LightHouse

Hedge-Fund grade, quantitative strategies

My Role: UX Designer | Duration: 4 Weeks | Project Status: In phase development/implementation

About LightHouse

LightHouse is an investment platform that brings hedge fund–level strategies to everyday investors through a user-friendly, robo-advisory experience. By combining advanced quantitative models with intuitive design, it offers personalized, professionally managed portfolios. Their mission is to simplify investing with transparent tools, expert-curated strategies, and clear performance tracking. LightHouse empowers users to grow their wealth with confidence, prioritizing security, accessibility, and innovation. Whether you're new to investing or experienced, LightHouse supports your journey to financial success.

Project Overview

The Lighthouse UX project focused on designing a secure, user-friendly investment platform for users seeking simplicity, transparency, and expert guidance. Through user research and competitive analysis, we uncovered pain points like confusing onboarding, lack of responsive design, and weak security features. Our solutions included a streamlined user flow, progress tracking, responsive design, and two-factor authentication. These enhancements aimed to boost user confidence, improve retention, and position Lighthouse as a trusted choice for all types of investors.

Scope of Work

The Lighthouse MVP aims to make quantitative trading accessible to everyone but struggles with usability, accessibility, and building trust among users with limited financial knowledge.

Addressing these challenges by enhancing clarity, engagement, and confidence is key to ensuring a successful launch and adoption.

To enhance the performance, usability, and accessibility of our early MVP product by employing UX research methods.

Framework

The framework for the Lighthouse UX project was centered on a user-first approach, combining qualitative and quantitative research methods to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement. By aligning our process with the goals of enhancing user-friendliness, simplifying onboarding, and building trust through transparency, the framework ensured a structured and effective path to delivering a user-centered platform.

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Heuristic evaluations were conducted to assess the platform’s usability against industry standards, while competitive analysis provided insights into best practices from similar platforms

By aligning our process with the goals of enhancing user-friendliness, simplifying onboarding, and building trust through transparency, the framework ensured a structured and effective path to delivering a user-centered platform.

Challenge

Confusing Interfaces: Users often struggled to navigate cluttered dashboards.
Limited Guidance: Platforms lacked the personalized support users needed to align investments with their goals.
Concerns About Security: A lack of robust security features left users feeling uneasy about entrusting their finances.

Research Phase

Participant Recruitment

We carefully selected participants who aligned with our target audience, focusing on individuals with varying levels of investment experience. This included both novice and experienced investors to gather diverse perspectives. Participants were recruited through a screener survey designed to identify relevant demographics and behaviors.

The interviews followed a semi-structured format, combining predefined questions with the flexibility to explore participants' unique responses. This allowed us to delve deeper into their experiences and preferences. Key areas of focus included:

Initial motivation and goals for investing.
Pain points and frustrations with existing platforms.
Preferences for tools, features, and guidance in an investment platform.

User Interviews

User research revealed that many begin investing through encouragement from friends and family, driven by goals like building wealth and reaching financial milestones. Users consistently prioritized intuitive, trustworthy platforms with clear guidance and transparency. Frustrations stemmed from hidden fees and confusing interfaces, underscoring the need for clarity. These insights shaped our design strategy, emphasizing personalized support, simplified tools, and a seamless user experience.

Meet Ivy, the Investress

Meet Ivy, a 32-year-old marketing professional who’s ready to grow her wealth after years of diligent saving. Inspired by friends and family, she’s eager to start investing but feels uncertain due to past experiences with confusing financial platforms. Ivy values transparency, clarity, and personalized support that helps her feel in control of her finances. She’s looking for an intuitive, trustworthy platform that builds confidence and supports her long-term goals. Her journey highlights the need for user-friendly design and clear, guided experiences in the investment space.

Ivy’s Investment Journey

Ivy wants to grow her wealth but feels hesitant due to confusing past experiences with financial platforms. She values transparency, clarity, and personalized support. Her story highlights the need for intuitive, trustworthy, and user-friendly investment tools.

As Ivy begins to track her portfolio's performance through Lighthouse’s detailed reports, she feels reassured that her investments are aligned with her financial goals.

Thanks to Lighthouse, Ivy now feels empowered to grow her wealth confidently.

Ivy is ready to grow her wealth but feels uncertain due to past experiences with confusing financial platforms. She values transparency, clarity, and personalized support to feel confident in her investment decisions. Her journey underscores the need for intuitive, trustworthy platforms with user-friendly design and guided experiences.

Introducing Lighthouse

The LightHouse prototype is a thoughtfully designed platform that bridges the gap between professional-grade investment strategies and user-friendly functionality. Built with a focus on simplicity and security, the prototype provides a seamless onboarding experience, intuitive navigation, and tailored portfolio recommendations. Through features like progress tracking, robust two-factor authentication, and a clean, responsive dashboard, LightHouse aims to empower users with the confidence to manage their investments effortlessly. This prototype reflects a user-centric approach, addressing common pain points and setting the foundation for a transformative investing experience.

RESEARCH » DESIGN

DESIGN PHASE

Design Studio: Sketching

To kickstart the design process, we conducted a collaborative design studio session, bringing together diverse perspectives to brainstorm potential solutions. Through this exercise, we explored various approaches to address user needs, focusing on simplifying the onboarding process, enhancing navigation, and incorporating robust security features. The team sketched multiple concepts, iterating on ideas that emphasized intuitive layouts, progress tracking, and personalized user interactions. These sketches served as the foundation for our prototype, ensuring that each design element was informed by user feedback and aligned with our project goals.

Mid-Fidelity Screens

Building on our initial sketches, we developed mid-fidelity screens to bring our concepts to life. These wireframes focused on structuring the platform’s core features, such as the onboarding flow, dashboard layout, and investment tracking tools. The designs prioritized clarity and usability, incorporating intuitive navigation, a progress bar, and personalized elements to guide users through the platform. Testing these screens allowed us to gather early feedback, ensuring that the designs aligned with user needs while addressing potential pain points. This phase served as a crucial step in refining the user experience before progressing to high-fidelity prototypes.

Initial User Testing: First Round

Design Iterations: First Round

In the first round of usability testing, we aimed to evaluate the functionality and user experience of our mid-fidelity prototype. Participants were tasked with creating an account, linking a bank account, and exploring the investment dashboard. This testing revealed key areas for improvement, such as clarifying onboarding steps, enhancing navigation for smoother task completion, and addressing accessibility concerns like font sizes and contrast. The feedback highlighted the importance of a seamless and intuitive user flow, guiding us to refine the prototype and prioritize features that directly address user pain points. These insights formed the foundation for our next design iteration.

User Testing: Final Round

In the second round of usability testing, we focused on validating improvements made after the first round and gathering additional insights to enhance the platform further. Participants revisited key tasks, including account creation, investment selection, and dashboard navigation. This round demonstrated significant progress, with users reporting a more streamlined experience and fewer navigation issues. However, some challenges remained, such as the need for clearer tooltips and additional visual cues to guide users through complex steps. This testing emphasized the importance of continuous iteration, as the feedback further shaped the platform to align with user expectations and preferences.

High-fidelity Screens

Lighthouse Next Steps

Final Round of Usability Testing

Gather final feedback to address any remaining pain points or improvements.

A/B Testing

Analyze results to identify the most effective features for user engagement and satisfaction.

Handoff to Developers

Provide detailed documentation, including design specifications, user stories, and annotated prototypes.

QA Testing

Resolve any bugs or issues before launch.

Promote Product

Leverage social media, email campaigns, and other channels to reach target audiences.

Official Launch

Launch the platform to the public, ensuring a seamless experience for users.

Monitor performance and user feedback post-launch to inform future updates.

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