CS623 Fall Â’09 Project One
+ +Retirement Planning
+Calculator
American Savings Education Council provides a +method, known as Ballpark Estimate, for the user to determine the annual amount +of money one needs to save in order to meet his/her financial objectives at +retirement. See the worksheet +for the detail. Additional information can be found on their Web page at http://www.choosetosave.org/ballpark/. +Although the method is quite easy to follow, one must perform the calculation +by hand. Here, you are asked to develop a Java applet for helping the user use +this method. Basically your program will take input from the user, perform +calculation, and display the result. Note that the Ballpark Estimate method +described in the worksheet can be used for both a single and married couple. In +this project, you will only take a single into consideration.
+ +Requirements for this project are given as +follows:
+ +
-
+
- When + started in a Web browser, your applet should roughly look like the one + shown above. The html file that brings up the above window is given as + follows. +
<HTML><HEAD> <TITLE> CS623 Project Two </TITLE> </HEAD><BODY><CENTER><H1><B>Retirement Planning Calculator</B></H1></CENTER><CENTER><P><B>Ballpark Estimate by American Savings Education Council</B><P></CENTER><CENTER><APPLET ARCHIVE = calculator.jar CODE ="calc.class" WIDTH=400 HEIGHT=250></APPLET></CENTER>
</BODY></HTML>
+
+-
+
- A panel + (that is, a JApplet) shown in the page takes + input from the user. User input includes user's name, birthday, as well as + other data required by the Ballpark Estimate method. Do not ask the user + to provide any value that can be calculated from what is available. For + example, the social security income can be calculated from the user's + current annual income according to the rules stated in the worksheet. Your + application should ask the user for his/her annual income and do the + calculation for the user, rather than having the user to do oneself. Also + allow the user to select a value for a data field, instead of typing it, + wherever appropriate. If there are different ways to determine the value + for a field such as the expected annual income in retirement, give the + user the maximum flexibility. +
- Remember + that when the user uses your application, they do not need to refer back + to the worksheet, meaning that they can base solely on what your user + interface provides to work out a retirement saving plan. Hence, your + application's user interface should provide adequate information for the + user to understand how to proceed step by step. Also your application may + provide additional information so as to make it convenient for the user to + plan for retirement, for example, displaying both the annual amount and + monthly amount that the user needs to save. +
- Provide + three buttons, Calc, Print, and Reset, in the panel. Button Calc performs + calculation according to the method and displays the result in the panel. + Button Print brings up a read-only dialog showing a summary of the + resulting plan in a printable form. For completeness (since it will be + used as a standalone document), the summary should include all relevant + information. Button Reset either sets a data fields to its default value + if any or leaves it blank. +
- Perform field validation
+ for input data. Provide a tooltip for each of the key components in the
+ panel. Also highlight the value in a data field when the data field
+ receives the focus in order to make it easier for the user to change that
+ value.
- Use the MVC architecture to implement this program.
You +need to understand the Ballpark Estimate method and decide what input would be +necessary before selecting appropriate screen element and working out the +layout. Use appropriate design techniques, such as grouping, to enhance your +programÂ’s usability.
+ +You +should take the following steps in this project:
+ +1. +Develop an applet according to the requirements +as described above and turn in the html document and jar file for your program +via Blackboard on Oct. 6.
+ +2. +Find two different persons and let them use your +program. You can discover usability issues via observation on the users using +your program and discussion with them after they are done. You may give the +user a brief introduction to your program at the beginning and then allow the +user to proceed on oneÂ’s own. In order to find which part of the user interface +does not work for the user, do not provide additional help when the user is +using your program.Â
+ +3. +Redesign the user interface of your program +according to what you learn from the usability evaluation.
+ +4. +Write a report on the usability evaluation that +you performed. Your report needs to describe characteristics of the users, +discuss usability issues you found, explain conclusions you came up with, and +redesign decisions you made. Be prepared to share your findings with your +classmates in class.
+ +5. +Turn in a hardcopy of selected screenshots, the +source code, and the report in class on Dec. 8. And also turn in the html +document and jar file for your project via Blackboard.
+ +