System Requirements Document (SRD)

Project Name: fierce-budget

1. Introduction

The fierce-budget project, also known as SmartExpense AI, aims to deliver a cutting-edge personal finance tracking mobile application tailored for users in India. The app will combine simplicity, speed, and offline-first functionality with modern AI-powered features to provide users with actionable insights and automation for managing their finances. By upgrading the traditional expense tracker model with AI capabilities, SmartExpense AI will empower users to make smarter financial decisions effortlessly.

This document outlines the system requirements for the development of SmartExpense AI, ensuring a clear roadmap for its implementation and deployment.

2. System Overview

SmartExpense AI is a personal finance management app designed to work offline-first while offering advanced AI features. The app will allow users to track expenses and income, set budgets, analyze spending trends, and receive AI-driven insights. It will cater to the Indian market with locale-specific defaults, such as currency in INR (₹) and time zones based on IST (Indian Standard Time).

The app will be built using modern technologies, ensuring scalability for over 1 million users while maintaining a clean, user-friendly interface. It will also prioritize data privacy and security, offering offline functionality and optional biometric/PIN-based security.

Key highlights of the system include:

• AI-powered smart categorization and insights
• Voice input for quick expense logging
• Offline-first architecture with local database support
• Multi-account management and analytics dashboard
• Scalable design for future growth

3. Functional Requirements

Core Features:

• As a User, I should be able to add income and expense entries with fields like amount, category, date, and notes.
• As a User, I should have predefined categories and the ability to create custom categories.
• As a User, I should be able to set monthly budgets per category and track the remaining budget.
• As a User, I should receive alerts when I cross my budget limits.
• As a User, I should be able to manage multiple accounts (e.g., Wallet, Bank, Card, Savings) and transfer funds between them.
• As a User, I should be able to view analytics, including:
  • Pie charts for category-wise expenses
  • Bar charts for monthly trends
  • Cash flow summaries

Offline Functionality:

• As a User, I should be able to use the app fully offline with a local database (SQLite or Room DB).
• As a User, I should not require login credentials to use the app.

Data Management:

• As a User, I should be able to back up and restore my data in JSON or CSV format.
• As a User, I should be able to export my data for external use.

AI Features:

• As a User, I should be able to use smart categorization, where the app automatically detects the category based on text input.
• As a User, I should be able to log expenses using voice input, e.g., “Spent 200 on food.”
• As a User, I should receive AI-driven insights, such as:
  • “You are spending 30% more on food this month.”
  • “Reduce coffee spending to save ₹1000/month.”
• As a User, I should receive smart notifications, including daily reminders to log expenses and budget warning alerts.

Bonus Features:

• As a User, I should be able to secure the app with a PIN lock or biometric authentication.
• As a User, I should have access to a home screen widget for quick expense logging.
• As a User, I should be able to set recurring expenses.
• As a User, I should be able to track savings goals.

4. User Personas

1. Regular User

• Description: Individuals who want to track their personal finances and budgets.
• Goals: Simplify expense tracking, gain insights into spending habits, and save money.
• Pain Points: Lack of time for manual tracking, difficulty analyzing spending trends.

2. Advanced User

• Description: Users who want detailed analytics, multi-account management, and AI-driven insights.
• Goals: Optimize financial planning and gain deeper insights into their spending patterns.
• Pain Points: Need for advanced features like smart categorization and voice input.

5. Visuals Colors and Theme

Color Palette

The fierce-budget app will feature a modern and vibrant color palette that reflects financial clarity and trust.

• Background: #F9FAFB (Soft White)
• Surface: #FFFFFF (Pure White)
• Text: #1F2937 (Charcoal Gray)
• Accent: #4CAF50 (Emerald Green)
• Muted Tones: #9CA3AF (Cool Gray)

Theme

• Light Mode: Clean and minimalistic with a focus on white and green tones.
• Dark Mode: Dark charcoal background with emerald green accents for contrast.

6. Signature Design Concept

Interactive Budget Garden

The SmartExpense AI homepage will feature an Interactive Budget Garden. This unique design concept will visualize the user’s financial health as a growing garden:

• Plants Represent Categories: Each budget category (e.g., Food, Travel, Savings) is represented by a plant.
• Growth Animation: Plants grow as users log expenses, with their size and health reflecting spending habits.
  • Overspending in a category will cause the plant to wilt or turn yellow.
  • Staying within budget will make the plant flourish with flowers or fruits.
• Interactive Elements: Users can tap on a plant to view detailed analytics for that category.
• Seasonal Themes: The garden changes with the seasons (e.g., cherry blossoms in spring, autumn leaves in fall).

This design will make financial tracking engaging and visually intuitive, encouraging users to maintain healthy spending habits.

7. Non-Functional Requirements

• The app must load within 2 seconds on devices with 2GB RAM or higher.
• The app must function offline without requiring an internet connection.
• The app must support Android 8.0 (Oreo) and above.
• The app must ensure data security with encryption for local storage and backups.
• The app must handle up to 1 million users with scalable architecture.

8. Tech Stack

Frontend

• React Native for cross-platform mobile app development.

Backend

• SQLite or Room DB for local offline storage.

AI Tools

• Google ML Kit for voice input and smart categorization.
• LiteLLM for lightweight AI routing.

Deployment

• Docker and docker-compose for local orchestration.

9. Assumptions and Constraints

• The app will primarily target Android users in India.
• The app will use INR (₹) as the default currency.
• AI features will rely on lightweight models to ensure offline functionality.
• The app will not require user login for basic functionality.

10. Glossary

• AI: Artificial Intelligence.
• ML: Machine Learning.
• SQLite: A lightweight database engine for local storage.
• Room DB: An abstraction layer over SQLite for Android.
• INR: Indian Rupee, the currency of India.
• IST: Indian Standard Time.