What We've Built & Why
Every feature maps to a data point. Every decision is traceable to research. This is the product-to-research pipeline — proof that we build what matters.
The Product Promise
"Upload your documents once. The AI handles the rest — alerts, estimates, savings, filing prep — and gets smarter every time you talk to it."
Lesser is built for one person: a 28-42 year old South Asian tech professional with RSUs, foreign accounts, and a spouse who files jointly. We know this because we studied 1,885 of them. → See composite client
What's Live in Production
Core Platform
| Feature | What It Does | Research Backing |
|---|---|---|
| AI Document Extraction | Upload PDF → structured data in seconds. W-2, 1099s, K-1, 1098, prior 1040, paystubs. | Prior 1040 is #1 requested doc (133 calls, 20.9%) → Finding |
| AI Tax Advisor | Streaming AI chat with 60+ financial fields loaded. Dollar-anchored insights. Proactive on first message. | 49% of calls are AI-automatable → AI opportunity |
| Psychographic Emails | 40 copy variations (5 archetypes × 8 milestones). Zero AI calls — static lookup. | 5 archetypes from 705 calls → Psychographic |
| Archetype Evolution | Client archetype evolves at 3 triggers: onboarding, extraction, every 5 chat messages. | Emotions stack and shift → Evolution system |
| Alert System | 18 alert types (RSU cost basis risk, over-401k, wash sale + IRA, FBAR required, etc.) | IRS fear is #1 (586 mentions) → Fear patterns |
| Federal Tax Engine | Pure TypeScript. All 2025 brackets, LTCG, AMT, NIIT, CTC/EITC. Includes OBBB changes. | Clients need instant estimates → Tech details |
| State Tax Engine | ~20 states: CA (9-bracket), NY+NYC, WA cap gains, TX, NJ, MA, IL + more. | 34.5% of consults involve multi-state → Finding |
| Expert Pipeline | 22-status workflow. Admin kanban. Client assignment. Meeting scheduling via Cal.com. | Meeting no-shows = #1 service failure → No-show data |
| Billing | Stripe checkout with on-demand session creation. 4 pricing tiers validated. | 2.2:1 accept ratio when value shown → PMF signals |
| Referral System | Referral tracking with reward amounts. | Referral is #1 acquisition → Acquisition data |
Decisions Backed by Data
Every significant product decision traces to a specific finding from the intelligence library.
"NRI Tax Expert" not "H1B Specialist"
77% of foreign-asset clients are NOT on H1B. Broadened positioning to capture full market. → Demographics
Dollar-Anchor Rule in AI responses
Clients respond to specific dollar amounts, not vague advice. 150 calls showed pricing acceptance after one concrete value demo. → Sales mechanics
Warmth-first, features-second design
Relationship signals (1,879) beat expertise signals (1,200) beat price signals (518). Product tone follows. → Soul truth
Archetype-aware email system
68% are trust-seeking. Generic "Action required:" emails erode trust. Rewrote all 28 status emails per archetype. → Shipped system
AI handles first-line support
49% of consultation calls involve questions AI can answer — pricing (43.6%), timelines (20.7%), filing status (18.7%). → AI opportunity
Weekend + evening expert coverage
34.4% of calls happen on weekends. Peak hour is 11 PM local (9:30 AM IST). Staffing matches demand. → Temporal data
Prior year 1040 upload in onboarding
Most-requested document (133 calls, 20.9%) — outpaces even W-2 requests. Clients want to compare. → Recommendation
Proactive insights on first message
Competition answers questions. Lesser anticipates them. Ranked dollar-impact findings computed before user types. → Atlas principles
Product Roadmap (10 PRDs Written)
Every planned feature has a full Product Requirements Document with user stories, acceptance criteria, and data backing.
| PRD | Feature | Research Link | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRD-01 | Auto-Draft Generation | Extraction pipeline → return intelligence | In Progress |
| PRD-02 | Smart Document Requests | 81% of doc requests are for missing types → Gap | Planned |
| PRD-03 | Morning Briefing (Admin) | Expert efficiency — route by specialization | Planned |
| PRD-04 | Draft Ready Notification | Archetype-aware email when draft is complete | Shipped |
| PRD-05 | Invoice Follow-up Automation | Payment delays → automated sequences | Planned |
| PRD-06 | Weekly Pipeline Digest | Admin visibility into 22-status pipeline | Planned |
| PRD-07 | Meeting Prep Summary | AI generates pre-call brief from extracted data | Planned |
| PRD-08 | Quick Actions | Reduce expert clicks for common operations | Planned |
| PRD-09 | Ask Lesser AI (Public) | 298 real Intercom questions → training data | Research |
| PRD-10 | Time-Sensitive Smart Alerts | 176 "deadline" fears → proactive reminders | In Progress |
Known Gaps (Prioritized)
From analyzing 519 document requests across 705 consultation calls — the documents clients need that we don't yet collect automatically.
| Document Gap | Requests | % of All | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prior year 1040 | 133 | 20.9% | Added to onboarding |
| Business expenses | 120 | 18.8% | PRD-02 |
| Foreign bank statements | 66 | 10.4% | PRD-02 |
| E-file authorization (8879) | 64 | 10.0% | Automated |
| State tax forms | 37 | 5.8% | Planned |
| Pay stubs | 34 | 5.3% | Extraction live |
| Estimated tax payment records | 25 | 3.9% | Planned |
81% of all document requests are for types not in the original upload flow. Each gap we close reduces expert call load and improves time-to-completion. This is the difference between building features from assumptions vs. building from 705 real conversations.
Product Intelligence • Volume 6 • 10 PRDs, 18 alert types, every decision data-backed
Part of the Intelligence Hub