Requirements

Data management

• Fast support for joining a finance "circle" via knowledge of relationships -- e.g. pick from those I have links to, or create a new group from my profile rather than using "sign up" form.
• Import new data source into the workspace -- e.g. bind to external finance stream -- credit card transactions, stock portfolio.
• Support mapping from custom records into "standard" workspace list fields for cross-site roll-up/aggregation (mapping tables).
  • design-time
  • run-time

View management -- navigation, aggregation

• Graphical views of data -- bar charts, pie charts, line graphs. Hover popups for superimposed detail.
• Tabular views of data -- section/subsection, totals, subtotals, entry fields inline in rows.
• Linked, cross-component, views -- changes in table drive changes in graphs.
• Maps with declarative binding (JS API "inside") linked to shared data.
• Navigation using multiple pages, tab panes.
• Navigation using wizards for guided tasks -- e.g. import new data source.
• Support actions on stored finance data -- forms for buy/sell/transfer with
  • appropriate type-specific validation
  • prefilling of data given application context or profile
  rules.
• End-user authored calculators attached via spreadsheets to existing tables, forms, etc. -- implemented via ODS.

Control

• Timed/synchronized controllers
  • logout after given delay for security
  • refresh of polled data -- e.g. external data sources, RSS/ATOM feeds
  • demo/illustration (live) of tutorials -- auto-drive of the UI
  • wizard controller
  • small-scale animation -- e.g. button highlighting, tab open/close animation, etc
• Routing of actions (buy/sell...) for approval or other processing in light-weight workflows.
  • is this out of scope given it is not in the document itself, i.e. is server-side???
• State-driven controllers
  • "training wheels" advisor (alongside rather than embedded as wizard), e.g. child tax credit decision widget
  • cross-component coordination, e.g. event correlation

UI Generation, Content Augmentation, Device Adaptation, and Accessibility

• Support custom fields per data source (not statically known) and build appropriate master/detail views.
• Support mobile access with appropriately tuned page layout (automatically tuned vs. manual adaptation).
• Include graphics on mobile displays using zero-install technologies.
• Include validation on mobile interaction.
• Augmenting an imported data source with an associated widget to provide (1) analytics, and (2) actions -- supports cross-selling or value-add processing by financial advisor or end-user.
• Augmenting an imported widget to add fields or customize calculations -- supports cross-selling or value-add processing by financial advisor or end-user.
• Voice-enablement
  • XHTML+Voice using FF2 plugin??? (probably not given back level browser support (FF2).
  • Are there other voice SDKs available? Could they be adapted to support XHTML+Voice easily?
• Accessibility features
  • ARIA properties and API support as role attributes implemented in Ubiquity, e.g. role.js or aria.js behaviors
  • Show ability to leverage abstract controls in simplifying ARIA enablement, e.g. for auto-generated forms from external data sources.

Backplane Technologies Demonstrated

Patterns for cross-component communication

Page layout combining form data and rich text (start with HTML, could also do with ODT later) -- showing data binding between conditional sections of EULA and field settings in the form data. Shows general utility of data binding even for content-oriented documents...might compare with similar features from DITA, are these client side or could they benefit from data binding as well?

Patterns for service binding

Ability to map quickly to new external data sources, and adapt to their differing data formats. Also then to cross-map those formats into a single list format to be used by this application.

Patterns for data binding

Custom graphical controls bindable to nodeset data -- e.g. piecharts, maps, trends -- backplane deals with binding and updates.

Patterns for control

Wizard template implemented either with model-driven controls or SMIL/SCXML explicit controller.

Browser extensibility

Ubiquity framework as general enabler for extensibility on the browser: support for SMIL, ODF (Text, Spreadsheet), SCXML...

Accessibility

Use of abstract UI elements in addition to separation of model/view to support ARIA

Fine-grained composition

Abstract controls and model/view separation enabling augmentation of UI by aggregators -- for example, to regroup menu bars with elements collected across a number of components, or to add data and UI elements to forms as they flow through the network. Could be used for prefilling forms or removing unneeded elements from partner forms.

Example session