Supporting Small-Scale Investors Through a User-Driven Investment Lifecycle Web App

Abstract

Small-scale investors often face significant challenges in managing their investment projects, primarily due to a lack of sophisticated and accessible tools. This deficiency frequently leads to operational inefficiencies and suboptimal financial outcomes. This paper details the design, implementation, and evaluation of "Digital Investment Manager," a user-centric web application tailored specifically for the lifecycle management of small-scale investments. Adhering to an iterative development approach guided by User-Centered Design (UCD) principles, we initiated our research with a comprehensive user needs analysis. This involved conducting semi-structured interviews with 15 small-scale investors to identify key requirements, including integrated project tracking, detailed financial monitoring, and automated status updates. The application was subsequently developed using the PHP Laravel framework, which implements a Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture, alongside Bootstrap for responsive design, Chart.js for data visualization, and MySQL for database management. To validate its effectiveness, we conducted usability testing with 12 participants, employing the System Usability Scale (SUS), which yielded a score of 78.5, indicating favorable usability. The final application successfully integrates investment project management, financial transaction tracking, automated status updates driven by financial progress, and performance visualization into a single, cohesive platform. This research contributes a practical solution that enhances efficiency, transparency, and decision-making capabilities for small-scale investors. Furthermore, it provides empirical insights into technology adoption within this underserved market segment.