Challenge
RSL is one of the market-leading securities firms in India serving over 8 lakh clients across both Offline and Online platforms. Through its extensive footprint extending to over 500 cities, the company offers broking services in Equity, Currency and Commodity (through its subsidiary Religare Commodities Limited) as well as depository participant services.
A product that is clearly differentiated from existing products in the market needed to be defined and designed. The most challenging aspect from the start here was to provide a great visual look and feel to the website while maintaining the transactional aspect, through a clear structure and information architecture for the website.
What added to the complexity was developing files which adapt to multiple resolutions and browsers (using HTML5, CSS3 Bootstrap for UI framework, Javascript (JQuery) framework) while maintaining consistency in providing a unified user-centric design and user experience. For traders, who look forth to transact efficiently without distractions, a robust, noise-free and reliable platform was much needed.
Our Methodology
A major revamp of the current portal to review and suggest a design framework which suited a responsive web layout and needs of the users required our team to get together for a rigorous KT and workshop to build an understanding of the portal in the context of its service.
The workshop helped Think Design to understand the desired features, modules, navigation and workflow of the entire portal and conduct user research to identify the experience of the user.
This enabled us to develop:
- UX Vision that would be tangible and measurable.
- UX Strategy which would clarify how we would get there.
- Information Architecture and Navigation structure that would be derived from the above with some design directions.
- Workflows which when captured through scenarios could be detailed out in wireframes.
QUESTION & ANSWERS
Questions were also asked to understand the product in its ecosystem, market, and competitors, customers’ perspective about the product, discussion about the scope of work, team structure and points of contact.
1. Understanding Service
- About Religare Securities
- Vision Statement
- Objectives for revamp
- Service Functioning
- Positioning
2. Understanding Users
- Personas & Journey maps
- User Task Flows
- User Challenges
- User Success factors
3. Understanding Business
- Business Objectives
- Competition Analysis
- Business Challenges
- Business Success factors
4. Understanding Technology
- Technology stack
- CMS
- Browser support
- Screen resolutions
- Front end frameworks & constraints
Based on the discussions, workshop and research we came up with the foundational design principles which served as a guide to a consistent and unified design experience and design strategy.
1. Strong and Credible
Build wealth, trust, legacy, motivate first step to invest.
2. Seamless
Fast and smart, simple and engaging.
3. Personalized
Intelligent and engaging, simulating as a financial mentor to user.
KEY INSIGHTS
Insights act as a precursor to strategy and execution at Think Design. What we gathered as insights served as a crucial element in the approach of creating the product definition and its design strategy.
1. Customizable Dashboard based approach
Increased personalization with a single view of all information in one place is highly desirable along with a user option of guided tour and Do It Yourself self-service option.
2. Upfront Account Balance
Traders look forward to a quick summary of their account and easy transactions on every page- a transactional design with less irrelevant data.
3. Focus on Active and Heavy Traders Goals
Active traders want to understand options and invest, create and manage wealth and understand the concept of investment.
4. Emphasis of Market Watch for active traders
Providing a terminal view for trading, call to actions with context-based research to encourage more transactions could be useful in a platform like this.
KEY FEATURES
1. Single view for trading activities
Maximum information(of one stock) being clustered in one single place, helps traders view the performance and make informed investment decisions efficiently through detailed comparative charts and heatmaps to indicate trends.
2. Real-time updates
Dashboard designed can now update users on feedback to their actions, get real-time personalized updates on what’s happening in the market, and know of their order status, helping the business to capture more leads.
3. Responsive and adaptive UI
Serious design and language is used to create user experience based on best practices of user-centric design (credibility, device environments identity, persuasion, content layout, and trade dress).
4. Redefined navigation and browsing experience
Conversational and easy to comprehend, order execution is now more streamlined and transparent. Funds are easier to transfer increasing transactions, session durations and reducing transaction time also connection between last and current login.
5. Learn to trade
Traders who look for building understanding of trading can get to learn where to invest, information on what to transact, research reports and customer support, bringing out the value Religare provides to its users.
DESIGN ACTIVITIES
Consulting, Stakeholder Workshop, User Interviews, Wireframing, Visual System, Front End Development, Integration, Dev. Coordination.
CURRENT STATUS
New and Refreshed Religare’s Securities online trading portal was launched in February 2019.
