INVESTWORLD
Adobe XD • Adobe Illustrator • Procreate
A social networking platform enabling young investors and traders to connect, share knowledge, discover career opportunities, and build professional networks.
ROLE: (Solo project) UX Researcher, Product Designer • TIME: 3 weeks
THE PROBLEM
Investing is daunting. I studied Business Economics in college and quickly realized how difficult it is to translate theoretical knowledge into a real-world understanding of investments and market trends. One of my professors once said that learning to invest is like learning a new language: you can discuss theory all you want in the classroom, but the only way to truly understand it is to start having real conversations and actually invest. Additionally, networking with more seasoned professionals (via platforms like LinkedIn) can feel incredibly intimidating when you're new to the field. In my preliminary research, I found a plethora of headlines like "I'm 29 and I never learned how money works" and "Top 10 investing questions you're too afraid to ask." Users crave a low-pressure environment to foster candid conversations about investing, trading, and financial planning.
I designed a profile creation flow for a social networking platform geared toward young professionals, students, and job seekers interested in investing. Considering I was only working on the landing page and subsequent registration pages, I was primarily focused on crafting the brand identity and ensuring that the flow was as intuitive and streamlined as possible.
For this project, I was inspired by the youthful, empowering spirit of Robinhood (a digital brokerage platform predominantly used by Millenials and Gen Z). I wanted to use a fun, inviting array of colors and fonts while maintaining an air of professionalism. My main goal, however, was to keep the profile creation flow to as few pages as possible to ensure the registration process doesn't intimidate users.
EXAMPLE USER PERSONA
Henry is a 28-year-old professional living in New York City and he just started trading using Robinhood. Henry graduated from NYU with a communications degree and has been working as a Human Resources representative for six years. He's put away several thousand dollars in savings and is looking to start investing, but he has no idea where to begin!
GOALS
Henry wants to make valuable connections with other young investors and he hopes to learn from more experienced
investors, traders, and entrepreneurs.
CHALLENGES
Henry is nervous about cracking into this community and he works long hours so he doesn't have much free time to commit to interests outside of work.
WIREFRAMES
To enhance my wireframing skills, I decided to bypass the sketching stage for this project and use wireframes as my primary sketches. My goal is to make wireframing in software like Figma and Adobe XD feel as intuitive and natural as sketching with pen and paper.
MOODBOARD
Before delving deeper into the UI design process, I developed a moodboard based on other finance-oriented designs from creators on Pinterest, Behance, and Dribbble.
HIGH-FIDELITY DESIGNS & PROTOTYPES
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
In conclusion, this UX design case study underscores the importance of creating a user-friendly and accessible platform for novice investors. This project taught me the value of simplicity in design. I was determined to make the process as straightforward as possible so as not to overwhelm users. Navigational ease was prioritized, allowing users to move forward and backward without friction. Additionally, this project provided an opportunity to enhance my illustration skills and to apply my business knowledge from college. While I did explore the automatic responsive mobile feature on Adobe XD, if I were to redo this process I would group elements more intentionally so I could lean on this feature a bit more.
Ultimately, this case study highlights how thoughtful design can bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application, making investing more approachable for a new generation. This platform could theoretically build a supportive community where users can grow their financial literacy and confidence.
