type
Internship
timeline
4 months during Summer, 2024
role
User Researcher, UI/ UX Designer
team
Sagrika Trehan, Two other UX Designers, Product Manager, Product Lead, Developers
Project Overview
The Challenge
The project involved redesigning two key legacy components of the pre-trade analysis platform. The goal was to modernize the user interface while optimizing the data analysis experience. The project required balancing complex financial data visualization needs with improved usability and customization options, while working within a compressed timeframe. The redesign needed to navigate numerous technical constraints, maintain core functionality while improving UX, address the specific needs of expert users in institutional finance, and deliver solutions that could be implemented quickly by the development team.
The Outcome
The project delivered high-fidelity wireframes and interactive prototypes for both platform components, ready for implementation. The redesigned platform enables users to make more informed, quick, and tailored investment decisions through improved data visualization and streamlined workflows.
Work Structure:
Iterative design cycles leading to refined deliverables
Collaborative design sessions for sharing, defining, ideation and sketching
Presented progress in weekly critique sessions to gather and incorporate feedback
The project involved redesigning two key legacy components of the pre-trade analysis platform. The goal was to modernize the user interface while optimizing the data analysis experience. The project required balancing complex financial data visualization needs with improved usability and customization options, while working within a compressed timeframe. The redesign needed to navigate numerous technical constraints, maintain core functionality while improving UX, address the specific needs of expert users in institutional finance, and deliver solutions that could be implemented quickly by the development team.
The Brief
The project delivered high-fidelity wireframes and interactive prototypes for both platform components, ready for implementation. The redesigned platform enables users to make more informed, quick, and tailored investment decisions through improved data visualization and streamlined workflows.
Work Structure:
Iterative design cycles leading to refined deliverables
Collaborative design sessions for sharing, defining, ideation and sketching
Presented progress in weekly critique sessions to gather and incorporate feedback
The Outcome
01
The work
Design Sprints
The project followed an iterative sprint-based approach focused on business value and product strategy. Each week began with research and ideation sessions, involving close collaboration with the team to understand user problems. After prototyping, focused design critiques were held with product managers.
This strategic feedback loop enabled the team to:
Validate technical feasibility early in the design process
Align design solutions with product vision and market needs
Prioritize features based on business impact
Ensure designs met specific user requirements
Maintain rapid iteration cycles through clear product direction
Deliverables
Throughout the project, mixing up different ways to present ideas helped quickly align everyone on the same page. Brainstorming sessions within the UX team encouraged using various formats to visualize ideas efficiently from figjam boards to sketches.
When sharing with stakeholders outside the team, a practical approach began with detailed sketches and AI-generated prototypes to gather early feedback, rather than jumping directly into detailed prototypes. This approach saved time and helped zero in on the right direction faster.
Frequent alignment meetings with product managers particularly provided valuable insights into product problems and prioritization logic. This regular cadence of feedback and iteration helped maintain project momentum while ensuring design decisions were strategically sound.
02
Conclusions
Key Takeaways
The project provided valuable experience in navigating design processes within a financial product team. Design sessions developed skills in facilitating creative discussions while keeping them focused on business goals. Communication styles were adapted when presenting to different stakeholders, from quick sketches for immediate feedback to more detailed prototypes for further validation. Skills developed through this project included maintaining alignment between design vision and product strategy, and building efficient feedback loops with stakeholders.
Reflection
This internship experience provided insights into designing for specialized financial tools. Working with complex domains like trading platforms requires balancing technical accuracy with usability improvements, ensuring that expert users can efficiently access the depth of functionality they require.
The iterative sprint approach proved especially effective, as it allowed for early and frequent validation of design decisions. This will be valuable for future projects, particularly in data-intensive domains where user experience can significantly impact decision quality and efficiency.
.also see