About the project

Naga Trader

NAGA combined a trading app with a social network. People could follow other traders, discuss markets, and copy a trader's positions automatically.

I defined the end-to-end experience across iOS, Android and web, from the core trading flows to copy trading and the NAGA Coin wallet, working closely with two engineering teams.

This case follows two problems: making people trust the Copy button, and making markets feel approachable to people who had never traded.

Two phones over a night-time city skyline. One shows a trader's social profile with a Copy button; the other shows portfolio performance stats.

Redesigned trader profiles around social proof, driving 25% copy-trading adoption, on a social trading app used by 2M+ people on web, iOS and Android.

Role
Product Designer
Dates
2016 to 2018
Platforms
iOS, Android, web
Company
NAGA
Team
Two engineering teams
Users on web and mobile
2M+
Copy-trading adoption
25%
Demo funding adoption
30%
Registration conversion
7%

One account across trading, social copy trading, crypto and payments.

  • Who Retail traders

    Wanted the confidence of professionals without their time or expertise. From beginners to day traders.

  • What Trading + a social network

    Trade, follow and discuss, and copy another trader’s positions automatically.

  • Why Copying felt like a black box

    Handing your money to a stranger’s strategy, and hoping.

  • Owned iOS, Android and web

    End-to-end experience across the three platforms. UX and strategy defined with the product owner and project manager.

  • Scope Trading, copy, crypto

    Registration, demo mode, trading, copy trading and the NAGA Coin wallet. I also supported marketing for the NAGA Coin launch.

  • Built The first design system

    Shared components for feature parity across web and mobile.

  • 2016 NAGA Feed & Autocopy

    A feed where traders share their experience and strategies, and Autocopy to copy a successful trader in a few clicks.

  • 2017 NAGA Wallet & Bitcoin accounts

    A wallet to buy major cryptocurrencies and store ERC-20 tokens, plus Bitcoin-based trading accounts.

What shipped while I was there.

Part 1 · Copy trading

Nobody copies a stranger’s spreadsheet

25%

copy-trading adoption after trader profiles were rebuilt around social proof.

Early testing showed that users didn’t trust Copy until they could see a trader’s track record presented like a social profile, not a spreadsheet.

So the profile was rebuilt around social proof (a feed, stats, achievements and trade history) before the Copy call to action.

What a copied trader sees: every new copy trade updates profit and open trades.
Two phones: a trader profile with followers, win rate and an Auto Copy button above the post feed, and a stats tab with a profit chart, ROI and copier numbers.
Auto Copy: the trader’s risk score first, then how much to copy, by percentage or amount.

Decision 1

Profile first, Copy second

Options
A leaderboard with a one-tap Copy button, or a profile that shows the trader’s record before the button.
Chose
Each trader profile shows a feed, a wall of achievements, a summary of trades and stats. Auto Copy sits on the profile, after the evidence.
Why
Users didn’t trust Copy until they could judge the trader like a person, not a row in a table.
Gave up
Speed to the first copied trade. There are more screens between a user and the action the business wanted.
Feed posts: one user bought BTC/USD at 9419.12, another made a loss on ETH/USD, each with a trade card and an Open Trade button, plus a text post and likes and comments.

Decision 2

Make the feed about trades, not just talk

Options
A plain discussion feed, or posts that embed the trade itself.
Chose
Posts can carry a live trade card with the instrument, price change and an Open Trade button, alongside likes, comments and reshares.
Why
Traders share wins and losses openly, so others can judge a strategy from what actually happened.
Gave up
A noisier feed, and losses on public display next to wins.
  1. Markets list of crypto pairs with sparklines and Sell and Buy buttons.

    1 Pick a market

  2. Buy ticket for BTC/USD with amount, units and Naga Protector stop loss and take profit.

    2 Set the trade

    Stop loss and take profit on the ticket

  3. Trade details for NGC/USD: trade owner, deposit, profit, ROI, copiers bonus, copiers count and a stop-loss / take-profit slider.

    3 Follow the trade

    Owner, copiers and risk in one view

Placing a trade.
Buy ticket with Naga Protector stop loss and take profit fields.
Trade details with stop loss, entry price and take profit on a slider.

Decision 3

Put the risk on the same screen as the trade

Options
Hide risk settings behind an advanced toggle, or keep them on the ticket.
Chose
The ticket keeps stop loss and take profit next to the amount. Trade details show key metrics, who owns the trade and its risk levels in one view.
Why
Copying and trading only feel safe if the downside is visible before you commit.
Gave up
Denser screens and more to explain to people who had never placed a trade.

Part 2 · Getting started

Markets intimidate people who have never traded

30%

demo funding adoption. Registration converted at 7%.

The audience ranged from complete beginners to day traders. The first steps had to feel safe, and money had to be easy to move in.

Fund Account screen offering credit card, e-wallets, bank transfer and crypto-currencies via the NAGA Wallet.
Markets list of crypto pairs with prices, sparklines and Sell and Buy buttons.

Decision 4

One account for fiat and crypto

Options
A separate crypto wallet, or one balance across both.
Chose
For the NAGA Coin launch I designed the visual strategy and the in-app wallet, bringing fiat and crypto balances into one dashboard. Funding offers card, e-wallets, bank transfer and crypto in one place.
Why
NAGA was unifying fiat and crypto in one dashboard for the first time.
Gave up
A more complex funding screen, with crypto rules alongside card payments.

Decision 5

Let people practise before they pay

Options
Ask for funding up front, or open a demo account first.
Chose
I streamlined the Demo Mode registration, so people intimidated by financial markets could try trading without risking money.
Why
To lower the barrier to entry for users intimidated by financial markets.
Gave up
A longer path from sign-up to a funded account.
  1. High Tech Stocks portfolio with an Invest in This Portfolio button, horizon, return and risk level.

    1 Themed portfolios

    Return next to risk level

  2. Portfolio performance chart over time with Add Investment and Withdraw Funds.

    2 Performance over time

  3. My Investments: profit and loss, ROI, equity and invested amounts.

    3 All investments

Investing without picking trades.

One system on web and mobile

I set up the first design system for the product, so features shipped with the same behaviour and look on web, iOS and Android.

The web app: a trader profile with cover image, stats, Auto Copy and a performance chart.
Trader profile on the web.
Trading view: advanced charting, technical analysis and live market data.
The web trading view: a Bitcoin chart with drawing tools beside a buy ticket with Naga Protector fields.
The same ticket and protection settings on the web.