Shoonya Trading Platform
Product
Web & Mobile Trading Platform
Industry
Fintech / Trading
Duration
6 months
My Role
Product Designer (UX / UI)
Team
Product Managers, Business Analysts, SMEs, Developers, External Design Agency
01. Context & Background
Shoonya is a trading platform designed for active retail traders, available across web and mobile. When I joined the organization, a redesign initiative was already in motion.
The mobile app redesign had progressed significantly, and leadership decided to revamp the web trading platform in parallel. Due to internal trust and alignment challenges, an external design agency was hired to support research and design. I joined the project mid-way, inheriting partially designed features, an incomplete design system, fragmented design ownership, and active sprint timelines.
02. The Core Problem
The primary challenge wasn’t just redesigning a trading platform — it was stabilizing design execution under constraints.
Key Challenges
- × Split start ownership between internal teams & agency
- × Incomplete & inconsistently applied design system
- × Frequent requirement changes from BAs and SMEs
- × High dependency on design for development continuity
The Risks
- ! UI Inconsistency
- ! Increased Rework
- ! Design–development friction
- ! Delivery Delays
03. User Interviews (Initiative Under Constraints)
Even though the redesign was already underway, I believed grounding decisions in real user needs was critical — especially for a high-stakes trading product. I independently conducted interviews with ~10 active Shoonya users.
Key Outcomes
Synthesized recurring patterns and created user personas to help align both internal teams and the external design agency around user context. Insights were shared to reduce assumption-driven decisions.
04. Personas (Condensed & Purposeful)
Instead of creating multiple detailed personas, I distilled insights into 1–2 focused personas representing core trader behaviors.
Goals
Speed, clarity, confidence in execution.
Constraints
Time pressure and high cognitive load.
Usage Patterns
Frequent monitoring and fast actions.
05. Competitive Context
To understand industry expectations and avoid usability gaps, I reviewed established trading platforms. The goal was not imitation, but to identify common patterns, validate hierarchy, and understand standard flows.
Key Decisions Reinforced
- ✓ Placement of Watchlist, Positions, and Orders
- ✓ Reducing friction in high-frequency actions
- ✓ Maintaining familiarity for experienced traders
06. My Role & Responsibilities
Within this constrained setup, I acted as the execution and stabilization layer of the redesign.
Responsibilities
- Auditing and restructuring agency-provided Figma files
- Rebuilding and aligning screens with the design system
- Maintaining consistency across newly designed features
- Organizing files, components, and iterations for developers
- Acting as the design point-of-contact during sprints
07. What I Did (Execution Under Pressure)
Design System Alignment
Identified inconsistencies, extended the system, and ensured new screens adhered to shared components.
Screen & Flow Execution
Recreated key features such as Watchlist, Trade flow, and Positions with detailed specs.
Sprint Collaboration
Prioritized screens based on dev needs and shared iterative updates to avoid blockers.
08. Design Decisions Under Constraints
Given limited control over strategy and research direction, I focused on high-impact decisions.
Priorities
- Prioritizing consistency over visual novelty
- Reducing cognitive load in data-dense screens
- Ensuring feasibility within existing front-end constraints
- Balancing speed with system integrity
09. Collaboration & Communication
I collaborated closely with Developers, Business Analysts, SMEs, and Product Managers.
My Approach
- Ask clarifying questions early
- Push back on unclear or risky changes
- Adapt designs pragmatically when constraints required it
10. Outcome & Impact
While this project is ongoing / partially shipped, my contributions helped:
No Bottlenecks
Remove design bottlenecks during development.
Consistency
Improve UI consistency across redesigned features.
Less Friction
Reduce design–development friction.
Foundation
Establish a stronger foundation for scaling the design system.
11. Reflection & Learnings
"This project reinforced that strong systems matter more than perfect screens. Design ownership clarity is critical, but adaptability is essential. Working on Shoonya strengthened my ability to operate effectively in complex, fast-moving environments."
12. What I’d Do Differently
- Establish design ownership and workflows earlier.
- Align stakeholders on research insights sooner.
- Invest more time in validating high-risk flows before execution.