How should a cost-planning app communicate uncertainty before a manufacturing quote?

Hi everyone, I’m Bruce, the maker of RecipeCat. I’m building a tool to help people work through the steps between a recipe and a packaged food-product plan.

I’d like feedback on a specific product-design question: how should an app present an early cost estimate when some inputs are still assumptions?

In our recorded example, a proposed 227 g sauce bottle has an estimated unit cost of $5.42. That provides a starting point for exploring pricing, but supplier prices, packaging, actual yield and production quantity can change the result. Manufacturing partners still need to confirm feasibility and final pricing.

My view is that a single total is easy to understand, but it can hide uncertainty. I’d favor an itemized estimate with editable assumptions and a clear distinction between estimated costs and confirmed quotes. Showing a range is another option, though that range also needs a defensible basis.

For makers who have built pricing, budgeting or planning tools:

- How have you made uncertain inputs visible without overwhelming first-time users?

- When has showing a range worked better than showing a single estimate with its assumptions?

I’d appreciate concrete examples of what you tried, what confused users, and what you changed.