MOBILE BUDGET PLANNER & SHOPPING ASSISTANT

Intuitive and on-the-go approach to budgeting

Andrew OkohDr. Marko PopovicKwan Hong Lee

General Goal Statements

Budget planner helps in setting and tracking budget goals in real time.

Shopping assistant helps in optimizing shopping experience based on parameters like cost, and proximity to store.

Problems with personal budgeting Vague budget goals are set. Progress in sticking to budget is poorly tracked. Difficult to pinpoint weak areas in spending categories.

Identifying categories where budget goals are broken could lead to better adherence to future budgets.

Budget goals are rarely dynamic. Long-term spending and savings habits aren’t taken into

account. There’s little motivation for budgeting

Solutions to preceding problems

Spending and savings is tracked in real time by lucid and interactive representations.

Budget goals are determined for spending categories. Intuitive touch-oriented editing of budget goals. Dynamic depiction of expenditure in each category.

Alerts deployed when budget constraints are broken in each category.

Easy interaction with “shopping assistant” to save on problematic categories

Budget Planner User Interface Total balance,

budget goals, and expenses are depicted by rectangular bars

Budget goals are entered by readjusting category bars by finger(using red tickers on diagram to right)

Bars are automatically updated when purchase is made.

Shopping assistant

Aids in saving on problematic categories.

Presents a map platform for viewing stores with desired items.

A search feature helps generate a list of deals on with highest priority given to cheaper items.

A wishlist is implemented. Alerts user if a store in close

proximity is carrying out a sale on item in wishlist.

Wishlist

Backpack

ipod

Sneakers

Add item

Search for item

Scenario 1 John is taking a stroll on main street

and remembers that he needs to get a new backpack. So he consults the shopping optimization search feature.

Backpack__Search by proximity

Search by cost

Generates a list of the closest stores and an option of viewing them on the map

Generates a list of stores with the cheapest at top of the list

John goes for proximity

Scenario1 (continued)

Backpack: $24Estimated discount: 20%Distance: 0.6 miles

Touching one of the locations comes up with more information about the store

Scenario 2

John is walking on main street again and this time he is walking past T.J.Maxx which is having a sale on jean pants. Because John has this on his wishlist, he is alerted by a vibration on his phone.

Deal:Sale on jean pants

Location:7 blocks east

View on map

Data & Technical Issues

The budgeting tool will require access to users account information which should be available on bank server.

The shopping assistant will require a database for merchant name, location, item prices, etc.

Since the mobile device doesn’t have enough memory, a web server will carry this information and is connected via the web tto the device.

Merchants should be willing to post these deals on the database as a form of marketing. Courtesy FCN Group at

BAC

Current tasks on the agenda Generate shopping assistant database. Set up web server. Implement necessary user interface.