# CS-07: Irregular-income budget planner

Category: Money & financial tools
Level: Intermediate
Suggested duration: 3–4 weeks

Original UXCharan practice scenario. Validate assumptions; do not present it as a commissioned client project.

## Problem
A hypothetical budgeting tool assumes the same salary every month. Explore how a freelancer could distinguish confirmed income from expected income and plan upcoming commitments without presenting uncertain money as guaranteed.

## People to learn from
Freelancers planning upcoming essential expenses

## Core scope
- Record expected income
- plan bills
- adjust a late payment

## Research questions
- How do people plan when income timing changes?
- What makes a forecast understandable?

## Edge cases
- Invoice is late
- unexpected essential expense

## Specific artefact
A forecast model with explicit assumptions

## Evaluation question
Can users distinguish confirmed funds from a planning scenario?

## Work to share
Problem and role; anonymised evidence; alternatives and rationale; task flow; prototype; accessibility considerations; testing findings; revisions and honest limitations.

## Request feedback
Share a viewable Figma, document or portfolio link with Saicharan on WhatsApp: https://wa.me/917093809350
Include CS-07, your name, project stage and your main feedback question. Confirm review scope, timing and any fee directly.

## Methods
- Research planning: https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/user-research/plan-user-research-for-your-service
- Research consent: https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/user-research/getting-users-consent-for-research
- Design exploration: https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/resources/the-double-diamond/
- Usability testing: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-testing-101/
- Accessible forms: https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/forms/
- Portfolio storytelling: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-design-portfolios/