Adding & Configuring Inputs
Inputs collect the values and assumptions used by your ROI Model or Calculator.
Use different Input types depending on whether users need to enter a number, adjust a range, select from a list or make a Yes/No choice.
Add an Input
To add an Input:
Open Show Components.
Find the Inputs section.
Select the Input type you want to add.
Complete the settings in the configuration drawer.
Select Save.
The Input is added to the canvas and receives a formula reference that can be used when building calculations.
Available Input types
ROI Studio provides several Input controls:
Range Slider Input
Users should select a value from a continuous range
Numerical Input
Users should enter or step through a precise number
Radio Button Input
Users should choose one option from a visible list
Dropdown Input
Users should choose one option from a compact list
Multi Select Input
Users should be able to select more than one option
Dial Input
Users should adjust a numeric value using a dial
Toggle Yes / No
Users should choose between two states
Choose the control that makes the assumption easiest for someone using the model to understand and change.
Range Slider Input
Use Range Slider Input when you want someone to adjust a numeric assumption within a defined range.
Configure values including:
Initial Value
Minimum Value
Maximum Value
Step / Increment Value
You can also control how the value is displayed.
For example, a slider could represent:
Adoption rate
Productivity improvement
Annual transaction volume
Average handling time
Cost per transaction
Set the minimum, maximum and increment to realistic values for the assumption being modelled.
Numerical Input
Use Numerical Input when a precise numeric value needs to be entered or adjusted.
The settings drawer identifies this control as Numerical Button.
As with a Range Slider, you can configure:
Initial value
Minimum value
Maximum value
Step / increment
Numerical Inputs are useful for assumptions where precision is more important than visually exploring a range.
Dial Input
Use Dial Input when you want a numeric value to be adjusted through a dial-style control.
Configure the appropriate starting value, range and increment in the same way you would for other numeric Inputs.
Choose a Dial when that interaction suits the experience you want to create rather than simply using it as an alternative visual treatment for every numeric assumption.
Display numeric values
Numeric Inputs can be configured to display their values as:
Numerical
Percentage
Currency
Choose the format that reflects what the underlying value actually represents.
For example:
£42,000 is more understandable as a currency value than as 42000.
Likewise:
65% clearly communicates that the underlying assumption is a percentage.
Currency Inputs
When the value represents money:
Select Currency as the display mode.
Choose the appropriate Currency.
Review how the value appears in the model.
Using the currency configuration is preferable to manually adding currency symbols to every Input label.
For more information, see Styling, Icons & Number Formats.
Prefixes and suffixes
Numeric Inputs can also use prefix or suffix text where appropriate.
These can provide additional context around a value.
For example, a suffix might communicate a unit such as:
hours
minutes
employees
calls
transactions
Use prefixes and suffixes when they make the meaning of the value clearer.
Avoid adding unnecessary text when the Display Label already communicates the unit sufficiently.
Radio Button Input
Use Radio Button Input when the user should select one option and it's useful for all available options to remain visible.
This works well for a relatively small number of important choices.
When configuring the Input:
Enter the Display Label.
Add the available choices.
Define the text and value for each choice.
Configure any supported default.
Save the Input.
Keep option labels concise and clearly distinguishable from one another.
Dropdown Input
Use Dropdown Input when the user should select one option but you don't need every choice permanently visible.
Dropdowns can be particularly useful when a list contains enough options that displaying them all would take unnecessary space on the model.
As with Radio Buttons, make sure every option has appropriate text and a usable underlying value.
Multi Select Input
Use Multi Select Input when more than one choice can be selected.
Configure the available choices carefully and review the supported default selection behaviour in the settings drawer.
All required list fields must be completed before the component can be saved successfully.
If the choice configuration is incomplete, ROI Studio can display:
Please fill all list field.
Review the list and complete any missing information before saving again.
Configure choice values carefully
Choice Inputs aren't only presentation controls.
The values assigned to choices can be used by the model's calculation logic.
For each option, make sure:
The visible text makes sense to the user.
The underlying value makes sense to the calculation.
Required fields have been completed.
Any default selection is appropriate.
This becomes particularly important when formulas depend on the selected option.
Toggle Yes / No
Use Toggle Yes / No when an assumption has two states.
The Toggle lets you configure:
OFF Value (NO)
ON Value (YES)
Each state can therefore represent a numeric value that can be used within calculations.
For example, a Toggle could represent whether an optional benefit or cost should be included in the business case.
The OFF state might represent:
0
while the ON state could represent:
1
A formula can then use the resulting value as part of its calculation.
The values don't have to be limited to 0 and 1. Configure the ON and OFF values required by your model logic.
Inputs can drive formulas
Every Input added to the model receives a formula reference.
That reference allows the Input's value to be used in calculations.
For example, a calculation might combine:
Annual Volume × Cost per Transaction × Improvement Rate
where each of those assumptions is represented by an Input.
Because Outputs can depend on Inputs, it's generally useful to establish the required Inputs before building formulas around them.
For more information, see Creating & Editing Formulas.
Configure labels and supporting information
Use the Input configuration to make each assumption understandable to someone using the model.
Depending on the component, you can configure information such as:
Display Label
Detail text
Tooltip
Icon
Colours
A good Display Label should tell the user what they're changing without requiring them to understand the underlying formula.
For example:
Average Fully Loaded Employee Cost
is more useful than:
Employee Value
when the Input specifically represents annual fully loaded employment cost.
Conditional visibility
Inputs can also use a Visibility Condition.
This allows an Input to be shown or hidden based on another value or condition within the model.
Conditional visibility can help keep a model focused by showing assumptions only when they're relevant.
For detailed guidance, see Conditional Visibility & Calculate on Hidden.
Numeric controls can also appear with Outputs
Range Slider Input and Numerical Input are also available from the Outputs component group when you want an adjustable control positioned within the output area.
Toggle Yes / No is also available under both Inputs and Outputs.
Choose its location based on how you want the model experience to be structured.
Choosing the right Input
A simple rule is:
Adjust a value visually across a range
Range Slider Input
Enter a precise value
Numerical Input
Select one of a few visible choices
Radio Button Input
Select one choice from a longer list
Dropdown Input
Select several choices
Multi Select Input
Adjust a numeric value with a dial
Dial Input
Choose between two states
Toggle Yes / No
The best Input isn't necessarily the most visually distinctive one. Use the control that makes the assumption easiest to understand and change.
Best practices
When configuring Inputs:
Use clear, business-friendly Display Labels.
Set realistic minimum and maximum values.
Use sensible increments.
Use Percentage only for genuine percentage values.
Use Currency for monetary assumptions.
Give every choice clear text and an appropriate value.
Keep choice lists as simple as the business case allows.
Use tooltips where additional explanation genuinely helps.
Add the Inputs required by a calculation before constructing its formula.
Preview the model after making significant Input changes.
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