Interface Design for Boring Business Valuation Software

Business Val Software

We're sick of using spreadsheets!

Seriously, we have a number of spreadsheets that feed into each other to calculate the value of business, forecast cashflow etc.

Recently we decided to get a software created to all this automatically... but our programmers have developed an interface that is about as exciting as watching the grass grow (no offence to any cricket players). Of course this is a serious software that helps us a lot so let's see what the designers can produce...

Our target audience are mainly the finance/accounting types.

This software is for inhouse usage only but there is an opportunity for external usage as well.

This is a desktop software.

Summary of what the spreadsheets look like...

The various tabs contain each important element of the spreadsheet. E.g. Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Cashflow Statement, Reformulated Balance Sheet, Reformulated Income Statement, Reformulated Cashflow Statement, Ratio Analysis, Valuation, Forecasted Cashflow etc etc

Each company's information is stored across these spreadsheets. Right now each spreadsheet with its associated tabs has information on one company.

But in our software we'll have the capability to input multiple companies data in the one system.

Most of the data will be still be stored in tabular form such as a spreadsheet but it would be good to get an interesting interface that allows ease of movement from one company to another. Tabs may or may not be used.

We're extremely open to whatever interpretation you wish to bring to the problem. But please into consideration that information may still have to be presented in a spreadsheet format... i.e. multiple years across a top row and financial headings on the left most column.

Since this is my first posting excuse my lack of understanding of how to best describe a design project. Please ask as many questions as you want.

Best of luck to all participants. :)