Debt Dog is an overly simplistic application that allows the user to calculate approximately how much it will cost to purchase an item on a credit card. Credit cards always carry with them a ridiculous interest rate that forces you to pay more than the actual price of the item. This application will show you approximately how much the item will cost you in the end. It will also display a minimum payment and how many months until it is paid off. It’s pretty scary when you realize how much money you are wasting due to interest rates.
The application has only two screens to interact with. The first screen displays the APR and purchase amount. You can manually enter in the interest rate or use the slider. Tapping on “calculate†will bring up a new screen with the total payments, months to pay it off and minimum payment displayed. The sound of a toilet flushing accompanies this screen. I’m assuming that the sound choice is supposed to symbolize the money you are throwing down the toilet by using a credit card.
The final calculation screen also allows you to add in an additional monthly payment, in case you’d like to pay more than the minimum. There are also several explanations printed on the screen such as, “Calculations based on minimum†and “This is only an estimate. Actual amounts may vary based on days in the billing cycle and individual account and institution policies.†Oh yeah, it also explains that, “Monthly payment based on 2% of the principal + 2.601% as the monthly interest rate for a 30 day billing cycle.†This may all seem quite confusing for the average individual who just wants some simple financial information.
Customization features include a sound toggle and setting for the default APR. That’s it. Along with a lack of customization, there are also UI concerns. The slider for the APR is not very precise. It makes it very difficult to select the exact percentage that you want. So, you’ll almost always manually type it in. Also, the APR box brings up the full keyboard with letters and numbers. Why would you need letters for the percentage rate? The purchase amount box brings up the proper number panel only. Also, you need to tap on the screen to get the keyboard to disappear again. There is no button to finalize your input and get rid of the keyboard automatically. Lastly, when a calculation has been completed, the app displays the months to pay it off. However, what if I don’t want to take two hundred months to pay it off? There should absolutely be a setting that allows the user to select how many months they would like to take to pay off the debt.
Again, Debt Dog is an overly simplistic application that really doesn’t offer anything substantial for the user. There are plenty of other applications that do what this one does, and much more. The UI is clumsy and the options and features are scarce. I do not recommend purchasing this application.
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