User Role Workflow: Custom Cars Website

Overview of Roles

Your custom cars website has 5 distinct user roles:

  1. Admin - System administrator with full access
  2. Buyer - Basic registered user
  3. Seller - Enhanced user who can list vehicles for sale
  4. Dealer - Premium user with import/export capabilities
  5. Shop - Specializes in selling car parts and customization services

Registration Paths & Requirements

graph TD Start[New User] --> BuyerPath[Default Registration] Start --> SellerPath[Become a Seller Form] Start --> DealerPath[Become a Dealer Form] Start --> ShopPath[Become a Shop Owner Form] BuyerPath --> BuyerRole[Buyer Role<br/>No plan required] SellerPath --> SellerPlan["Basic Seller Plan<br/>($10/month)"] SellerPlan --> AdminSeller[Admin Review] AdminSeller -->|Approved| SellerRole[Seller Role] DealerPath --> DealerPlan["Silver Dealer Plan<br/>($149/month)"] DealerPlan --> AdminDealer[Admin Review] AdminDealer -->|Approved| DealerRole[Dealer Role] ShopPath --> ShopPlan["Shop Owner Plan<br/>($300/month)"] ShopPlan --> AdminShop[Admin Review] AdminShop -->|Approved| ShopRole[Shop Owner Role] style Start fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style BuyerRole fill:#99ccff,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style SellerRole fill:#99ff99,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style DealerRole fill:#ffcc99,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style ShopRole fill:#cc99ff,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style AdminSeller fill:#ff9999,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style AdminDealer fill:#ff9999,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style AdminShop fill:#ff9999,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Role Hierarchy and Transitions

Users can only hold one role at a time. The following diagram illustrates the role hierarchy and possible transitions:

graph TD A[Admin] -->|System assigned| B[Buyer] B -->|"Become a Seller<br/>($10/mo + Admin approval)"| C[Seller] B -->|"Become a Dealer<br/>($149/mo + Admin approval)"| D[Dealer] B -->|"Become a Shop Owner<br/>($300/mo + Admin approval)"| E[Shop] C -->|"Upgrade to Dealer<br/>($149/mo + Admin approval)"| D C -->|"Change role to Shop<br/>($300/mo + Admin approval)"| E D -->|"Change role to Shop<br/>($300/mo + Admin approval)"| E style A fill:#ff9999,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style B fill:#99ccff,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style C fill:#99ff99,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style D fill:#ffcc99,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style E fill:#cc99ff,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Role Capabilities Visual

graph TD %% Admin subgraph Admin [Admin Role] direction TB A1[Full System Access]:::adminStyle A2[User Management]:::adminStyle A3[Role Approvals]:::adminStyle A1 --> A2 --> A3 end %% Buyer subgraph Buyer [Buyer Role] direction TB B1[View Listings]:::buyerStyle B2[Send Messages]:::buyerStyle B3[Comment & Save Favorites]:::buyerStyle B1 --> B2 --> B3 end %% Seller subgraph Seller [Seller Role] direction TB C1[All Buyer Features]:::sellerStyle C2[List Vehicles]:::sellerStyle C3[Seller Dashboard]:::sellerStyle C1 --> C2 --> C3 end %% Dealer subgraph Dealer [Dealer Role] direction TB D1[All Seller Features]:::dealerStyle D2[Import/Export]:::dealerStyle D3[Featured Listings]:::dealerStyle D1 --> D2 --> D3 end %% Shop subgraph Shop [Shop Role] direction TB E1[All Buyer Features]:::shopStyle E2[Sell Parts]:::shopStyle E3[Customization Services]:::shopStyle E1 --> E2 --> E3 end %% Styling classDef adminStyle fill:#ff9999,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px,font-size:16px; classDef buyerStyle fill:#99ccff,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px,font-size:16px; classDef sellerStyle fill:#99ff99,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px,font-size:16px; classDef dealerStyle fill:#ffcc99,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px,font-size:16px; classDef shopStyle fill:#cc99ff,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px,font-size:16px; classDef highlighted fill:#ffcc00,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px,font-size:18px; %% Apply highlight class to role sections class Admin highlighted class Buyer highlighted class Seller highlighted class Dealer highlighted class Shop highlighted

User Interface Flow

flowchart TD Start([Website Visit]) --> RegisterOptions[Registration Options] RegisterOptions -->|Regular Registration| BuyerReg[Buyer Registration Form] RegisterOptions -->|Become a Seller| SellerReg[Seller Registration Form] RegisterOptions -->|Become a Dealer| DealerReg[Dealer Registration Form] RegisterOptions -->|Become a Shop Owner| ShopReg[Shop Registration Form] BuyerReg --> BuyerDash[Buyer Dashboard] SellerReg --> SellerPlan[Select Basic Plan $10/mo] DealerReg --> DealerPlan[Select Silver Plan $149/mo] ShopReg --> ShopPlan[Select Shop Plan $300/mo] SellerPlan --> AdminSellerReview[Admin Review] DealerPlan --> AdminDealerReview[Admin Review] ShopPlan --> AdminShopReview[Admin Review] AdminSellerReview -->|Approved| SellerDash[Seller Dashboard] AdminDealerReview -->|Approved| DealerDash[Dealer Dashboard] AdminShopReview -->|Approved| ShopDash[Shop Dashboard] BuyerDash --> BuyerUpgradeOptions[Upgrade Options] BuyerUpgradeOptions -->|Become a Seller| SellerPlan BuyerUpgradeOptions -->|Become a Dealer| DealerPlan BuyerUpgradeOptions -->|Become a Shop Owner| ShopPlan SellerDash --> SellerUpgradeOptions[Upgrade Options] SellerUpgradeOptions -->|Become a Dealer| DealerPlan SellerUpgradeOptions -->|Become a Shop Owner| ShopPlan DealerDash --> DealerUpgradeOptions[Upgrade Options] DealerUpgradeOptions -->|Become a Shop Owner| ShopPlan style Start fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style RegisterOptions fill:#bbf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style BuyerReg fill:#99ccff,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style SellerReg fill:#99ff99,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style DealerReg fill:#ffcc99,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style ShopReg fill:#cc99ff,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style BuyerDash fill:#99ccff,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style SellerDash fill:#99ff99,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style DealerDash fill:#ffcc99,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style ShopDash fill:#cc99ff,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style AdminSellerReview fill:#ff9999,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style AdminDealerReview fill:#ff9999,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px style AdminShopReview fill:#ff9999,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Registration and Upgrade Processes

Buyer Registration

  1. User completes standard registration form
  2. Account is created immediately
  3. User gains access to basic buyer features
  4. No payment or admin approval required

Seller Registration

  1. User completes "Become a Seller" registration form
  2. Selects basic seller plan ($10/month)
  3. Provides payment information
  4. Submission sent for admin review
  5. Once approved by admin, seller role is activated
  6. User gains access to seller dashboard and features

Dealer Registration

  1. User completes "Become a Dealer Partner" registration form
  2. Selects silver dealer plan ($149/month)
  3. Provides payment information
  4. Submission sent for admin review
  5. Once approved by admin, dealer role is activated
  6. User gains access to dealer dashboard and enhanced features

Shop Owner Registration

  1. User completes "Become a Shop Owner" registration form
  2. Selects shop owner plan ($300/month)
  3. Provides payment information
  4. Submission sent for admin review
  5. Once approved by admin, shop owner role is activated
  6. User gains access to shop dashboard and customization features

Admin Approval Workflow

sequenceDiagram actor User participant System participant Admin User->>System: Submit role upgrade request System->>System: Process payment System->>Admin: Forward application for review Note over Admin: Review user details, credentials, and payment Admin->>System: Approve or reject application alt Application Approved System->>User: Notify approval System->>System: Activate new role System->>User: Grant access to new features else Application Rejected System->>User: Notify rejection with reason System->>System: Refund payment System->>User: Maintain current role end

Role Capabilities Comparison

Capability Buyer Seller Dealer Shop
View listings ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Contact others ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Save favorites ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
List vehicles for sale ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅
Access to seller dashboard ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅
Import/export features ❌ ❌ ✅ ❌
Featured listing options ❌ ❌ ✅ ❌
Sell parts ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅
Offer customization services ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅
Requires admin approval ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅
Monthly fee ❌ $10 $149 $300