Investa Trading Grounds
Web and Mobile
Overview
Investagrams aimed to transform its image from a serious stock trading platform to a more engaging and educational experience. To achieve this, we developed Trading Grounds, a gamified environment where users can learn stock trading by competing in a charting game.
The Problem
We wanted to engage newcomers and students by transforming their stock charting mini-game into a more compelling learning tool. Our existing game, Trading Grounds, allowed users to predict chart directions but it looked and felt like a basic finance dashboard, not a game.
"It works—but it's not fun," said one user in early feedback.
Our Goal: Make Trading Grounds feel like a true game—something users would enjoy playing and learn from, without changing the core mechanics.
My Role
- Redesigning the visual identity and user interface.
- Prototyping layouts for web and mobile using Figma.
- Implementing the front-end in React + Boostrap.
- Collaborating daily with our illustrator and developers for a polished final product.
The Process
We followed a streamlined design process:
1. Research
- Analyzed top-performing mobile games to identify UX patterns
- Collected feedback from Trading Grounds users and early testers.
- Defined our user persona: Beginner traders aged 18–30, often students or hobbyists with zero trading experience
2. Design
We created a sci-fi themed interface to evoke the feeling of a futuristic training simulator:
- Added HUD-style panels, glowing buttons, and animated rewards.
- Designed medal icons and banners that visually indicate progress.
- Built dark and neon variants for mobile screens to enhance contrast and feel "game-like."
3. Development
- Built the UI in React with Boostrap.
- Ensured responsiveness across breakpoints using component-based layouts.
- Integrated animations using Framer Motion for reward popups, transitions, and loading screens.
Results
The relaunch of Trading Grounds led to clear engagement wins:
We also hosted our first live tournament at the 2019 Investagrams Summit with over 2,000 players joined the seasonal leaderboard.
What I've Learned
This project taught me how to translate complex financial concepts into approachable gameplay. The real win was seeing beginners genuinely enjoy learning technical analysis because the UI didn't intimidate them, it invited them in.