The walkthrough
63.6 seconds. Captions are included in the film. Made with Nolan from an editable screenplay running in a real browser.
What the requester said
“Because some clients are questioning and would like to see more details, and having subtotals can satisfy their needs & wants.”
Verbatim from the Xero Product Ideas board. Reproduced as a contiguous extract and checked against the harvested record.
Key moments
- Group invoice lines into named sections.
- Keep each heading, set of lines, and subtotal together.
- Move a complete section without changing what its subtotal covers.
What we concluded
Needs a different solution
Without a heading, the reader cannot tell which lines a subtotal covers.
A named section keeps the heading, line order, and total together.
Why we reached that conclusion
Three related requests in our sample had at least 1,056 votes between them. Because we sampled only part of the board, that is a lower bound rather than a complete measure of interest. Together, the requests point to a need for invoices that are easier to organise and explain.
A standalone subtotal row calculates an amount, but it does not explain what the amount represents. It can also become misleading if the lines above it are reordered.
Our prototype uses named sections. Each section keeps its heading, lines, and subtotal together, so the customer can see what the invoice contains and which lines contribute to each amount.
The same structure can cover some uses of description-only and comment lines while giving tax treatment and ordering a clearer place in the model. It is a larger change than inserting a subtotal row, but it addresses the reason customers need subtotals in the first place.