One year of settlement suggestions
Looking back at one year of Decents settlement suggestions, from basic amounts to payment status and copyable recommendations.
This article is a translated version. Original locale: zh-TW.
The first version of settlement suggestions launched on December 20, 2024.
We are happy that over the past year, we have continued listening to user feedback. Based on the first version, which only displayed amounts, we added two major improvements:
- Settlement suggestions now show more than payment directions. During the locked ledger phase, circular status markers help users mark who has completed a transfer and who has not.
- We added a "Copy settlement suggestions" button, so members or organizers can quickly get the recommendation text without manually sending a link and adding explanations.
The text version looks like this:
以下是本次的收付建議 (幣別:TWD);點擊這裡查看帳本:https://decents.me/rl/JVUrd9Qr0ojSuAq0G7yzK
宇野 咲:
收取 ธนภูมิ ชื่นจำรัส $ 308.33
收取 Hudson Stewart $ 203.50
收取 燦怡 $ 179.83
Decents Official:
無收付
ธนภูมิ ชื่นจำรัส:
付給 宇野 咲 $ 308.33
Hudson Stewart:
付給 宇野 咲 $ 203.50
燦怡:
付給 宇野 咲 $ 179.83
The image version matches the result shown on the page, with a title and timestamp added.
That saves quite a bit of trouble, right?
We are now designing and building on top of this foundation to make settlement even faster. If users want, they may not even need to open their banking app.
Stay tuned.
A note about marking transfers as completed
When we first designed this feature, the usage scenarios brought up a few conflicting considerations.
Take this official example:
At the time, one user told us:
It would be better if they were linked, so people do not need to check the same thing twice. It is easier to manage.
That made sense.
Just as we were about to adjust the code, another user discussed a different expense-sharing scenario with us:
If the person who should receive the money and the person managing the ledger are not the same person, it is better not to link them. The ledger manager can first record who has paid, and the receiver can later confirm the money actually arrived.
That also made sense. Not linking the statuses allows more precise control over each person's payment state. Linking them may be more convenient for many people, but can create trouble in this scenario.
What do you think? Should we add a linked-status option in ledger settings? Feel free to message us on Instagram and share your thoughts.
Those weeks had not only linked-status design conflicts, but also permission conflicts.
In the earliest version, users could only update their own payment status. In other words, you could only check your own circle.
The main reason was to avoid accidental clicks causing confusing records.
But soon after, we received complaints received requests saying that this was too inconvenient, because not everyone would open the ledger to edit it.
True. People in the same ledger are usually friends or family, right? So helping someone check a box should be fine... right?

In theory, nobody will randomly click things. Even if someone makes a mistake, it should be discovered quickly.
So we quickly shipped another fix.
Special thanks
- Sabrina, who has been a user since the very early days, for all kinds of feedback 😁

