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DESIGN Decisions, KSFs

Section titled “DESIGN Decisions, KSFs”

This outlines the important design decisions and KSFs shaping the SMART DEBT App (and other apps that I will create).

Taxation Modelling — Constant Current Tax Parameters

Section titled “Taxation Modelling — Constant Current Tax Parameters”

Key design decision: Use the same constant tax parameters for both historical analysis and future projections. Do NOT model historical tax rate changes.

Rationale:

  • The purpose of historical analysis is to show how these strategies would have performed under the current tax environment — our best proxy for the future
  • No one knows what tax environment will exist when investors actually realise gains
  • Using historical tax environments (e.g., pre-2003 US dividend rates, pre-1972 Canada with no CG tax) would produce conclusions that don’t apply to the current environment
  • Modelling tax parameters that change over time significantly complicates calculations without adding practical value

Implication: TaxProfile is a constant input — the same for all years of any analysis, historical or projected.

80/20 BIG Rocks Focus, EVERYWHERE

Section titled “80/20 BIG Rocks Focus, EVERYWHERE”
  • Focus on most important elements first
  • Applies to EVERYTHING, including SD App dev
    • Inputs (One/two core)
    • Analysis/Results (One/two core), then “More”
    • Concepts/education
  • Progressively add more only if needed/valued

Simplified UI (Inputs, Outputs)

Section titled “Simplified UI (Inputs, Outputs)”
  • Inputs
    • only input and analyze the impact of one or two key parameters, with all other inputs set to most common values (with User Profiles), as Steve Jobs would design it
      • Simpler, less intimidating, especially for analyses with many parameters. Less resistance to start learning.
      • Easier to understand impact of key parameters and message, which is most important
      • Faster, to align with busy lives and short attention spans
      • 80/20 Big Rocks approach alignment
      • Easier to embed simple interactive analysis tool directly in educational web content (SD Snapshots components)
      • Easier to fit analysis on smaller devices
    • great approach for both SD Snapshots, and initial UX with full function SD App, only progressing to more details in direction user wants
    • Core input for SD App is investable cash flow, but even that can be abstracted out by normalizing, analyzing strategies per “$100/mn of cash flow”
      • Next core input is Income profile: middle vs high (encapsulated with 1-click on predefined User Profiles)
      • Next core input is Savings period: again start with default of 10 yrs
      • Snapshots and initial SD App UI: only input is Investor Profile: Middle-income, High-income
      • Only show core inputs in UI, with rest behind a “See all” link
        • Annual Investment (later Monthly)
        • Loan interest rate
      • Country/region is automatically determined by browser
  • Outputs
    • same approach to only show minimal most important metrics initially, with one or two common buttons to explore more details (context dependent to strategy), and a “More” link that reveals all other details for the few who care. Highest Impact Analysis
    • Each one or two core (most important) inputs can be adjusted up and down, and the target output quantified for the relative change.
    • The relative change from each input can be ranked to determine which has the highest marginal impact.
    • To be more valuable, could let user decide which few inputs to do a highest impact analysis on, as some inputs are not controllable or not something the user wants to change. Example might be working longer (investing longer).

Progressive UX

Section titled “Progressive UX”
  • define more later

Personalized UX

Section titled “Personalized UX”
  • define more later