Web developers endure an ongoing quest for the perfect way to display data. Calculating the correct figure is just the start, the goal is to make it easy to interpret. This is especially hard when the data is numeric.

To tackle this our latest generation of tools include a feature that we call Hover-Over-Breakdown or HOB for short. Inspired by the Sum feature in spreadsheet software, this works by highlighting the elements of an equation when the user hovers their mouse over a result cell like a total or percentage of a figure.  

Taxation is a complex subject and that is not likely to change, but a good web tool can help a user carve it up live on screen, making it manageable, maybe even enjoyable. That is the concept of gamification, making the everyday mundane feel as fluid as a computer game.