Entity Lifecycle — From Creation to Active Use
Lifecycle States
Every Entity in Method exists in one of three states, and understanding these states helps you design the right user experience at each stage of your onboarding flow:- Incomplete: The Entity has been created in Method, but the user hasn’t completed all required steps to unlock the platform’s capabilities. This is the starting state for every new Entity. In practical terms, your application knows who this person is, but Method hasn’t yet verified their identity or connected their accounts. Most products are unavailable in this state. Your application should guide the user through the remaining setup steps (typically identity verification) and clearly indicate that setup isn’t finished.
- Active: The Entity is fully set up and ready for use. Identity verification is complete, and the full range of eligible products is available. This is the steady state for most of your users. Your application can connect accounts, request updates, initiate payments, and enable monitoring. The user should experience the full value of your product.
- Disabled: The Entity has been deactivated and can no longer be used for new operations. This may happen because your team deactivated the user, because Method disabled the Entity for policy reasons, or because the user requested account closure. No new operations can be initiated, but existing data, accounts, payment history, updates — remains accessible for reference and reporting.
Common Lifecycle Transitions
The most common path is straightforward: an Entity is created (incomplete), the user completes identity verification (active), and it remains active for the duration of their relationship with your product. An Entity may transition to disabled if your team explicitly deactivates it (e.g., the user closes their account in your application), or if Method disables it for policy or compliance reasons. This transition is typically final.Designing Around Lifecycle States
Your user experiences should reflect the Entity’s state:- For incomplete Entities, show a clear onboarding progress indicator. Let the user know what steps remain (e.g., “Verify your identity to see your accounts”). Avoid showing empty states that suggest the product is broken, the user is mid-setup, not experiencing an error
- For active Entities, provide full access to your product’s features. This is your core experience
- For disabled Entities, display a clear, non-alarming message explaining that the account is no longer active. Allow the user to view historical data if appropriate, but prevent any actions that would fail (payment initiation, account connection, etc.)