The Tie Terminal: A Comprehensive Redesign Driven by User-Centric Design

Redesigning a product as complex as The Tie Terminal requires more than just a fresh coat of paint. When I joined The Tie, I noticed that while The Terminal had evolved rapidly. As the company grew, so did the The Tie Terminal, adding? many great features to meet diverse user needs. The ultimate goal is for the Terminal to be integral to a client's workflow. Overtime, I observed that components and UX patterns started to become inconsistent and challenging to navigate. With different teams iterating on various components independently, the product's user experience had fragmented, leading to a steep learning curve for new and existing users alike. It became clear that to maintain its status as the leading information platform for institutions in digital assets, The Terminal needed a cohesive, user-centered redesign.

The redesign of the Terminal wasn't just about changing the interface; it was a collaborative overhaul involving cross-departmental efforts to holistically enhance the product. By coordinating with Engineering, Marketing, and Data Science teams, the redesign ensured that improvements were not superficial but deeply integrated with the core functions. Teams were focused on increasing speed, while another team worked on brand new features involving AI. The focus became creating a consistent and intuitive experience that reduced cognitive load and made the Terminal easier to navigate and use effectively. Other teams prepared new features which we designed and released in the new Terminal.

With the other teams aligned on a common goal, we began by outlining our initial assumptions about the product's pain points and user’s needs. To validate these, we compared our assumptions with insights from competitive research, usability testing, and interviews. This approach ensured that our research covered potential blind spots so we could make data-driven design decisions.

Research

As we conducted interviews, several key themes emerged: users often felt overwhelmed by hidden features and cognitive load, leading to usability and discoverability issues. There was a clear onboarding and learning curve to the platform which made many users reliant on their account manager to set things up for them. Additionally, while some users valued the Terminal's extensive customization, many preferred pre-built configurations and clearer, more accessible interfaces. These insights highlighted the need for a more streamlined, user-friendly design that reduces the mental effort, improves feature discoverability, and ensures the quality and utility of the data.

While our internal research was invaluable, we also analyzed key competitors to see how they addressed similar challenges. We found that more intuitive and streamlined interfaces were particularly effective in user onboarding and feature accessibility. This comparison revealed opportunities for us to simplify complex data presentations and enhance the overall user experience, guiding us to introduce specific improvements that could significantly elevate The Terminal in a competitive market.

Applying our findings to improving UX and UI

One of the major changes we implemented during the redesign was moving the navigation from a top bar to a left-side panel. This decision was driven by our research, which showed that side navigation better supports complex applications like The Terminal by improving scalability and making it easier for users to find what they need quickly. As one study highlighted, 'left navigation facilitates a vertical scanning direction...greatly improving speed and requiring fewer visual fixations,' which informed our choice to adopt this layout for a more efficient user experience.

In our redesign of The Terminal, we prioritized UX over UI, understanding that the foundation of a successful product lies in how intuitively it functions and meets user needs. To achieve this, we conducted an internal UX audit using a comprehensive set of criteria. We focused on accessibility by ensuring Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) compliance and fostering inclusivity, while also improving navigation through a clear information hierarchy and familiar design conventions. We worked to reduce cognitive load by eliminating unnecessary steps, decluttering interfaces, and enhancing scanability. Readability was improved by simplifying content and aligning it with user expectations. Finally, we ensured brand continuity and unification across the platform by consolidating patterns and maintaining a consistent visual and tonal language.?

We collaborated closely with the engineering team to select and implement a robust component library for our new design system. We began by taking a comprehensive inventory of every component within the Terminal, identifying numerous instances of duplication and components being used out of context. This audit allowed us to unify the components, creating a cohesive and streamlined design system. We standardized the typography by choosing Source Sans for general use and Source Code Mono strictly for numbers, ensuring clarity and uniformity across the platform. Additionally, we implemented a structured color language:?

• Tier 1 palette: The brand color is designated for primary actions.
• Tier 2 palette: A neutral color for secondary actions
• Tier 3 palette: An accent color for specific actions related to configurations and settings.
• Tier 4 palette: Set of semantic colors for system messaging.
• Tier 5 palette: All other colors to differentiate plotting on charts.

This meticulous approach to design system implementation has resulted in a more intuitive and visually coherent product.

Redesign Feature highlight: Charting

In our redesign of The Terminal's charting feature, we unified the previously separate Research and Trading Charts into a single, cohesive tool. This integration simplifies the user experience, allowing for seamless transitions between indexing, benchmarking, cross-asset comparisons, and in-depth analysis of individual assets. The previous disjointed experience, which involved separate charts for different functions, often felt non-native and confusing, so our goal was to create a more intuitive and streamlined charting environment.

We addressed several known UX issues, such as the cumbersome process of adding data series and the overwhelming nature of tools and action buttons. By condensing the trading chart and research chart into one unified chart, we improved the platform's visual coherence and facilitated easier navigation. This redesign also ensures that users can effortlessly connect the updated charting tool with the Screener, enhancing their ability to analyze and interpret data in a more integrated manner.

Additionally, we benchmarked our existing charting library, Highcharts, against AG Charts to select the most effective solution for our users. We improved transparency by clarifying what is being plotted and resolved issues like confusing date selection and tooltip overflow. The result is a comprehensive, user-friendly charting experience that empowers users to analyze market trends, optimize strategies, and make informed decisions with greater ease and accuracy.

Conclusion

As one of the largest overhauls the platform has ever undergone, it represents a monumental leap forward in both functionality and user experience. Post-launch, we conducted interviews with users to gauge their initial reactions and gather feedback. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, affirming the value of the changes we've made. While the new design has been well-received, our work is far from over—we continue to refine and enhance the platform based on ongoing user insights.

The success of this redesign is a testament to the collaborative efforts of The Tie Team. From engineers,designers,product managers,sales, and marketing teams, everyone played a crucial role in bringing this ambitious vision to life. The shared commitment to excellence and user satisfaction drove the project forward, ensuring that every detail was meticulously considered and executed. This collective effort not only improved the product but also strengthened our team’s ability to innovate and deliver high-quality solutions.

In summary, the redesign of The Terminal is a milestone achievement that reflects our dedication to providing the best possible experience for our users. By focusing on user-centric design, rigorous testing, and continuous improvement, we’ve created a platform that not only meets but exceeds the needs of our clients. As we move forward, we remain committed to evolving The Terminal to keep pace with the dynamic demands of the market, ensuring that it remains the leading all-in-one platform for institutional crypto.