Quickstart

In about ten minutes you will build a small "Coffee Shop" menu, test it, and put it live. You need:

• A phone that can receive SMS, to sign in.
• A computer with a web browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox).
• To go live: a USSD shortcode from an aggregator. You can build and test without one, and add it at step 6.

This is what callers will see when you finish:

Coffee Shop
1. Order coffee
2. Opening hours
3. Exit

1. Open the sign-up page

   Go to dashboard.useasterisks.com/signup.

2. Enter your phone number

   Type your number (for example 024 412 3456) and press Text me a code. A quick robot check runs in the background; most people never see it.

3. Enter the 6-digit code

   Type the code from the SMS. You are now signed in, and your session balance already has credit for 100 free sessions.

4. Answer the welcome questions

   A short welcome window asks for your name and your first app's name and aggregator. You can change all of these later.

1. Press New app

   On the Apps page, press New app. The builder opens with a choice of templates.

2. Choose Start from a blank canvas

   Templates (restaurant ordering, voting, airtime and more) are great starting points later. For now, pick Start from a blank canvas.

3. Name your app

   Click the name at the top left (it says New USSD Project) and type Coffee Shop.

4. Pick your aggregator

   Use the dropdown in the top bar (it starts on Africa's Talking) to choose the aggregator you will use. It only changes the address you get when you deploy.

The canvas already has one screen, the Entry Point: the first thing callers see. Click its header to open its settings on the right.

1. Write the welcome text

   Under Screen text, replace the message in What the phone shows with Coffee Shop. The counter shows how much of the 182-character screen you have used.

2. Set the options

   Under Menu options, change the first option to Order coffee and the second to Opening hours. Press Add option and name the third Exit.

3. Add a question

   Close the settings (the × at the top right). In the left toolbox, click Ask a Question; a new screen appears on the canvas. Open it and set:

   • What the phone shows: How many cups?
   • In the Answer section, Save the answer as: cups
   • Answer type: Numeric, Minimum value 1, Maximum value 10

   Asterisks now refuses anything that isn't a number from 1 to 10, and tells the caller why.

4. Add the end screens

   Click End Session three times to add three end screens, and set their text to:

   • Thanks! {{cups}} coffee(s) will be ready in 10 minutes.
   • We are open 7am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.
   • Goodbye!

   {{cups}} is replaced with the caller's answer. Any saved answer can be used this way.

5. Join the screens

   Each menu option has a small dot on its right edge. Drag from a dot to the top of the screen it should open:

   • Order coffee → the question
   • The question's bottom dot → the "Thanks!" end screen
   • Opening hours → the opening-hours end screen
   • Exit → the "Goodbye!" end screen

   The counter at the bottom right should read 6 screens, 5 connections.

6. Check and save

   Press Check flow (the tick icon in the top bar). If it says No problems found, press Save. If it lists a problem, it names the screen; usually a dot that isn't joined to anything.

1. Open the phone preview

   Press Test (the ▷ play icon). A phone opens beside the canvas showing your welcome menu.

2. Try every path

   Type 1 and press Send, then try abc and 25 to see the error messages, then 2. Press Dial again to start over and try the other options.

More ways to test, including on real phones before launch, are in Testing your app.

1. Press Deploy

   Press Deploy at the top right. Your saved version is what gets published.

2. Enter your shortcode

   Type the shortcode your aggregator gave you, such as *384*55#. Leave Callback URL empty for now (see Going live for what it does).

3. Copy the callback address

   The confirmation shows Callback URL for your aggregator. Press the copy button next to it. It looks like this:

   Your app's callback addressCopy

   https://apis.useasterisks.com/api/ussd/africastalking/your-app-id

In your aggregator's dashboard, find your shortcode's settings and paste the address you copied into the callback (or webhook) field. Each aggregator calls it something slightly different; follow the guide for yours:

• Hubtel
• Nalo Solutions
• Arkesel
• Africa's Talking

Then dial your shortcode from any phone. You should see Coffee Shop. That's it, you're live.

• Screens: every screen type and its settings.
• Logic and data: show live data from your systems, branch on answers, reuse other apps.
• Payments: take mobile money inside your menu.
• Tutorials, each built from start to finish: a poll, a PIN login and a bill payment.