Client
Hamilton Court FX
Duration
3 months
Role
Lead Product Designer
Platform
Web application
Hamilton Court FX (HCFX) specialises in tailored foreign exchange services, offering businesses bespoke currency solutions and risk management strategies.
To modernise their services and enhance client autonomy, HCFX sought to develop a digital platform that allowed users to manage portfolios, execute Foreign Exchange (FX) spot trades and forward contracts, and streamline payment processing. The goal was to reduce reliance on dealer interactions while maintaining security and compliance.
As the Lead Product Designer and UX/UI expert, I was responsible for overseeing the entire design process, from research and scoping to prototyping and delivery. I also created a scalable design system to ensure the platform could be customised for HCFX’s sub-entities, making it adaptable for future growth.
Tools:
Throughout this project, I applied a diverse set of product design, UI, and UX skills to deliver a seamless and adaptable trading experience. Highlighted below are some key skills applied:
User research & analysis – Conducting stakeholder interviews, validating personas, and identifying user pain points.
UX strategy & information architecture – Defining user flows, structuring data, and prioritising key functionalities.
Wireframing & prototyping – Creating high-fidelity wireframes to test interactions and refine workflows.
UI design & component systems – Developing a scalable design system adaptable for HCFX’s sub-brands.
Interaction & accessibility design – Ensuring the platform is inclusive, responsive, and easy to use.
Usability testing & iteration – Conducting tests with stakeholders to refine the product
Stakeholder collaboration & project alignment – Facilitating workshops to align design decisions with business objectives.
Compliance & regulatory considerations – Integrating risk and compliance requirements seamlessly into the user experience.
HCFX operated an internal treasury management system designed for dealers, not clients. While effective for internal operations, the system lacked a user-friendly interface, self-service capabilities, and the flexibility clients needed to manage their trades independently.
Competitors had already introduced intuitive, digital trading platforms, leaving HCFX at a disadvantage. Without an alternative, clients relied on time-consuming manual interactions with dealers for every trade and portfolio update, creating inefficiencies and limiting their ability to act quickly in the market.
HCFX internal system:
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HCFX lacked a digital, client-facing platform, relying on a complex internal treasury management system designed for dealers rather than end users. This put them at a competitive disadvantage, as other financial institutions already offered digital self-service solutions.
"Clients are frustrated by the need to call or email dealers for every trade. They want a faster, self-service solution that is secure and has the same expertise they rely on us for."
The absence of a client-facing platform meant that clients lacked autonomy over their trades, and operational inefficiencies increased the workload for HCFX’s dealers. The solution had to be intuitive, compliant, and scalable, enabling users to execute simple FX trades independently while maintaining transparency, security, and control over portfolios. The challenge was balancing efficiency and compliance while ensuring the platform was accessible to a broad client base with varying levels of FX expertise.
HCFX treasury management system:
With the foreign exchange market is evolving, around 70% of trades are now executed via digital platforms. Our goal was to create an intuitive, self-service FX platform that empowered clients while keeping pace with industry expectations
I designed an intuitive, scalable platform that streamlined FX trading, enhanced portfolio visibility, and empowered clients. The one-stop solution reduced dealer dependency, providing secure trade execution, real-time portfolio management, and role-based user access.
By implementing a research-driven design approach, I ensured that all workflows were clear, compliant, and adaptable. Iterative prototyping and testing refined key features, balancing functionality with simplicity to create a platform that met both business and user needs.
To ensure alignment and gather crucial insights, I facilitated four kick-off sessions with key stakeholders. Hosted over the course of a week at the client’s office, these workshops laid the foundation for a user-centric, goal-oriented approach, ensuring that the design and development phases were guided by a clear understanding of business objectives and user needs.
Session 1 – Stakeholder Alignment
Aligning the project goals and creating guiding principles, clear objectives and metrics for success.
Session 2 – Personas + User Needs
Validating and extended personas, highlighting diverse user needs, frustrations, and goals.
Session 3 – Feature Validation
Defining key features and user stories, ensuring prioritisation of essential functionalities for the MVP.
Session 4 – Risk + Compliance
Addressing compliance, risk, and integrations, mapping workflows and identifying market-specific nuances.
These workshops ensured that the platform was developed with a strong strategic foundation, aligned with both business objectives and user needs.
During multiple interactive workshops, we defined a vision for a market-leading FX platform that would empower clients, streamline processes, and deliver a seamless, scalable, and intuitive user experience.
Vision statement
To deliver world-class FX treasury solutions that provide seamless, indispensable experiences for global SMEs, empowering clients with intuitive, market-leading technology that complements our exceptional service.
Business goals
Project goals
Key KPI's
The next step was for HCFX to define measurable metrics, ensuring the platform’s impact, efficiency, and engagement could be tracked and optimised over time.
The platform’s design was driven by a set of guiding principles to ensure a user-centric, future-proof solution. I focused on streamlining workflows, automating processes, and empowering clients with full control and visibility of their accounts. The platform was built as a flexible "one-stop shop," scalable for growth, and customisable to individual needs, ensuring seamless integration into clients’ business operations.
Guiding principles
What this means for our clients
What this means for the portal
(Snippet from our shared Miro board)
Competitor research is essential in the UX design process, as it identifies market standards, uncovers user expectations, and highlights opportunities to deliver a superior user experience.
For HCFX, competitor research revealed a strong emphasis on personalisation, such as customisable dashboards and modular interfaces. Leading platforms prioritised clear information hierarchy, actionable designs, and simplified workflows. These findings informed the creation of a user-friendly, client-focused platform with innovative features to rival industry leaders.
(Part 1 of 5 research pages presented back to key stakeholders)
The internal Treasury Management System (TMS) served as a foundational reference for designing the client-facing platform. By analysing its structure and existing features, I identified core functionalities to retain, such as trade visibility and reporting capabilities. This approach reduced development time while ensuring usability improvements.
(Preview of the internal analysis document that was to be shared and aligned with the development team)
This process was led by the HCFX dealer and client services team, who conducted client interviews and gathered insights. I took the information they collected and transformed it into tangible design solutions, aligning key functionalities with business objectives. By structuring the findings into actionable insights, I ensured the platform addressed client needs while meeting regulatory and strategic requirements.
(Due to client confidentiality I have not presented any responses gathered)
To ensure the platform met real client needs, I worked closely with the HCFX dealer and client services teams to validate key features. Insights from user feedback and competitor analysis shaped the core functionalities, prioritising efficiency, transparency, and security.
Key validated features:
Ability to execute simple FX trades (e.g. spot trades, forward contracts)
Real-time tracking of payments and transactions.
Enhanced reporting tools with export options in PDF and Excel formats.
Secure beneficiary management with approval workflows.
Clear visibility of contracts and maturity dates, including a calendar integration.
Role-based access for multiple users with varying permissions.
Due to a tight three-month timeline, I worked closely with stakeholders and steering groups to prioritise features and functionality. A detailed roadmap was developed to ensure clarity and alignment, balancing essential features with time constraints. This prioritisation aligned with the feature validation process, ensuring the MVP addressed critical needs while laying a foundation for future enhancements.
-HCFX-Group-%E2%80%93-UX-%26-Design---Copy-of-Roadmap-%E2%80%93-V1.4-blurred.jpg)
(To respect my NDA all detail in this roadmap has been blurred to keep it confidential)
Detailed personas were developed to ensure the platform met the needs of its diverse users. Each persona represented a key user group, capturing their goals, frustrations, and motivations. From business owners seeking strategic growth to finance directors focused on compliance and financial controllers managing daily transactions, the personas offered essential insights to guide the design of a truly user-centric platform.
(Designs were created externally)
User stories played a pivotal role in defining the platform’s functionality. These concise, user-focused descriptions ensured that features like trade execution, reporting, and portfolio management aligned with client needs and business goals. By focusing on user goals and challenges, user stories kept the development process prioritised and outcome-driven.
(Preview of the FSD / Functional Scoping Document that included all our user stories and descriptions)
User flows mapped the steps clients would take to achieve key tasks on the platform. I created detailed flows for 6 key user flows for adding beneficiaries and bank accounts, settlement instructions, dealing, registration, and login. These flows ensured seamless, intuitive experiences, minimising friction and aligning with user expectations while maintaining compliance and security requirements.
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(Login & registration user flow)
Designing user flows for a financial platform as complex as HCFX’s client-facing solution presented several challenges. These involved addressing the intricacies of financial workflows, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, and creating an intuitive experience for users navigating potentially unfamiliar processes.
1. Complex workflows for financial processes
The problem – Adding settlement instructions and executing trades required multiple steps, increasing the risk of user confusion.
The solution – Simplified flows with step-by-step guidance and error prevention mechanisms.
2. Ensuring compliance and risk management
The problem – Regulatory requirements added layers of complexity to workflows.
The solution – Embedded compliance checkpoints seamlessly within the user experience.
3. User errors in critical actions
The problem – Mistakes in actions like trade execution could have significant consequences.
The solution – Introduced confirmation screens, progress indicators, and contextual help to guide users and reduce errors.
Each challenge required careful consideration to balance functionality with usability. This approach ensured that the user flows remained efficient, intuitive, and compliant, supporting a smooth user experience while addressing the platform's complexity.
The wireframes formed the blueprint for HCFX’s client-facing platform, translating research and requirements into a tangible design framework. This iterative process allowed me to test, refine, and align the interface with client needs and business goals, ensuring the platform was both intuitive and functional.
(Preview of the Figma file)
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(New Trade)
(Trade Execution – Success)
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(Fund Allocation)
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(Payment Instructions – Selected)
To validate and refine HCFX's platform design, I developed interactive prototypes simulating key user interactions and workflows. These prototypes facilitated usability testing, enabling the identification and resolution of potential issues before development. This iterative approach ensured the final product was user-centric and aligned with client needs.
(Preview of the Login prototype screens from Figma)
To ensure the platform met both business objectives and user needs, I conducted usability testing with key stakeholders and the steering group. We tested wireframes and interactive prototypes, allowing stakeholders to experience workflows firsthand and provide feedback on trade execution, beneficiary management, and reporting processes. Their insights informed iterative refinements, ensuring an intuitive and strategically aligned user experience.
Testing and feedback loop:
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Managing this feedback presented challenges, particularly balancing compliance with usability and addressing a focus on internal operations rather than client needs. To resolve this, I facilitated collaborative workshops to align stakeholders on shared objectives, using guiding principles and user personas to steer discussions. A structured feedback process with clear timelines ensured steady progress, resulting in a balanced, user-centric final design.
I developed a master design component library that served as a flexible template, including core elements like buttons, typography, and colour schemes. This allowed tailored portals for sub-entities while maintaining consistency and usability across the platform.
Components
(Preview of master components from Figma)
Branding applied
Drag the slider to preview the UI design, built to be customised for multiple sub-entities of HCFX, each with their own branding requirements and styles.
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(Top: Birchstone. Bottom: Goldhawk. Note: Completing the UI and reviewing the sub companies branding was not a part of the SOW and all accessibility checks were to be handled internally.)
The UI was crafted for clarity, usability, and adaptability, ensuring a seamless experience across HCFX’s sub-entities. Designed for scalability, it supports future enhancements and branding customisation while maintaining consistency. Stakeholder feedback and iterative testing refined the visual hierarchy, ensuring an intuitive, user-friendly experience.
HCFX faced the challenge of creating a client-facing platform to replace their complex internal system, which lacked the functionality and usability required for client use. By designing an intuitive, user-centric solution, we empowered clients to execute trades, manage portfolios, and streamline processes independently.
By delivering a scalable and user-friendly digital platform, HCFX successfully modernised its FX services, improving efficiency and client satisfaction. The intuitive UI and self-service features reduced reliance on dealer intervention, empowering users to manage their portfolios with greater autonomy.
Through my expertise in UX and UI design, iterative product strategy, and stakeholder collaboration, I helped HCFX create a platform that was not only functional and compliant but also adaptable and future-proof.
Balancing stakeholder priorities required ongoing alignment across teams. While workshops helped unify goals, introducing a more structured feedback framework earlier could have streamlined decision-making and optimised iteration cycles. Future projects can benefit from refining this approach to ensure efficiency while maintaining a strong user-first focus.
With the core platform in development, the focus is now on refining and expanding its capabilities. Usability testing with real clients will provide valuable insights to optimise workflows. A mobile app will enhance accessibility, while advanced reporting tools and compliance automation will improve efficiency and scalability.
Next steps include:
These enhancements will ensure the platform continues to evolve, meeting both user expectations and industry demands in the years to come.
