Requirements Specification Document

FR-1.1: The system should provide intuitive controls to initiate the signup process.

FR-1.2: The system shall provide a secure registration process for new users.

FR-1.3: The system shall support secure login with email and password

FR-1.4: The system shall provide a password recovery mechanism for users to reset forgotten passwords via email.

FR-1.5: Users shall register using their email, password, and basic profile information.

FR-1.6: The system should collect users consent to our terms of use.

FR-2.1: The system should provide a “Forgot Password” link on the login page for users who have forgotten their passwords.

FR-2.2: When users click on the “Forgot Password” link, they should be directed to a password recovery page.

FR-2.3: Users should be prompted to enter their email address or username associated with their account.

FR-2.4: After entering their required user information, the system should send a password reset link to the user’s registered email address.

FR-2.5: The password reset link sent to the user’s email should be unique and valid for one hour.

FR-2.6: Clicking on the password reset link should redirect the user to a page where they can create a new password.

FR-2.7: After successfully resetting their password, users should receive a confirmation message.

FR-2.8: Users should be redirected to the login page.

FR-3.1: User should be logged in for their account to be deleted.

FR-3.2: User should be prompted to enter their password.

FR-3.3: User should be prompted with confirmation where user can either delete and cancel the account deletion.

FR-3.4: Account should be removed from the system once deletion process is done within 2 minutes.

FR-4.1: The system should provide a community forum or discussion board where users can discuss courses, share study tips, and collaborate.

FR-4.2: The system should allow users to create new discussion threads within the forum.

FR-4.3: The system should allow users to enter a title and description for the new thread.

FR-4.4: The system should have options to format the text and add links or images.

FR-4.5: The system should allow users to be able to tag their thread with relevant course codes or topics for easy navigation.

FR-4.6: The system should enable users to reply to existing discussion threads.

FR-4.7: Users should be able to post replies to any thread.

FR-4.8: The system should allow replies to include text, links, and images.

FR-4.9: The system should allow users to edit their own posts and threads.

FR-4.10: The system should allow users to edit their own posts and threads anytime.

FR-4.11: Edited posts should display an "edited" label with the edit timestamp.

FR-4.12: Users should be able to upvote or downvote posts.

FR-4.13: The total votes of each post should be visible next to it.

FR-5.1: The system should allow students to input queries in natural language to get course recommendations.

FR-5.2: Based on the input, the system should use NLP to analyze and fetch relevant course information from the university’s course catalog.

FR-5.3: Based on the analysis, the system should search the university's course catalog database to find courses that match the analyzed criteria.

FR-5.4: The system should prioritize course recommendations based on relevance to the user's query, course popularity, and any prerequisites or academic requirements.

FR-5.5: The recommendations should include essential information about each course, such as the course name, description, credits, and any prerequisites.

FR-5.6: The system should allow students to filter the recommended courses based on various criteria such as department, course level, and availability.

FR-5.7: The system should offer filter options such as department and course level.

FR-5.8: Users should be able to apply multiple filters simultaneously to refine the list of course recommendations.

FR-5.9: After applying filters, the system should update the list of recommendations to only include courses that meet the selected criteria.

FR-5.10: The filter interface should be user-friendly, and each filter should have a clear label indicating its purpose.

FR-5.11: For each recommended course, the system should display key information including the course title, description, number of credits, prerequisites, and the instructor’s name.

FR-5.12: The system should provide a link or a way for students to access the full course description and syllabus if they wish to explore the course in more detail.

FR-5.13: Information presented should be up-to-date, accurate, and pulled from the university’s official course catalog or database.

FR-5.14: The interface should be clear and organized, making it easy for users to find and browse different pieces of course information.

FR-5.15: The system should allow students to save or bookmark courses from the recommendations for later review or registration.

FR-5.16: Students should be able to easily save or bookmark courses from the recommendation list with a simple click or tap.

FR-5.17: The system should provide a section where students can view and manage their saved or bookmarked courses.

FR-5.18: Users should be able to remove courses from their saved list or add additional courses at any time.

FR-5.19: The saved courses should be persistent, remaining available across different sessions when the user logs back into the system.

FR-6.1: The system shall offer an easy-to-use interface with options to filter courses based on criteria like difficulty and department.

FR-6.2: The system shall provide visual course pathways showing prerequisites and recommended sequences.

FR-6.3: The system should present a clean and organized interface with clearly labeled options for filtering courses.

FR-6.4: Users should be able to apply multiple filters at once to refine their search for courses.

FR-6.5: The system should dynamically update the list of courses displayed based on the selected filters without significant delay.

FR-6.6: Instructions or tooltips should be provided to guide new users on how to use the filtering options effectively.

FR-6.7: The system should display graphical representations of course pathways, including nodes for courses and directed edges showing the flow from prerequisites to subsequent courses.

FR-6.8: The pathways should include all necessary information such as course codes, titles, and the type of prerequisite (e.g., required or recommended).

FR-6.9: Users should be able to interact with the visual pathways, such as zooming in/out and clicking on courses to get more detailed information.

FR-6.10: Where courses have multiple prerequisites or lead to multiple subsequent courses, the pathways should be laid out in a manner that minimizes overlap and confusion.

FR-7.1: The system shall ensure robust data protection mechanisms to prevent misuse of personal data.

FR-7.2: Only authorized users should have access to sensitive data.

FR-7.3: The system should include mechanisms for monitoring and logging access to personal data to detect and respond to unauthorized access attempts.

FR-7.4: Logs should capture detailed information including the date, time, user ID, action performed, and the data accessed.

FR-7.5: The system should have real-time alerts and automated responses to suspicious activities or breach attempts.

FR-7.6: Personal data should be anonymized where possible, especially in reporting and analytics.

FR-7.7: Data used for analysis, testing, or other secondary purposes should be stripped of identifiable information unless absolutely necessary.

FR-7.8: Personal data should not be retained longer than necessary and should be securely deleted after the retention period expires.

FR-7.9: Users should have the ability to request deletion of their data, and the system should process such requests in compliance with the right to be forgotten.

FR-8.1: The system shall integrate with the academic calendar for scheduling.

FR-8.2: The system should automatically adjust available courses based on the current term as indicated by the academic calendar.

FR-8.3: The system should be able to fetch and display key dates from the academic calendar, such as semester start and end dates, registration deadlines, and holiday breaks.

FR-8.4: The scheduling feature should allow students to align their course selections with the academic calendar to avoid conflicts.

FR-8.5: The system should prevent scheduling courses that overlap with other courses.

FR-8.6: The system shall include a feedback system for students to rate courses after completion.

FR-8.7: The system should allow students to rate courses on a predefined scale from 1 to 5 after they have completed the course.

FR-8.8: Students should be prompted to rate the course at the end of the term or after their final grades are posted.

FR-8.9: Students should have the option to leave a written review along with their rating.

FR-8.10: All feedback should be moderated to ensure it is appropriate and useful before being made publicly available.

FR-8.11: The system should include a basic moderation feature to filter out inappropriate language and spam.

FR-8.12: The system should aggregate ratings and display them as part of the course information in future recommendations.

FR-8.13: Average ratings and sample reviews should be easily viewable to help other students make informed decisions.

FR-8.14: The feedback system should be designed to ensure the anonymity of students to encourage honest and unbiased reviews.

NFR-1.1: The system should present a clear and uncluttered user interface, ensuring that all textual and graphical elements are easily understandable by users without prior training.

NFR-1.2: The system should use a consistent layout and design scheme across all pages and views.

NFR-1.3: All screens should follow the same color scheme and typography.

NFR-1.4: Interactive elements (like buttons, text fields, dropdown menus) should have a consistent look and feel.

NFR-1.5: Spacing, alignment, and positioning of elements should be uniform across similar types of interfaces.

NFR-1.6: The system should provide adequate feedback to user actions within a reasonable timeframe.

NFR-1.7: Visual cues (like highlighting, animations, or progress indicators) should be used to show that an action is being processed.

NFR-1.8: Success, warning, or error messages should be clearly displayed following user actions to indicate the result.

NFR-1.9: The system should aim for response times that keep the user experience fluid and responsive under 1 second for immediate actions and under 10 seconds for complex operations.

NFR-2.1: The system should offer consistent navigation menus and icons throughout the application to prevent user confusion and to facilitate easy learning of the interface.

NFR-2.2: The system should use a standardized layout for primary navigation menus.

NFR-2.3: The primary navigation menu should be positioned in a common area (such as the top bar, sidebar, or bottom bar) across all pages.

NFR-2.4: The layout should support scalability, accommodating additional items without disrupting the overall design.

NFR-2.5: The system should offer clear visual cues to indicate the user’s current location within the application.

NFR-2.6: The current section or page should be highlighted or distinguished in the navigation menu.

NFR-2.7: Tabs, buttons, or links representing the current area should be styled differently from inactive elements.

NFR-2.8: In hierarchical or nested navigation, parent sections should also be visually indicated when a child is selected.

NFR-2.9: The system should avoid deep navigation hierarchies, ensuring that users can reach any part of the application within a few clicks.

NFR-2.10: Users should be able to reach important features and information within three clicks from the homepage or main menu.

NFR-3.1: The system should ensure that all user interactions, such as button clicks and form submissions, receive immediate feedback, with actions being acknowledged or completed within 1 second under typical usage conditions.

NFR-3.2: The system should use visual indicators such as progress bars, spinners, or animation to inform users about ongoing processes that take longer than 1 second.

NFR-3.3: These indicators should remain on screen until the action is completed or an error message is displayed.

NFR-3.4: The indicators should be placed prominently so that they are easily noticeable by users.

NFR-3.5: The system should ensure that the interface remains responsive and usable even when background tasks or calculations are being performed.

NFR-3.6: The UI should not freeze or become unresponsive during any operation.

NFR-3.7: Any input from the user during background processing should be handled correctly without data loss or corruption.

NFR-3.8: The system should optimize screen refresh and rendering times to ensure smooth updates and transitions.

NFR-3.9: Any visual changes in the UI should appear seamless and without noticeable lag or jerkiness.

NFR-3.10: The system should provide immediate error notifications for issues related to user actions to minimize user confusion and frustration.

NFR-3.11: These messages should be descriptive enough to inform the user of the nature of the problem and suggest potential solutions.

NFR-3.12: The design and placement of error messages should ensure that they are highly visible without disrupting the user's workflow.

NFR-3.13: The system should minimize the latency experienced by users during typical interaction patterns to enhance the overall responsiveness.

NFR-3.14: The system should aim for a latency of less than 100 milliseconds for simple interactions under typical conditions.

NFR-3.15: Complex operations that require more processing time should still be optimized to complete as quickly as possible, with intermediate feedback provided.

NFR-3.16: The system should handle sudden spikes in usage or load without complete failure.

NFR-3.17: Under high load, the system may degrade non-critical features while keeping essential functions responsive.

NFR-3.18: Users should be notified appropriately if the performance is impacted significantly, with clear messages indicating any temporary limitations.

NFR-4.1: The system should ensure that all user input is validated and sanitized to prevent common vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other forms of input-based attacks.

NFR-4.2: The system should implement server-side validation of all user input to prevent injection and other input-based vulnerabilities.

NFR-4.3: Validation logic should cover all types of input, including strings, numbers, dates, and file uploads.

NFR-4.4: Server-side validation should check for length, range, format, and type constraints.

NFR-4.5: Any input failing validation should result in a clear, non-technical error message being returned to the user.

NFR-4.6: The system should use prepared statements and parameterized queries to interact with databases to prevent SQL injection attacks

NFR-4.7: All database queries should use parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent mixing code with data.

NFR-4.8: The system should implement input length restrictions to prevent buffer overflow and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.

NFR-4.9: Maximum acceptable lengths for different types of input should be clearly defined and enforced.

NFR-4.10: The system should promptly reject inputs that exceed the set length limits with an appropriate error message.

NFR-4.11: File uploads should be checked for both file size and type to prevent large or potentially dangerous files from being processed.

NFR-5.1: The system should clearly inform users about how their data is used and obtain their consent where necessary, complying with privacy regulations.

NFR-5.2: The system should allow users to access, review, and update their personal data at any time.

NFR-5.3: Users should have a straightforward way to view their personal data within the system.

NFR-5.4: The system should offer functionality for users to correct or update their personal information whenever necessary.

NFR-5.5: The system should implement the necessary measures to ensure that user data is anonymized where possible.

NFR-5.6: Critical data that can identify a user directly (like names, social security numbers) should be anonymized in storage and processing.

NFR-5.7: The system should encrypt user data both in transit and at rest to protect it from unauthorized access.

NFR-5.8: The system should support the right to be forgotten, allowing users to delete their accounts and personal information permanently.

NFR-5.9: Users should be able to request the deletion of their account and associated data through a clear and accessible mechanism.

NFR-5.10: The system should ensure that the deletion process is comprehensive and irreversible, removing all personal data without undue delay.

NFR-5.11: After deletion, the system should not retain any personal data unless required by law or for legitimate business purposes.

NFR-5.12: The system should only collect personal data that is necessary for the specified purposes of processing.

NFR-5.13: Unnecessary collection of data, such as collecting data for possible future use without a clear purpose, should be avoided.

NFR-6.1: The system should maintain stable user sessions with automatic recovery of the session state after brief disconnections or interruptions.

NFR-6.2: The system should include a simple and intuitive interface for users to submit feedback, bug reports, and feature suggestions.

NFR-6.3: Feedback forms should allow users to describe their experience, categorize the type of feedback, and, if necessary, attach screenshots or other relevant files.

NFR-6.4: There should be a clear process for reviewing user feedback and categorizing it into issues, enhancements, and feature requests.

NFR-6.5: The development team should regularly prioritize and implement changes based on this feedback, following an agile and user-centered design approach.

NFR-6.6: The system should allow users to rate their experience and provide structured feedback through surveys or rating systems.

NFR-6.7: The system should periodically prompt users to complete surveys or rate their experience, without causing disruption or annoyance.

NFR-6.8: Surveys should be concise, relevant, and designed to capture clear, actionable insights.

NFR-6.9: The system should track key metrics such as usage frequency, error rates, completion times, and user pathways.

NFR-6.10: Privacy and consent considerations should be respected in the collection and use of interaction data, ensuring data is anonymized where necessary.

NFR-7.1: The system should ensure quick responses to user queries, aiming for a latency of less than 2 seconds for results.

NFR-7.2: The system should process and return results for at least 95% of user queries within 2 seconds under normal operating conditions.

NFR-7.3: The system should maintain performance standards under varying loads, with scalability solutions in place to handle peak times.

NFR-7.4: The user interface should be designed to provide feedback to the user when processing takes longer than expected.

NFR-8.1: The system should be intuitive, allowing users with minimal training to perform basic operations.

NFR-8.2: The user interface should follow standard design principles that promote intuitive navigation and interaction.

NFR-8.3: The system should use familiar interface elements like buttons, icons, and menus that are consistent with widely accepted user interface design standards.

NFR-8.4: The system should employ a consistent layout and design scheme across all pages and views to maintain a predictable environment for users.

NFR-8.5: Essential tasks such as logging in, searching for courses, applying filters, and viewing course details should be straightforward and easily accessible.

NFR-8.6: The system should provide clear, concise labels for all actions and options to prevent ambiguity.

NFR-8.7: The system should ensure that the most frequently used features are prominently placed and easy to access without unnecessary navigation.

NFR-8.8: The system should provide immediate, clear feedback in response to user actions to reinforce understanding and prevent confusion.

NFR-8.9: The system should use visual cues like highlighting, animations, or informative modals to indicate when actions are taken or needed.

NFR-8.10: The system should display success and error messages in a clear and helpful manner, guiding users on how to proceed or correct mistakes.

NFR-9.1: The system should be operational 99% of the time, with minimal downtime for maintenance.

NFR-9.2: The system should achieve at least 99% uptime, calculated monthly, excluding planned maintenance windows. This corresponds to a maximum downtime of around 7.2 hours per month or approximately 14.4 minutes per day.

NFR-9.3: Planned maintenance should be scheduled during off-peak hours to minimize impact on users.

NFR-9.4: The system should notify users well in advance of scheduled maintenance times, ideally through multiple channels such as email, system notifications, or a message on the login screen.

NFR-9.5: The system should regularly backup system data to prevent loss and enable quick recovery in case of a failure.

NFR-10.1: The system should handle increasing amounts of data and concurrent users as the student population grows.

NFR-10.2: The database should be scalable to handle increasing volumes of data efficiently.

NFR-10.3: The user interface should remain responsive and efficient, even with large numbers of users and substantial data volumes.

NFR-10.4: The system should test the user interface under load to ensure it remains usable and responsive, making adjustments as needed based on user feedback and performance metrics.

NFR-11.1: The system should implement standard security measures including data encryption and user authentication.

NFR-11.2: The system should enforce a strong password policy that requires a minimum length of 8 characters and a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters.

NFR-11.3: The system should use secure session management practices to prevent session hijacking and fixation attacks.

NFR12.1: The system should be designed for easy maintenance and future upgrades without significant downtime.

NFR12.2: The system should maintain comprehensive documentation for the system, including architecture diagrams, API documentation, and maintenance manuals.

NFR-13.1: The system should handle at least 100 users concurrently without significant degradation in performance.

NFR-13.2: The system should be capable of recovering from common errors without total system failure and with minimal downtime.