TD Ameritrade
As Principal Designer and UX Manager at TD Ameritrade, I led the digital redesign of the company’s investor platforms—modernizing complex workflows, launching a unified design system, and delivering intuitive products like the patented Trade Finder tool and mobile onboarding flow. My work set new usability standards in financial services and drove measurable gains in both customer satisfaction and business performance.
Patented data-heavy stock trading platform design and design systems
Client
TD Ameritrade
Timeline
2+ years
Location
New York, USA
My role
I was a principal designer, managed two designers, and design directed a team of creative leads for the highest ranking online brokerage firm, having won the #1 spot for "platforms and tools" by Barrons and StockBrokers.com. I directed day-to-day operations within our "Experience Design Group," ensuring UI and UX excellence and consistency as well as brand adherence. I worked regularly with product owners, business leads, and web development teams as both a creative liaison and cross functional partner within a forward thinking organization of over 5,000 employees.
The Problem
Fragmented, outdated, and inaccessible digital experience:
The platform’s UI was inconsistent, visually outdated, and difficult for new and seasoned investors to use.
Onboarding was a high-friction, multi-step process, with completion rates and customer confidence both low.
Power users (traders) needed fast, advanced tools, while less-experienced investors needed clarity and reassurance.
Lack of standardization made design and development slow and error-prone, and accessibility standards were not met.
My process
Trading Platform
One of the first major platforms where I was lead designer for TDA's Digital Transformation was the iOS app. "Income Estimator" was a tool within the platform that won #1 for "platforms and tools" by Barrons and StockBrokers.com.
As a lead designer, I also contributed to the accessibility, typography, and usability efforts for the firm.
Trade Finder
Another award winning tool, this was part of the larger "Trade Architect" suite. It helped advanced traders place hypothetical trades to make informed decisions on high-risk, high-reward options strategies. Traders could adjust key variables:
Onboarding task success rate from 72% to 83%
3.9 to 4.5 App Store Ratings Increase
14k to 24k trade increase in first year
Design System Adoption: Company-wide rollout; reduced time to market for new features by standardizing code and assets.
Onboarding Experience: Reduced from 25 screens to 5 clear steps. Onboarding flow task success rose to 72% (early), 83% (final high-fidelity).
Customer Sentiment: App Store ratings improved from 3.9 to 4.5. Qualitative feedback cited “simple, clear, much easier to get started.”
Accessibility: Platform met WCAG 2.1 AA/AAA, supporting users with disabilities and international customers.
Advanced Tools: Trade Finder generated three awarded patents and saw increased daily engagement; options trades executed via Trade Architect rose from 14,000 to 24,000 in the first year.
Design System Feedback: 80% increase in positive qualitative feedback from previous version (Web & Mobile).
Internal Impact: Design and engineering teams reported improved efficiency and fewer implementation errors.
Business Outcome: Team scaled from 4 to 40 while I was managing, supporting a modernized product portfolio that helped solidify TD Ameritrade’s top-tier industry ranking.
