Organised by year, making it easier to locate specific dolls quickly.
       • Detailed information on doll values, helping collectors estimate worth.
     • Cons
       • Fewer image galleries for in-depth visual browsing.
       • Limited focus primarily on doll value rather than history or related content.
     • Link
       • https://www.barbiedb.com/
   • Existing Solution 2: Barbie Collectors Guide
     • Purpose
       • Stores and displays data on Barbie dolls and accessories, sorted by each year of manufacture, for collectors to know about their specific dolls.
     • Link
       • https://barbiecollectors.altervista.org/index.html
     • Pros
       • Extensive categorisation by decade and theme (1950s–2020s), covering playlines, special, and collector editions.
       • In-depth visual galleries with descriptions of dolls' cultural aspects and styles.
     • Cons
       • Less modern interface; cluttered layout can feel overwhelming.
       • Navigation is less intuitive, which may slow down browsing for specific models.

2. User Persona

   • Name
     • Antony Matheus dos Santos
   • Education
     • Football academy (Sao Paulo)
   • Goals
     • Collect rare Barbie dolls and accesories, and have knowledge on their ratity
   • Location
     • Manchester, United Kingdom
   • Frustrations
     • Existing websites are either too slow or complicated to navigate, or dont contain information/history about the dolls themselves
   • User problem
     • User needs a website which contains and displays information on the rarity and history of dolls and accessories from the Barbie lineup, which is simple and usable compared to others. The website should allow the user to search for information about specific dolls, and make requests to edit any which may be incorrect or outdated

3. Developer environment

   • Frontend
     • HTML
       • To display content and navigation of web application
     • CSS
       • Add styling and aesthetic finishes to the website
   • Backend
     • Python
       • To connect and manage data flow between website and database, and host web application
     • SQL
       • To store and manage data relevant to website, like user details and Barbie doll information
   • IDEs
     • Frontend
       • Visual Studio/Notepad++
     • Backend
       • Thonny (Python)
       • MySQL/SQLite

4. Requirements of design

   • Purpose of application
     • To manage and data relevant to Barbie product collectors (rarity, production years and locations, doll types and names, etc.), and allow users to search and find data and info easily
   • Criteria
     • Perscribed Criteria
       • PC1:Web application displays Barbie Data from an external data source
       • PC2:Web application allows a user to search the Barbie data
     • Self-Determined Criteria
       • SDC1:Web application is themed with Barbie colour palette
       • SDC2:Web application contains sub-navigation on all pages
   • Wireframes
     • Usability principles
       • 1.Accessibility 2.Learnability 3.Safety 4. Utility 5. Effectiveness
   • Mockups
     • Elements and principles of visual communication
       • Elements:space, line, colour, shape, texture, tone, form, proportion and scale Principles:balance, contrast, proximity, harmony, alignment, repetition and hierarchy

5. Data Management

   • Data types Used
     • Integer (e.g. user_ID, 1)
     • Varchar (e.g. userName (barbie123)
     • Boolean (e.g True/False)
     • Date/Time (e.g., 10/10/24, 10:10:00)
   • Constraints
     • NOT NULL
     • UNIQUE
     • PRIMARY KEY
     • FOREIGN KEY
   • Datasets used
     • Dataset 1: Barbie careers
       • Contains relevant information like barbie jobs and production years, but some years are missing, and data needs to be normalised by splitting into atomic values
     • Dataset 2: Barbie Nodes
       • Contains data on barbie doll names and genders but needs to be normalised