Inspiration
We were inspired by the lack of transparency in how counties present taxation data to their residents. While this information technically exists, it is often buried in dense reports or PDFs that are difficult for the average person to understand. We wanted to create a tool that makes this data more accessible, visual, and easy to digest so people can better understand where their money is going.
What it does
Money Pen is an interactive platform that helps users explore and understand county-level taxation data in a simple and intuitive way. Instead of digging through complex documents, users can navigate a visual interface to quickly access key insights about taxes, spending, and financial trends.
How we built it
We built Money Pen using a combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the front-end interface. We designed a grid-based UI that allows users to interact with different sections and navigate between pages seamlessly. Data was structured and integrated in a way that makes it easy to display and update. We also worked on connecting different components so that user interactions (like clicking blocks) dynamically load the appropriate content.
Challenges we ran into
Getting the UI and JavaScript to properly align was one of the biggest challenges. Ensuring that click events triggered the correct navigation while maintaining a clean and responsive design took significant debugging and iteration. We also faced challenges in organizing data in a way that was both accurate and easy to present visually.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We’re proud that we were able to complete a fully functional project in just 36 hours. Despite time constraints, we built a working interface that demonstrates our core idea and provides a solid foundation for future improvements.
What we learned
We learned how important it is to plan the structure of both the UI and the underlying code before building. We also gained experience debugging front-end interactions, managing time under pressure, and collaborating effectively as a team. Additionally, we developed a better understanding of how to present complex data in a user-friendly way.
What's next for Money Pen
Next, we want to expand the platform by incorporating real-time and more comprehensive datasets from multiple counties. We also plan to improve the UI/UX to make it even more intuitive and visually engaging. In the future, we aim to add comparison tools, data visualizations like charts and graphs, and possibly predictive insights so users can better understand trends in taxation and spending.
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