ADSS Desktop Trader
Overview
I was the Lead Product and UX Designer of a new flagship retail trading platform for ADSS, one of the largest leveraged brokers in the Middle East
The project was delivered on behalf of Adaptive Financial Consulting, ADSS’s long-term strategic and technology partner
I worked as an end-to-end Product Designer, owning the full lifecycle from product strategy and discovery to user experience, interaction and visual design of both mobile and desktop trading platform
Deliverables
Product Strategy
Product Discovery
Experience Design
Product Design
Challenges
ADSS serves a highly diverse user base, ranging from casual retail traders to experienced semi-professional investors. As Lead Designer, I was responsible for shaping a platform that could feel intuitive and accessible for beginners, while remaining powerful, efficient, and performant for advanced users
Goals
From the earliest stages of product strategy and discovery, I focused on aligning user needs with business objectives. Users needed a platform that allowed them to trade confidently without unnecessary cognitive load, move seamlessly between mobile and web, and access tools appropriate to their experience level and trading style
From a business perspective, the platform needed to clearly differentiate ADSS in a crowded retail trading market, provide full ownership of proprietary technology, and enable long-term scalability across new asset classes and features. Balancing usability, performance, and scalability became the central design challenge throughout the project
Solution
The final platform delivers a clean, high-performance trading experience that adapts to different user profiles while maintaining consistency across devices. The interface scales naturally with user expertise, offering simplicity where needed and depth where expected, without compromising speed or reliability
A robust design system underpins the experience, enabling rapid future development and personalisation while maintaining a cohesive visual and interaction language across the product
Discovery, Research & UX Strategy
I led extensive discovery and research to ground the design in real user behaviour and market realities. This included analysing competing global trading platforms, conducting user interviews across experience levels, and working closely with stakeholders to understand both user expectations and technical constraints
The research revealed that many traditional trading platforms overwhelm users early, yet still fail to properly support expert workflows. In this context, performance, clarity, and trust emerged as core UX requirements rather than technical considerations alone
Based on these insights, I defined and led a UX strategy centred on progressive disclosure of complexity, role- and permission-based experiences, consistency across devices, and performance as a core part of the user experience. A scalable design system was established to ensure the platform could evolve as user needs and the business grew
Design Process & Execution
The design process was iterative and deeply collaborative. I drove the experience from early concept exploration and flow mapping through to wireframes, interaction models, and high-fidelity prototypes across both web and mobile
As back-end systems evolved in parallel, design decisions were continuously refined through user validation, stakeholder reviews, and close collaboration with engineering teams. This approach ensured the experience remained coherent, resilient, and production-ready throughout delivery, even as constraints shifted
Impact & Recognition
The platform enabled ADSS to take full ownership of a proprietary trading system that operates 24/7 in the cloud, handles large trading volumes with low latency, and scales efficiently as new features and asset classes are introduced
The quality and impact of the work were recognised with three industry awards, validating both the design leadership behind the project and the effectiveness of an end-to-end, research-driven product approach
Final Solution
The final platform delivers a clean, high-performance trading experience that adapts to different user profiles while maintaining consistency across devices. The interface scales naturally with user expertise, offering simplicity where needed and depth where expected, without compromising speed or reliability
A robust design system underpins the experience, enabling rapid future development and personalisation while maintaining a cohesive visual and interaction language across both desktop and mobile platforms
Reflection
Leading this project reinforced the importance of treating product strategy, user experience, and system performance as a single, connected discipline, particularly in complex fintech environments. It also strengthened my belief that award-winning work is the result of disciplined craft, continuous validation, and close collaboration — not surface-level polish
Awards
ADSS Trading Platform
have won 3 industry awards
Best Forex Broker
Best Trading
App 2024
Most Trusted Forex Broker
