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This shows an order form done by Tactile Interactive. It has been modified to work as this standalone demo (in particular, changing product names and removing proprietary graphics).
I am not a graphic artist, so the graphics here are rudimentary. Please pay attention to the functionality. Tactile Interactive does user interface; the idea is to guide the user into doing the right thing and getting the job done with a minimum of hassle.
Another thing to remember is that when this was written (late 1990's), the web was new, people were nervous about web credit card transactions, and about the web in general. Selling software by license key was stil new to many people, and each implementation worked a little bit differently.
Many of the features are not obvious until you try to make you way through; it comes from error handling and the resulting flows.
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a License Key for the software Trappist Get a License Key for the software MonkView Get a License Key for the software LiveMonk Get a Site License |
Copy one of these numbers now, so you can paste it in and pay for your pretend purchase. EITHER, use these credit card numbers in the order form: 0000 0000 0000 0000 = bank will clear 0000 0000 0000 0018 = bank will deny ...OR, use this Purchase Key, pretend you got it from your software box: c8c-FR9-TVT48-Apn-dT-79Tnn-9d |
This was a credit card order page for a software package. The company eventually got bought out by a website company, and they use a different order form.
The idea is that you download software (elsewhere on the same website), and it allows you to use it in Demo mode for 30 days. After that, you have to purchase a License Key, at this site. The software also could be bought in a package; a special code on the package called the Purchase Key got you through this page to register your software without having to pay again.
Three different products are supported, each with their independent introduction. Three language translations are also supported, as are site licenses. The original version also supported multiple resellers, who would each get a different commission depending on the exact URL used to go to this page.
One of the principle design goals was reliabiliity in the face of a variety of client platforms; it was tested and debugged all the way down to Netscape version 2. Hence, there are no mouseovers (which don't increase usability anyway) and very little javascript. The software itself was offered in Mac and Wintel versions, with a Linux version in the works. The Windows 3.1 and Mac 68k versions were going to attract a large number of people with older machines, with older web browsers. It also was being offered in a variety of languages, opening the doors to many developing countries, with their older machines. Even in developed countries, educational institutions are well known for keeping their ancient computers around years after obsolescence due to capricious educational budgets determined by the winds of regional politics.
Another design goal was overall bureaucratic efficiency. A large number of transactions must be processed using minimal intervention from the office. Incorrectly entered data can lead to costly administrative hassles. If the user keeps running into roadblocks, they will get frustrated, and possibly give up. Therefore, a lot of attention was paid to error handling. Feel free to enter bogus data into the blanks and see what happens.
Of course, security was also a concern. If the college students, who were part of the target market, could easily break the License Key system, revenue would suffer. The License Key generation system was a C program that encrypted the user's name and email into the license key, and the software verified license compliance over the user's local area network. This key generation program was sold along with the product, and has been removed from this demo. You will get fixed substitutes.
Yes, this form used to be on an SSL server, back when it was in actual use. Don't enter your real credit card number.
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