Design Decisions
UX Decisions Driven by How Traders Actually Behave
I didn't direct UX based on design trends or competitor benchmarks. I directed it based on how I personally behave as a trader in live market conditions — and what breaks when a product ignores that reality.
My UX Principles for Trading Products
01
Speed over completeness
A trader in a live trade has 10 seconds, not 2 minutes. Every screen must deliver its core value without scrolling or searching. Completeness is desktop thinking — speed is mobile reality.
02
Signal over noise
More indicators = more cognitive load = worse decisions. The best chart UI is the one that shows traders what matters right now, not everything available. Hide defaults; reveal on demand.
03
Tap-first, not click-first
Desktop trading tools require hover states, right-click menus, and drag interactions. None of these work with a thumb. Every interaction I spec'd was tested with one hand on a phone — not a mouse.
04
Context reduces panic
Traders make bad decisions when they see price movement without context. Adding macro context (why is this moving?) reduces emotional decision-making and increases retention — users trust an app that explains, not just shows.
Before vs After — Dashboard Redesign
Before — Original Dashboard
Flat menu with 12+ items on home screen
All indicators shown by default (clutter)
Chart required 3 taps to open from home
Alert system buried 2 levels deep in settings
No macro or news context on chart view
No pattern overlay — manual scanning only
Home screen showed generic price list (same as every other app)
After — My UX Direction
Focused home: watchlist + top pattern signal
Indicators hidden by default, revealed on demand
Chart opens from one tap on any watchlist symbol
Alert icon always visible on chart toolbar
News + macro context widget inline below chart
Pattern overlay renders automatically on chart load
Home shows personalized top signals — differentiated value
Before vs After — Pattern Detection Flow
Before — No Detection Feature
No automated pattern detection existed
Users scanned charts manually — 2–3 hours daily
No confidence scoring — patterns are subjective
No push alerts for pattern formation
No historical context on pattern reliability
After — My Product Spec
12 patterns auto-detected across 1H / 4H / 1D
Push notification on new pattern (opt-in, max 3/day)
Confidence score: Low / Medium / High — trader framing
One-tap pattern detail: name, description, price target
Renders within 800ms of chart load — non-negotiable
Before vs After — Alert System Redesign
Before — Alert System
Alert creation required navigating to settings
Price alerts only — no pattern or signal alerts
No snooze or daily limit — alert fatigue common
No context on why alert fired
After — My Direction
Alert icon persistent on chart view — one tap away
Price alerts + pattern alerts + macro event alerts
Daily cap (3/asset) prevents fatigue — users stay subscribed
Alert notification includes context: what pattern, what timeframe
The Hard Calls
Why hide indicators by default?
Every trader has different preferred indicators. Showing all by default creates visual noise for everyone. The cognitive cost of parsing a cluttered chart in a fast market is measurable — it slows decision-making at the worst possible moment. The solution: clean default, tap to add what you need. Experienced traders find this faster; new traders aren't overwhelmed. Both cohorts win.
Why inline news context on chart view, not a separate tab?
Traders don't check news separately when a price is moving — they need to see news and price together to make a decision. A separate tab requires context-switching, which breaks trading focus. Inlining macro context directly below the chart means a trader can see "BTC dropped 8%" and "Fed hiked 50bps" on the same screen, simultaneously. That's the product decision that TradingView mobile still hasn't made in 2025.
Why show pattern confidence score instead of just the pattern?
Without a confidence score, a detected pattern carries implicit authority — users assume it's a high-probability setup regardless of quality. This leads to bad trades and eroded trust when patterns fail. With confidence scoring (Low/Medium/High), users develop calibrated expectations. A "Low confidence" pattern becomes a "watch" alert; a "High confidence" pattern warrants analysis. This simple addition shifts the app from signal generator to decision support tool.
"I don't design for how users say they behave. I design for how I behave in a live trade — because that's the moment that matters."
— Areeb Ali, on trader-first UX direction