Pocket Investor - User Manual
Contents
1. Criterion gica ve Option Touch Pro 2 ve Ex v2 EE EPro Bos Beat D 4 IRAM Siz Wei Eser Dwi DElu E Cam DGPS Mint ts Considerations Random Analysis 20 Acquasys Pocket Decider Pocket Decider provides two modes that can help you to simulate ratings based on random values The first mode Full Random Mode generates a random rating for each criteria for all options and opinions This mode is useful when you want your decision to be purely luck based as their results would behave just like flipping a coin You can turn this mode on using the Settings screen The second mode Simulation mode allows you to specify one or more criteria to be randomized using the Simulated check box found in the Criterion screen You can define the number of rounds used in the simulation using the Settings screen On each round Pocket Decider generates a random rating for each criterion marked as simulated computes the other criteria as normal and then store the analysis result for that round This process is repeated for the defined number of rounds and then the average result is calculated This kind of simulation can show you how your decision may be affected when the ratings for one or more criteria diverge too much or are unpredictable Ej Simulation mode is activated automatically when at least one active criterion is declared as Simulated Full Random Mode Sim2. RXS VAI X16 DW GTW X18 POW ACE ge Analyze The first column shows the criterion title and the second Details shows the following indicators 11 Acquasys Pocket Decider Indicator Meaning NU Criterion type is Numeric YN Criterion type is Yes No TX Criterion type is Text ST Criterion type is Stars Criterion is negative any number Criterion weight N Criterion has notes R A restriction is defined for the criterion S Criterion is simulated F Criterion has a fixed value assigned only by the first opinion To add a criterion to the list do the following 1 While the Criteria list is open click on the plus button at the main toolbar or select Menu Criterion New 2 Enter the criterion title 3 4 Optional If the criterion type is Text click on Labels button and enter Select the criterion type numeric yes no text or stars all values that will represent the ratings for the criterion Optional Specify the criterion weight Move the slider to the right to set a higher importance move it to the left to set a lower importance Optional If it is the case you can declare the weight as negative Optional On the Details tab you can declare the criterion as Simulated or specify a restriction for the criterion You can also set it as having a fixed value
3. Y Acquasys Pocket Decider User Manual Acquasys Pocket Decider Intro dn CAI io 3 Somo USES autista usb tetdidet doa o cul caa TE NaSA quial dedos newest Seas 3 Key Te AIR Saas cts aac cates A SR Dathannne ea obsemnaea tua bcee 3 Installation Rada e ry 4 SS O A T EAE AAEE ia 4 This Documentation O UDN 6 Some CONCEDER nad a aaa 7 Decision PEO CCU naire cacti peste o da 7 AUST e ccd Sas Sey ea uss Sas cance A A UA 7 OPU ONS NA aaa 8 OPINIONS ai n E A AA ER E 9 DEE TA E E E E E E AAE E EEEE 9 Installing Decision BSS vasta A A A 9 Creating A NEW POE iaa 10 Adding Gritefid Figen RENOMADA RD NE RR a E E UP PRADOS SRS 11 Edo A A A N AS E 13 Adding COUNTS ceras e Da id delas 14 Using the Quick E try FOr gs ts a A AT tua neon 16 Editing Criteria Options Opinions coococooccconoconnnonnnconncconoconoconn ccoo no coronan corno coronan nrnrcnn ccoo 17 Removing Criteria Options O pinos ds 17 Reordering Criteria Options Opinions ccccesseceseceseceeseeescecaeceseceseecsaeceseeeeeeenseeeaeenes 17 Enabling and Disabling Criteria Options Opinions eee eeeeseeeeeeeeeeecesecesecneeeseeeneees 18 O Cen ie a ek ek oa et 18 Automatic Weight SE VSG Fs Sone A A aid ada NAS dE SE aa a a 18 Viewing Analysis ResullS ilatina is a aan 19 Random Analysis a A Ati 20 Using Decision Templates O do 21 Importing Data aq ei n e a 22 Exportino Data eo A A A AEE ci 22 ProjecESCUMOaS sisi idad 23 Program
4. setting Project Settings this tab will show another chart with o Total points for each criterion for the selected option when Opinion View is By Option o Total points for each option for the selected criterion when Opinion View is By Criterion Acquasys Pocket Decider E Criteria names are represented in the chart by their two first letters and options by their position numbers If the project contains a large number of active criteria or options they may be partially visible in the chart space In this case if possible try to change the screen orientation to Landscape to increase the visible area e Decision Report Pocket Deciders generates an HTML file in the same location where the decision file is containing a summary of the project and the analysis result This report is open in Internet Explorer on your device and can also be viewed or printed from your desktop computer later E You can customize which sections appear in the report in the program options screen You can also define your preferred layout mobile or PC see Program Options later in this document On the third tab some considerations are shown about the analysis result which may help you to better classify the project data and improve your decision For example it can show if a rating was not assigned for a criterion or if you forget to assign weights to the decision criteria Pocket Decider View MEU op
5. In both cases if there is a fact available for the selected option criterion it will be shown right below the main list El If Lock Opinions setting is active it will not be possible to view or modify this opinion once entered Acquasys Pocket Decider Option IEEE 7 Option ETA Processor Speed E Processor Speed OS Version OS Version Screen Resolution Screen Resolution Wi Fi i Wi Fi Bluetooth Storage Card Using the Quick Entry Form Sometimes you may want to add many criteria options or opiners at once as they come into your mind and then set their details later For these situations a Quick Entry form is provided 1 In the main screen selected the desired list criteria options or opinions 2 Click on Menu Tools Quick Entry menu 3 In the Quick Entry form enter all criteria options opinions names in the text field one per line and tap Done 4 If needed set the item details weights notes etc individually later 16 Acquasys Pocket Decider Pocket Decider 4 11 31 ok Pocket Decider q gt 11 31 x Enter all items to add one per line Criteria 6 6 Service Credit Cards Accepted Editing Criteria Options Opinions 1 Go to the corresponding list and select the criterion option or opinion you wish to edit 2 Use Menu Criterion Option Opinion Edit or the context menu tap and hold the desired item 3 Edit the record as expl
6. Acquasys Pocket Decider j Keep your registration code in a safe location If you replace your device or if it suffers a hard reset the program will enter Trial mode and you will have to enter the code again to register it Note that the code becomes invalid if you change your device s Owner Name ig Try the unregistered version in your Windows Mobile before purchasing it to ensure that it meets your expectations and that the program works as expected with your device This Documentation This manual explains how to build decisions projects with Pocket Decider A very compact help file is installed on the Windows Mobile device accessible from the Start menu Help command and from Pocket Decider s main menu for quick reference Please feel free to send any kind of correction to support acquasys com thank you E Screenshots shown in this documentation may slightly differ from the current version Acquasys Pocket Decider Some Concepts Before we start let s learn some basic concepts about Pocket Decider Decision Project A Decision Project is a unit composed of options criteria opinions and settings for a decision purpose For example you can create a My new car project composed of three car options five criteria your opinion and your wife s opinion A Decision Project or Decision File can be saved for later reuse Criteria Criteria are the parameters that will be considered
7. Max Choices This is the number of items shown in the Analysis result list e Min Score When a minimum gt 0 score is defined options that dont reach it are discarded in the analysis process e Preference Factor If a preference factor is defined options marked as Preferred will have their scores increased according to this value in the analysis process This setting may help to reflect your personal or emotional preferences when comparing options with similar scores Default is 5 meaning that the preferred option if any will automatically earn 5 more points over other alternatives 23 Acquasys Pocket Decider l Pocket Decider uses weights and ratings to give you a rational and impartial result Preference Factor affects this calculation deliberately increasing the score of the options marked as preferred so using a high factor above 10 is not recommended as this may make your analysis very tendentious Reverse Order In some situations you may have to make a decision based on the less scored options for example you may have to exclude the three less scored candidates from your selection process This setting will reverse the order of the analysis result Password If you decision project contains sensitive information you can protect it with a password that will be required when the decision file is opened Be sure to memorize the password as there is no way to recover it Program Options Ac
8. Optional On the Notes tab you can enter more information for the criterion Acquasys Pocket Decider Pocket Decider Pocket Decider Criterion Simulated Fixed Value first opinion only Type Labels Default Value Weight Restriction O Negative Rating must be Categor Criterion Advanced Notes Done 2 Cancel Cancel Adding Options The second list in the main screen shows all options for the current project Pocket Decider Op Xx Touch Diamond Touch Diamond 2 amp Touch Pro Touch Pro 2 The first column shows the option title and the second Details shows the following indicators Indicator Meaning 13 Acquasys Pocket Decider Facts are declared for the option Option has an Info URL Option has notes Option is declared as Preferred An image is attached to the option miVvIZS ICIT To add an option to the list do the following 1 While the Options list is shown click on the plus button at the main toolbar or select Menu Option New Enter the option title and optional notes optional Enter an Info URL where more information about the option can be found optional Enter the option facts for each criterion optional Select a image file jpg gif or bmp for the option Adding Opinions The third list in the main screen shows the opinions f
9. Weight Leveling Assistant you can assign weights comparing pairs of criteria When started the assistant will ask you to compare the first criterion with the second as less important more important or of the same importance Then it will repeat the process with the second and the third criterion and so on When the last criterion is weighted it will start again from the first criterion until Finish is pressed Acquasys Pocket Decider Pocket Decider 7 46 15 33 ok Weight Leveling Compare the following criteria and press Next press Finish to stop Fuel economy mpg city hwy is more important than B4 Transmission Viewing Analysis Results When all criteria options and opinions have been entered you can run the decision analysis using the last button of the toolbar The analysis result is shown in four forms Ranking List first tab Options are shown in descending order according to their scores better options first The number of items displayed depends on the value of Max Choices setting Project Settings The score format also depends on Project Settings Options marked as Preferred are shown with an asterisk in this list Result Chart second tab The first column represents the maximum possible score and the subsequent columns show how options compare to this value better options first Details Chart third tab Depending on the value of Opinion View
10. PIN A ES aa 24 Acquasys Pocket Decider Acquasys Pocket Decider Introduction ocket Decider is a complete decision software based on MCDA Multi Criteria Decision Analysis model designed for use on Windows Mobile devices Pocket Decider is very easy to use and can help in any scenario where a rational decision is needed In MCDA model weights are assigned for all criteria involved in a decision based on their importance and ratings are given for these criteria for all alternatives present in the problem Each alternative receives a number of points based on the multiplication of each criterion rating for its corresponding weight The best alternative is the one with more points Pocket Decider improves this simple concept in many ways including multiple opinions negative weights etc Pocket Decider may be used equally well for small comparisons such as which car to buy or for complex decision problems involving hundreds of options criteria and opinions In both cases the process is very simple build a list of the criteria and options rate the options against the criteria and find your best choices instantly anywhere Some Uses Compare products for purchasing or review Choose a new car house etc Choose a new job or select a new employee Choose the best project to start Choose a restaurant or the best place for an event and many more Key features Unlimited number of options criteria and opinions with instant ac
11. ained above j It is not possible to view or edit a locked opinion Removing Criteria Options Opinions 1 Go to the corresponding tab and tap and hold the criterion option or opinion you wish to remove 2 Use the Remove command in the context menu El When a criteria or option is removed all corresponding opinions are also removed This process cannot be undone Reordering Criteria Options Opinions 1 Goto the corresponding tab and select the criterion option or opinion you wish to move Acquasys Pocket Decider 2 Use the Arrow Up toolbar button or the context menu tap and hold the desired list to move the item one position up 3 Use the Arrow Down toolbar button or the context menu tap and hold the desired list to move the item one position down E Manual reordering is not possible when option Auto Sort is active program settings Enabling and Disabling Criteria Options Opinions Use the checkboxes at the left of the criteria options and opinions lists to enable and disable items and to try out various combinations in the decision analysis Disabled items don t appear in the analysis result in the analysis report nor in exported files Edit Menus All text fields have cut copy paste capabilities accessible from a context menu 1 Tap and hold the text field 2 Select the desired operation from the context menu Automatic Weight Leveling Using the
12. all ratings for all options are defined by the user for that criterion j By Criterion view is appropriate when you want to give your ratings for the options all at once comparing them criterion by criterion Random Mode In random mode ratings for each option are chosen automatically by the program User defined ratings are ignored but criteria and opinion weights are still considered Ignore Weights If this option is active Pocket Decider will ignore all criteria and opinion weights and only rating values will be used in the analysis process Lock Opinions When this setting is active every opinion become locked once entered A locked opinion cannot be viewed or edited and does not appear in the Decision Report Use this feature when you want to let someone else enter his her opinion using your device keeping that opinion private Ej This setting protects only opinions entered or edited after it is turned on However locked opinions are never unlocked again for security reasons Auto Sort Enable this option if you want Pocket Decider to sort criteria options and opinions alphabetically in your projects Move Up and Move Down functions will be disabled while this setting is active Hide disabled items in Opinions Enable this option to prevent disabled not marked criteria and options from appearing in the Opinion screen Show Result Preview When this option is active a small chart repres
13. cessing Menu Tools Options you can define global preferences for Pocket Decider Max Rating Max Weight Max Choices Min Rating Pref Factor These settings contain the default values for new projects See Project Settings for more information about them Simulation Rounds This setting defines how many times the score for an option will be randomized when in Simulated mode Score Format This setting defines how the score is displayed in the Analysis result ranking Possible choices are o Points The points for each option are calculated based on ratings criteria and opinion weights and displayed as an integer number o 0 10 The points for each option are calculated and then measured against the maximum possible result that could be achieved by an option based on the current criteria and opinion weights The result is then presented in a 0 10 scale o 0 100 The result is calculated as above and presented in a 0 100 scale Opinion View This setting controls how the opinions are collected in the Opinion screen Possible choices are o By Option One option is selected at a time and then all ratings for all criteria are defined at once by the user for that option 24 Acquasys Pocket Decider El By Option view is recommended when you wish to focus on each option at a time when giving it your ratings not directly comparing it to the other options o By Criterion One criterion is selected at a time and then
14. e created in another application like Microsoft Excel The input file must contain options as fields columns and criteria as rows and the first row must contain the options titles starting from the second column Exporting Data The Export function Menu Tools Export allows you to transport decision data to CSV Comma Delimited Values files which can easily be opened in many applications like Microsoft Excel and then use that data to generate charts reports etc There are two types of information that can be exported facts and opinions Selecting Facts will fill the output file with the information added in the Options screen for each criterion Selecting Opinions will fill the file with the values from the current selected opinion In both cases the output file will contain options as 22 Acquasys Pocket Decider fields columns and criteria as rows and the first line will contain the options titles starting from the second column Project Settings The last toolbar button shows the Project Settings screen where some options can be applied to the current project gt e Pocket Decider 4 4x 16 14 lok Project Settings Max Rating 10 a w Max Weight 5 w Password Confirmation L Lock Opinions Cancel e Max Rating This is the rating limit that can be registered for an opinion e Max Weight This is the maximum weight that can be selected for a criterion or for an opinion e
15. en stars This type is normally used for qualitative ratings ex build quality ease of use etc Acquasys Pocket Decider Each criterion can have a weight representing its importance that will affect the result of the analysis For example you may decide that the car s design is not so important in your decision so it has a weight of 1 but price is the most important and has a weight of 3 and so on A criterion can have a negative weight For example Price criterion can be declared as negative so the higher the rating it receives for an option the lower will be its corresponding score Each criterion can have a category For example you assign a category Cost to Price and Insurance criteria Comfort to Electric Windows and Air conditioning and so on Using categories you can better organize projects with a large number of criteria You can set a criterion as having a fixed value rating assigned only by the first opinion For example if there will be many opinions and a Yes No criterion called Electric Windows in your project it would make no sense to have to set its value to Yes in all opinions about an option because this criterion behaves more like a fact not an opinion For this reason you can tell Pocket Decider to consider only the first opinion about that criterion so the other people do not have to set it again Criteria can also have restrictions A restricti
16. enting the current option rank is displayed in the main screen above the toobar This chart is updated instantly at every modification made in criteria options or opinions For performance reasons you may choose to disable it when dealing with large projects 25 Acquasys Pocket Decider Report Contents In this tab you can select the sections which will appear in the Decision Report criteria and options details results considerations images etc Report Layout By default Pocket Decider generates the decision report in a vertical layout suitable for small screens If you wish to view it on a desktop browser you can change the layout to horizontal where option facts and opinion ratings are displayed as tables for better comparison 26
17. in your decision When choosing a new car for example you may be considering its design fuel consumption price etc each one of these parameters is a criterion in Pocket Decider You can have any number of criteria in your project In fact the more criteria you consider in your analysis more precise your analysis result tend to be There are four criteria types Numeric Yes No Text and Stars e Numeric type represents ratings ranging from zero to the maximum rating value allowed for the project default is 5 This type is normally used for quantitative ratings ex battery capacity screen resolution etc e Yes No is a logical type where No represents a rating of zero and Yes represents the maximum possible rating for the project for example if the maximum rating is 5 then No 0 and Yes 5 e Text type uses custom labels as poor fair good excellent and so on to represent a rating for the criterion These ratings are then translated to a value from zero to the maximum rating for example poor 0 fair 1 good 3 etc When the number of labels is different than the maximum rating each label receives a proportional value For example if only three labels exist for a range of 0 10 each label would represent a value of 3 33 e Finally Stars type uses stars representing a numeric rating where each star represents a proportional value in the range allowed with a maximum of t
18. ion for decision files Import export from to CSV files Microsoft Excel compatible Displays considerations about the analysis result and how to improve it Installation Requirements Windows Mobile device running Windows Mobile 5 0 or later o For Windows Mobile 5 NET Compact Framework must be installed You can download it for free from Microsoft s web site try this link 400 Kbytes of free space for program files Additional space for decision files templates and reports Alternatively to the desktop exe installer you can use the CAB installer available at Pocket Decider s web page to install Pocket Decider directly on your device Just copy the CAB file to any folder on your device click on its name from File Explorer and the installation will begin Trial Version Acquasys Pocket Decider Pocket Decider is a shareware application distributed at no cost for evaluation purposes In trial unregistered mode most of the product features are enabled and there is no expiration date but the following limitations do exist Only three criteria three options and one opinion can be analyzed simultaneously Decision projects cannot be saved A registration code that converts the trial version into the full registered version can be obtained directly from Acquasys www acquasys com Once you get the registration code select Menu Tools Register enter it in the appropriated field and tap Register
19. on is a condition that must be satisfied for each option in the decision analysis For example if you create a restriction greater than 3 for the Design criterion cars that don t receive that rating considering all opinions will be discarded in the decision analysis Restrictions work with any criterion type including the Text type Options Options are the alternatives that you are considering in your decision In the above example you may have three cars to choose from say Acme Car 1 Acme Car 2 and Acme Car 3 each one is an Option in Pocket Decider You many have any number of options you want in your project Within each option you can also register it s facts for each criterion Facts are the information regarding a criterion that is specific for an option and is opinion neutral For example you can declare Price for Acme Car 1 as 27 000 30 000 for Acme Car 2 and so on Sometimes you may have a personal and perhaps purely emotional preference for a specific option In this case you may mark it as Preferred in order to increase its score in a certain percentage when it is compared to the other options Acquasys Pocket Decider This may help you to decide between two options that have close calculated scores An options can also have an image assigned to it which can be displayed in the Decision Report You can also assign an Info URL to the option which i
20. or the current project Opinions 2 2 Name MRE Pocket Decider Pocket Decider Opinion Weight Notes The first column shows the opiner s name and the second Details shows the following indicators Acquasys Pocket Decider Indicator Meaning any number Opinion weight L Opinion is locked N Opinion has notes To add an opinion to the list do the following 1 While the Opinions list is shown click on the plus button at the main toolbar or select Menu Opinion New 2 Enter the Opiner name and optional notes 3 Go to the Opinion tab Depending on the Opinion View setting program settings values will be entered by option or by criterion 4 If the Opinion View is By Option a Select the option in the list at the top of the screen b Click on each criterion listed at the center of the screen to change the corresponding rating using the slider buttons or selection box depending on the criterion type 5 If the Opinion View is By Criterion c Select the criterion in the list at the top of the screen d Click on each option listed at the center of the screen to change the corresponding value using the slider buttons or selection box depending on the criterion type Ej If the selected criterion has a fixed value and this is not the first opinion in this project it will not be possible to change its value rating 6
21. s a hyperlink for any web page containing more information about it technical specs product details reviews etc This link will also be shown in the Decision Report Opinions Once you have entered your options you must rate them against the criteria you defined In Pocket Decider these ratings are grouped in Opinions which are sets of ratings given from one or more persons opiners like you your spouse your colleagues team members etc You can have any number of opinions in your project Like criteria opinions can also have a weight importance that will be considered in the decision analysis For example if in your project there are also ratings from three other people you can give yours a higher weight in the decision analysis Usage Installing Decision Files Installing existing decision files dec in your Windows Mobile is a very simple process and can be done in some ways You can copy decision files to the My Documents folder on your desktop computer and then synchronize it with your device You can copy your exam files directly to your device using Windows Explorer You can download decision files from web sites using Pocket Internet Explorer and save them under My Documents folder in your device E Is a good idea to keep your decision and auxiliary files images reports etc in My Documents Decisions folder for better organization but you can store them anywhere under My Documen
22. tivation deactivation Weight based criteria and opinions Weight leveling assistant for criteria Acquasys Pocket Decider 4 criterion types numeric yes no text and stars Definable criteria restrictions Criteria categories for better organization of a large number of items Quick Entry Form for fast criteria options opinions inclusion Dual opinion view by option by criterion Full Random Opinion mode Simulation mode uses thousands of rating combinations to show you how they can affect your decision Preferred Options and Preference Factor features can reflect your personal and emotional preferences in the analysis result Projects can be saved as Decision Templates for sharing and reuse Templates can be published and downloaded directly from program Opinions can be locked making their ratings invisible to everyone Other customizable decision settings number of choices maximum rating and weight values minimum score score format etc Fully customizable decision templates many included with the product Analysis result displayed as a ranking list bar charts and report Generates a complete report in HTML format using two layouts mobile or desktop Optional result preview pane shows the current option rank instantly at every data update Displays considerations about the analysis result and how to improve it Saves decision projects in encrypted and compressed files Password protect
23. ts You can also store them on a Storage Card El If your decision project contain image references they must be copied to the same folder where the decision file is located Acquasys Pocket Decider Es DEC files are associated with Pocket Decider when the software is installed You can open a decision file directly using Windows Mobile s File Explorer or a similar tool Pocket Decider a E Open Folder All Folders v Type Decision Files dec v y Cars Decisions E E E If the decision file is protected by a password see Project Settings you will be prompted to enter it Creating a new project 1 From the main menu select Menu Project New to create a new project from scratch or use Menu Template Load to reutilize data from an existing template see Decision Templates 2 On the project settings screen enter the project title and optional details Acquasys Pocket Decider Pocket Decider Project Settings Max Rating s alv Max Weight 3 Jaf Max Choices alo 0 all options Min Score fo aw Pref Factor O jar w _ Reverse Order Cancel 3 Follow the next steps to enter criteria options and opinions Adding Criteria The first list in the main screen shows the criteria for the current project Pocket Decider All Categories Criteria 38 38 P Card reader ve f Deliwery time w P Digital audio out e Disc Labeling
24. ulation Mode Randomized criteria All criteria Selected criteria Randomization rounds 1 User definable Averaged result No Yes Result variance High Depends on number weight of criteria Using Decision Templates Templates are a convenient way to reutilize the criteria used in a specific analysis in other similar scenarios You can for example create a generic product comparison project add common criteria and then save it as a template which you can use later to compare different products The current decision project can be saved as a template using the Template Save As menu Template files DCT only contain project information criteria and settings except passwords Options and opinions are not saved with the template 21 Acquasys Pocket Decider To start a project from a template use Menu Template Load Pocket Decider 473 d 11 53 Open Folder DecSons ma Type Decision Templates dct v Decisions y Houses Decisions gt Job Candidates Decisions gt Job Comparison Decisions sy Projects Decisions y Restaurant Events Decisions y Stores Decisions a NA L To update a template create a new project from it make any changes you wish and then save it again as a template Importing Data The Import menu allows you to import data from a CSV Comma Delimited Values file directly into the current project You can use this feature to read data from a comparison tabl
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