Designing end-to-end trading flows for million retail active investors & traders
Fisdom's core product was mutual funds, but stock trading was the next obvious move. I led the design of the entire trading infrastructure: order placement (Futures, Options, Equities), portfolio tracking, fund management, and compliance-ready features like GTT orders, screeners, IPOs, and alerts. The goal: make trading simple enough for first-time investors without sacrificing speed for active traders.
The challenge
Indian retail investors are diverse. Some are first-timers who've never placed a trade. Others are active traders who need instant execution and real-time data. The UX had to serve both without compromise.
Additional constraint: SEBI monitors every user journey in stock trading apps. Any friction or unclear copy could lead to penalties. Example: if a user didn't understand what "Good Till Triggered" meant and lost money, we'd be liable.
Outcome
80% improvement in user retention (per the main Fisdom case study page)
Users checked portfolio 3.2x per day on average (active engagement benchmark)
Average pay-in time reduced from 45 seconds to 9 seconds
10x improvement in onboarding (same source)
Integrated with 13+ PSU and private banks for seamless fund transfers
GTT orders and screeners became power-user favorites — feedback: "This is the only app where I can set price alerts and actually trust them to execute"
Order form
Designed a progressive disclosure interface. Basic traders saw a simple buy/sell form. Advanced traders could expand to see limit orders, stop-loss, GTT, and bracket orders. Included inline validation to prevent common errors (e.g., "You're placing a market order outside trading hours - switch to limit order?").
Portfolio view
Real-time P&L tracking with color-coded performance indicators. Added filters by asset class (equity, F&O, mutual funds) so users could isolate what mattered.
Funds section
Unified pay-in/pay-out for both mutual funds and stock trades. Users could add money via UPI or net banking, see available cash vs. margin, and withdraw in 2 taps.
Compliance-first design:
Every screen included contextual help. Example: IPO application screen explained lock-in periods and allotment odds in plain language. Ran every flow past SEBI compliance team before shipping.
