The name Fastnet refers to a well known lighthouse on the west coast of Ireland "Fastnet Rock", where the company is based. In the context of a turbulent and hard to predict global financial markets, Fastnet AMS provides guidance to its clients. The Fastnet AMS logo is inspired from the Fastnet Rock lighthouse. I started my project by sketching few ideas and lighthouse shapes. Once we agreed on the style, I moved to Illustrator to digitise my sketch.I've used a simple deep blue that refers to the sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It also symbolises trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith and truth.I wanted the logo to produce a calming and reassuring effect.
When I started working on this project, the first challenge was to understand the world of Assets Management, a discipline that I never came across in my previous experience. I then worked very closely with the CEO to understand the business challenges that the Fastnet-AMS was solving. The Fastnet-AMS is a web application that provides an integrated portfolio management solutions for investors.
The CEO described the application as niche and unique and that was my first challenge. I had to spent a lot of time with the stakeholder to understand his unique selling points. The application engine is based on complex mathematical models. The output was Data intelligence and insights which helped the user in selecting the right portfolio construction strategy.
The original request were was to design a web page based on the client's requirements. After designing the first version, I didn’t think it was the right approach since no research or analysis has been done. However I was able to convince my client that we needed to follow UX/UI Design best practices in order to ensure the best user experience.
I started by conducting my competitive analysis based on business intelligence applications to understand how best to present actionable data insights. Despite the complexity of its features and their high volume, the software tableau is user centric and easy to manipulate. In fact the structure of the interface changes depending on the filters and options chosen by the user. By using drag-n-drop functionalities of Tableau, the user can create a very interactive visual within minutes. There are many different types of visualization options available in Tableau which enhance the user experience. Also, Tableau is very easy to use.
As this is a specific web application, I interviewed and conducted my usability testing with two potentials clients, two active investors that were really excited about the product. I used the first prototype that I designed to run the test and therefore see how these clients interact with the product. The navigation on the web application is random and unstructured. There are countless and infinite ways the user can flow through it.The interface has got to work for multiple scenarios. I started then by identifying the most top flows. I highlighted the most used sections, metrics and filters. My objective was to design a smooth flow that helps the clients to manage their portfolios as seamlessly as possible.
Based on my research, I created two personas that represent the type of users that we're interested in and would like to design the app for. In fact, understanding the needs of the potential users is vital to developing a successful product. It will help strategising and making smart Design decision.
I used the local navigation (left vertical) to display the top 3 categories that expands in sub-categories and sub-sub-categories and the global navigation (The top horizontal) to showcase the skills metrics and the filters used to managed and articulate the portfolio. In fact, the hamburger menu allows us to access to the local navigation selections with a sliding navigation drawer. To make the categories more visible and obvious to the user, I left the correspondent icons visible when the drawer is closing up.
I designed a set of screen sketches and used them as a blue print. This formed the basis for an early prototype. Sketching went through several iterations before we (myself and the founder) were satisfied with the flow and layout.In fact, simplifying the requirements and deleting few unnecessary features that did not add value to the end user in the new version, allowed a seamless and a friction free web app.
Selecting a modern colors palette was the first step to the UI phase. This large palette was needed to be used in the graphs generated by the Fastnet web application. The color metrics below shows the colors to be displayed depending on the number of lines per graph.
1- This project made me understand how the research phase is vital to avoid assumptions and how insights play a fundamental role in designing a user centred product. It is in fact very important to understand the user's problems and needs before jumping on designing the interface.2- Applying the principles of problem solving in UX will ensure a successful project regardless of the field or the discipline.3- Having empathy and a frequent communication with the stakeholders is essential to be aligned with the business goals and vision.