FX Connect’s GTSS Loader

The problem

The GTSS Loader was a legacy product at FX Connect. It is client-side software FX Connect provides confirmation and settlement workflow support as trades are uploaded to GTSS for confirmation.

Client adoption, support, and a bloated UI remained problems regardless of features added. This created problems as users called client relationship, product, and help desk to troubleshoot the program’s settings. FX Connect had been adding functionality for years, but not evaluating client needs, so the product quickly turned into a massive Swiss army knife.

The original UI was a convoluted mess that scared new users and demanded expertise of current users.

Settlement options were spread across multiple sections and didn’t line up with user workflows.

The breakdown

I led small meetings with various clients and FX Connect staff to solicit feedback and pain points. From these meetings, three basic users types were identified.

Super User - an IT professional responsible for the product and software systems at the client site.
Trader - an execution trader at the client who used the product secondarily to confirm their trades.
Operations - an operations user for whom this product saves time and automates part of their job.

The Solution

I created simple HTML mockups to evaluate potential solutions. In doing so, progressive disclosure, constant feedback, and a rules engine for settlements were prioritized for users. I focused mostly on the rule engine as it was going to be a large shift from previous versions.

Applying rules in a sentence with related actions allowed users to apply multiple actions to a general or specific group of trades.

Each settlement rule was phrased as a sentence with actions. This mirrored how users talked about their process and trade settlement workflow.

Results

In 2015-2016 users started to adopt the loader. Immediately the response to updating the UI using a Windows Metro theme was positive.

Client support calls dropped significantly (50%) on new loader installs. Additionally, this functionality from the Windows install was built out into a web UI that would be expanded to eventually replace client installed software.