Problem Statement: Spreadsheets are used everywhere for tracking sales, managing budgets, organizing data, and more. But when spreadsheets grow large, it becomes hard to spot mistakes or unusual patterns. For example, if a product suddenly sells 5 times more than usual or a monthly expense doubles without reason, how can users quickly catch these issues before they become costly problems?

The Challenge: At Workiva, we aim to simplify how people work with data. Your challenge is to design an AI-powered anomaly detection solution that helps users quickly spot unusual patterns (anomalies) in spreadsheet data, without needing to be a data expert.

You can find examples of Workiva UI on their support page and website to help guide your design and ensure a consistent user experience.

Relevant Resources:
To better understand anomaly detection and AI integration in spreadsheets, you may find the following resources helpful:

● Google Sheets and Excel Anomaly Detection Tools – Research how existing platforms handle outlier detection and where there are gaps in usability.
● UX Design for Data Tools – Look into best practices for designing intuitive data interfaces, especially for non-technical users.
● Competitor Tools – Review existing anomaly detection solutions like Tableau, Power BI, and other spreadsheet add-ons to identify areas for improvement.

Example 1: If a financial report shows that marketing expenses jumped from $10,000 to $100,000 in a month, the solution could highlight the value and say: “Marketing expenses increased by 900% compared to last month. This could be due to a data entry error or a new campaign. Please review the details.”

Example 2: If a sales report shows that revenue from a product suddenly drops to zero after months of steady performance, the solution might flag it and say: “Sales for Product A have dropped by 100% compared to the monthly average. This could be due to an issue with inventory or a change in customer demand. Please investigate further.”

Your goal is to make this solution easy to use and valuable for everyday users, even for non-expert users. Please note that the examples provided are for reference only and should not be directly used in your solution.