Tradovate
Improving the new user application flow to
help scale through customer acquisition
Role: Interaction Design, Prototyping, User Research, UX Writing, Visual Design | Timeframe: Four weeks | Tools: Sketch, InVision, Principle
About Tradovate
With over 3000 users, Tradovate is an online futures trading platform that works across many devices – desktop, web, tablet, and mobile. Its modern cloud-based technology aims to provide futures traders a 100% seamless and edgy digital trading experience.
Challenge
I was put onboard along with three UX designers to help Tradovate’s marketing team reduce the time for leads to convert to accounts. The aim was to make it easier for potential customers to become users faster by improving the new user application flow. Below is a system diagram of the flow with landing pages and a series of emails interspersed:
Scope
We took the registration flow apart and due to time constraints, decided to narrow the scope. It felt crucial to focus on the new user account application (highlighted above) since preliminary heuristics showed there was a lack of visual consistency and the dark UI presented poor color contrast causing accessibility issues:
Target Audience
Primarily 45-60 yrs old who trade as an external source of income or as hobby
Newbie traders that are fresh out of college, 23-24 yrs, very smart but less experienced
In-person usability test
User Interviews & Testing
Speaking to Tradovate clients and potential users (technically savvy 23-65 yr olds with an average income of over $75,000) and watching them go through the application flow during usability tests were key to define pain-points. Our team was able to uncover important problems such as users worry about their privacy and safety, as well as misleading pieces of information at the end stages of the flow.
“I’m worried about identity fraud.
I want to know if it’s backed up by whatever security”
Insights & Process
Key user insights helped us frame UX goals and gave us a clear direction moving forward. We also started to think about the client’s concern with the visual design and how a revamp in this initial flow could help users trust their services more.
Visual Identity
Now, having an understanding of the problems and goals, it was time to think about branding reinforcement. Tradovate wanted to appeal to newer audiences, but it was vital that it kept its sense of agency, appreciated by the more mature, refined traders.
Our research showed that Tradovate could differentiate from competitors and strive to be both professional and bolder-looking, while steering away from appearing young or trendy.
Design Principles
Credible
In the financial services world, credibility is vital. People will only trust their money with you in integrity and legitimacy are reflected in the whole experience.
Vibrant
We want users to feel stimulated from the moment they sign up to the moment they start trading by injecting the right amount of brightness in the UI.
Goal-oriented
Clear, easy, and task-focused screens will keep users on track. We will help them finish the account application without distractions, confusions or uncertainty.
Style Direction
I crafted three style directions and performed desirability testing. The chosen style was the one users found familiar, simple and credible.
It also best represented the client’s vision. Here, I used the original brand colors, giving them a fresher and more updated look with subtle gradients and a good amount of brightness to keep users energized.
Wireframes
After carefully evaluating the existing screens and taking user insights from initial usability tests, I started to flesh out possible solutions:
A clearer progress bar that corresponds to the below content and grouping of similar information in digestible chunks.
Since security was a user concern, displaying reasons more prominently made users feel safer when giving their data.
Providing a chatbot and a phone number to speak to a real person made users feel supported during the whole process.
Final Designs
Before
After
This screen had misleading information and too much going on leaving users confused and lost.
My new screen gives users a sense of accomplishment and tell them how long the process will take.
Tradovate life cycle emails meant to engage customers at different key moments of the on-boarding journey. I redesigned emails that tested more updated, dynamic, and reinforced branding. Given user and client enthusiasm for email animations, I decided to included one in the final iteration:
Before
After
For easy reference, I delivered a style guide that can be used to expand the new visual system throughout the platform. Here are a few pages:
Final Considerations
Personally, this project helped me learn to strategize ways of harnessing effective communication with stakeholders and focus on clarifying the scope earlier in the process, so that my team could access the necessary resources. I also came to realize how speaking to users is critical to build them better experiences. The final prototype tested strongly and users were able to register in a faster and more seamless way. Our client was well pleased with the designs and affirmed the value of user-centered approaches:
“In the past we decided things based on what we thought was best. We now know that speaking to customers is vital in order to provide them with the best user experience.”