User interface for Markets
Online broker FXPro wants to gradually improve the trading workflow: “We did this experiment to figure out what the trader’s user interface will be in the future.” Bureau Gorbunov conducted research on the topic and created a user interface concept for Markets, FXPro’s trading platform.
Conventional trading platforms deprive users of the sense of control with countless buttons & indicators and cause chaos by exuberant blinking. ‘Markets’ is calm and simple without loss of functionality.
Trading
The main screen consists of financial instruments’ widgets. When a trader opens a position, it gets added to the bottom panel.
Prices constantly change. To show the changes, most platforms paint the whole charts and prices green or red.
For ‘Markets’, we created a better kind of price chart. We only highlight the final segment of continuous price rise or fall. The color becomes prominent only when something interesting is going on.
User engagement
One of the objectives of the new design was to attract more traders. To spark the interest of beginners in what’s happening in markets, we created the magazine‑like Explore screen:
No editorial staff required: the multiple formats are automatically replenished with information. The product team can always add custom blocks if they so choose.
Neatness
Most platforms let traders drag elements around to customize their workspace. Arranging them neatly requires effort, and most traders end up with a mess. The user interface for resizing and repositioning complicates the already dense user interface.
Now, to adjust the layout, there is one magic Rearrange button:
Smart search
Widgets are added from Explore screen or from search. To search, you don’t even need to click the field—any text input is interpreted as search automatically:
Search finds instruments, categories, countries and industries. The highly informative dropdown lets you type a couple of letters and see the price without even adding widgets.
History
The history screen shows filled and pending orders along with other account activity:
To fill some orders, multiple transactions should be made. In this case, they are grouped together with a bracket. Additionally, transactions related to one position are highlighted on hover.
About the project
The new interface is not intended for immediate deployment. The traders’ work involves quick decision making and is based on habits formed through years of experience, so radical interface changes are dangerous. Certain elements will be tested and may be progressively deployed.
Ilya Birman
Aleksey Salnikov
Yuri Mazursky
Special thanks to Evgeny Sorokin for comprehensive explanations.