Glossary

Use this page as a quick reference for common Starhash and USSD terms.

Action

An operation that runs during a workflow step. In Starhash, actions can include requests to another system.

Change summary

A short note entered when publishing a workflow. It explains what changed in that published version.

Customer input

The response a customer enters while using a USSD service, such as selecting a numbered option on a menu or entering a value.

A menu that generates its options at runtime from an external data source. Dynamic menus are useful when choices depend on the customer or another system.

Dynamic source

The request configuration used by a dynamic menu to fetch option data. It can include the URL, method, headers, parameters, and body.

Edge

The connection between one menu and the next. An edge usually represents the route followed after a customer selects an option.

Hop

One recorded step in a USSD session. Hops help show how a customer moved through a workflow.

A screen presented to a customer during a USSD interaction. A menu usually has a prompt and options to choose from, but it can also be a terminal screen that only shows a final message. In Starhash, menu and screen may be used interchangeably.

An individual choice in a menu. A customer's selection determines what happens next in the workflow.

Node

A menu or screen in the workflow graph.

Prompt

The text shown to the customer on a USSD screen.

Published workflow

A workflow version that is available for customers to use on a specific USSD short code.

Session

One customer's interaction with a USSD workflow, from the start of the interaction until it ends.

Short code

The number a customer dials to begin a USSD interaction.

A menu with fixed options that are defined when the workflow is built.

Template

The mapping used by a dynamic menu to turn an API response into selectable options. The template identifies the list of items and the fields used for option values and labels.

Terminal screen

A screen that ends the USSD session. It usually confirms that a request is complete, explains why the journey cannot continue, or shows an exit message.

Test

An opportunity to check that a workflow behaves as expected before publishing it for customers.

USSD

Unstructured Supplementary Service Data. A session-based mobile communication channel, commonly used for interactive menus on feature phones and smartphones.

Version

A published snapshot of a workflow. Publishing creates a new version that can be reviewed in version history.

Workflow

The sequence of menus with options and actions that defines a customer's USSD journey.