We created a vertical prototype of the platform with just a few weeks’ time to present the project to stakeholders and to prove the feasibility of blockchain as a central technology. For this reason, the design and development of the platform started simultaneously and, unfortunately, no time was given for usability evaluation.

At first, I performed research about security trading and competitive blockchain-based security platforms. Since I had only a little knowledge about securities trading, I had to dig deep to get a better understanding of what processes and problems our product should solve and the competitive advantages it had to offer.

Then, I was given the task to chose a React Admin template (a Javascript-Library) on which we could develop the platform. I performed research on all the existing templates and decided to choose the EasyDev template (https://themes.aspirity.com/templates/easydev). The template had all the UI components that were essential for our platform, clean and convenient code for front-end developers, a modern look and it even came with a Sketch template, which would speed up the design process. 

My main task was to design the security-creation wizard. The wizard is an essential part of the platform, since creating such a complex entity can be a frustrating experience if not designed well. Even though there was no time for real usability evaluations, I did some short tests with colleagues after drawing first sketches of the wizard. After deciding on a good layout and categorization of the items across the five steps of the wizard, I created the prototypes in Adobe XD (and later in Figma, since Adobe XD was had some bugs). Furthermore, I was in charge of success and error messages and other small views. The designs were continuously adapted based on feedback from colleagues.

After the platform was implemented, my task was to create a product video that would explain the whole process of creating, allocating and distributing security. I wrote and recorded the explanatory text, made screen recordings of the platform and edited the video using the open-source tool Kdenlive.

In this project, I learned how to approach new projects in an area that I am not an expert in. The financial area is something I always had basic knowledge of, but designing a platform for securities trading was beyond my expertise and certainly a challenge. For me an essential part of the design process was to ask questions, perform research and explore comparable/competitive platforms continuously along the way.