Ed Chen

Authenticated Enterprise Systems

Authenticated Financial Platforms at Enterprise Scale
ACY Securities: 4+ Years Designing Secure Login-Protected Client Portals Across 40+ Countries

Designed the authenticated financial ecosystem at ACY Securities — one design system governing 5 product lines, 100K+ traders, and 40+ regulated jurisdictions. Regulatory updates ship in days because the architecture was built for change, not patched after the fact.

ACY Securities platform ecosystem showing integrated design system across multiple products

Regulatory Foundation

Designed a modular system where new regulatory requirements slot in — 2+ years of ASIC/FCA updates shipped without redesigning from scratch

Scope

Brand + Web + Platform

Business Impact

Enterprise-scale platform, 40+ countries, 5+ product lines unified

System Scalability

Design system enabled autonomous implementation across 5 product lines

ACY Securities Ecosystem

Built the unified design system spanning 5 product lines — cross-functional delivery with Engineering, Legal, and Product.

View Complete System →

Top-Tier Platform Evaluation

Independent broker reviews testing 80+ platforms. While evaluating the entire ACY ecosystem, these reviews specifically highlight the intuitive user experience and clean interface as key competitive advantages—validating our design strategy's impact on brand perception and user trust.

Independent broker review highlighting platform usability and clean interface design
— ForexBrokers.com (2025)

Independent review examining ACY's multi-jurisdictional regulatory compliance framework
— Independent Broker Analysis (2026)

Finlogix

High-density market data platform for professional traders processing 1,000+ real-time signals daily — applying Bloomberg Terminal-style data maximalism. Redesigned information architecture reduced analysis time by 40% while maintaining expert-level data density.

Bloomberg-Caliber Data UI Expert-User Research

LogixTrader

Authenticated trading terminal for institutional clients — secure login-protected environment optimized for sub-second decision-making. Redesigned interface to minimize cognitive load in high-frequency trading environments where UI latency directly impacts P&L.

Authenticated Trading Performance

ACY Connect

Institutional B2B trading infrastructure serving prime brokers and liquidity providers via FIX 4.4 Protocol. Designed comprehensive API documentation architecture and credential management systems for enterprise-grade institutional connectivity at global scale.

Institutional B2B FIX Protocol

LogixPanel CRM

Advisor-facing enterprise CRM with role-based access controls — the internal tool powering relationship managers across 100K+ client accounts. Closest analogue to private banking advisor workflow tools: client data hierarchy, compliance audit trails, and scalable onboarding.

Advisor Workflow UX Internal Enterprise Tool

TradingCup

Authenticated copy trading platform with secure account linking and real-time portfolio mirroring. Democratizing expert strategies through transparent risk visualization in login-protected environment.

Authenticated Platform Risk UI

The System

150+ production components. Unified interaction system across 5 product lines.
Built to scale — Marketing, Product, and Engineering under one architecture.
Measurably reduced developer implementation time by 30–40%.
Full responsive coverage mobile to 4K,
with prototype animations for zero-gap developer handoff.

Finlogix high-density market data platform interface

Explore Design System →

Design Constraints in Practice

Designing Within
Regulated Constraints

Regulatory requirements aren't legal hurdles — they're design specifications. I translate constraints into reusable design systems, so teams ship faster on every subsequent update.

ASIC (Australia)

How do you tell users their funds are at risk without killing conversion? Leverage caps and disclosure rules forced honest hierarchy and clear copywriting.

FINRA / SEC (US)

Suitability questionnaires as a UX challenge: making required risk disclosures feel like user protection, not legal fine print.

COPPA (US) ⚠️

Age-gating architecture — where one UX sequencing decision determines how a regulatory requirement scales across the entire product.

ESMA (EU)

Inducement bans as a creativity constraint: designing engaging promotions when direct incentives are prohibited.

FTC / Consumer Protection (US)

Designing claims that are both compelling and substantiable — where copywriting decisions become legal decisions.

WCAG 2.1 AA

Global accessibility standards for inclusive financial terminals — view accessibility strategy

What the Constraint-as-Brief Approach Produced

150+

Reusable Design Components

Forms, modals, consent flows, disclosure patterns — built once, applied across regulatory updates without redesigning from scratch.

40–60%

Faster Execution on Regulatory Updates

When new ASIC/FCA requirements landed, the modular system adapted in days. Compliance updates became design system patches, not emergency redesigns.

8+

Regulatory Updates Without Rewrites

Modular architecture means independent modules swap out when regulations change — the system keeps running, teams keep shipping.

COPPA (US) — Consent-First Sequencing: Designed age-verification and stepped consent flows where verification gates data collection — not the reverse. Applied the same sequencing principle to KYC onboarding at ACY Securities: required disclosures at the point of need, not as a front-loaded wall that drives abandonment.

AI & Emerging Technology

Using AI Tools in Product Design
Application-Level Integration & Prototyping

I leverage LLM APIs and automation tools to prototype faster and test concepts with real functionality. By connecting APIs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) and configuring workflows (MCP, n8n), I solve complex product problems at the application level. My primary focus: designing interfaces that make AI outputs transparent and trustworthy in financial contexts.

What I Do with AI Tools

Connect APIs to Prototype Faster

I use ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini APIs to build functional demos that let stakeholders test real AI behavior, not just review static mockups. Example: Nova portfolio analyzer uses Claude API to generate risk assessments with probability ranges.

Design Interfaces That Show AI Limitations

Financial products can't hide uncertainty. I design UIs that explicitly show confidence levels ("70-85% probability"), data sources ("based on 2020-2024 price history"), and disclaimers ("not financial advice") — applying the same transparency patterns I use for ASIC/FINRA compliance.

Configure Tools (MCP, n8n) to Automate Repetitive Tasks

I set up automation workflows for design tasks — batch image processing, content generation, data formatting. I'm not writing custom algorithms, just connecting existing tools to save time.

The Value Proposition: By focusing on practical application via APIs rather than theoretical model training, I enable product teams to rapidly integrate intelligent features into production, testing real AI behavior with stakeholders in days rather than months.

Practical AI Projects (LinkedIn Documented)

These are real projects I've built using LLM APIs and AI tools — not concepts, not research. Each demonstrates practical application of AI in product design contexts.

Nova

Portfolio analysis platform with explainable AI — confidence intervals for financial predictions

HorizonSync

AI-powered timezone coordination for distributed teams — algorithmic scheduling optimization

Resumake

Open-source resume builder built with AI assistance — professional features without the subscription cost

CEREBRO

Cognitive assessment platform with adaptive difficulty and real-time score analysis

TrueWorth

AI-powered valuation analysis — integrating LLM reasoning with financial data

Jupiter

Collaborative digital art platform empowering artists to build dynamic, colorful visual art

Verification: All projects documented on LinkedIn with screenshots and project details. Available for detailed technical walkthrough during interview.

Featured: Nova AI — Explainable AI Architecture for Finance

Nova demonstrates my approach to AI transparency in high-stakes contexts. Instead of hiding algorithmic uncertainty, I designed interfaces that explicitly show:

• Confidence Intervals: Every AI prediction shows probability ranges — users see "70-85% confidence" instead of false precision
• Data Provenance: Clear labels distinguishing "historical price data" (deterministic) from "AI-generated forecast" (probabilistic)
• Risk Disclaimers: Regulatory-compliant warnings that AI predictions are not financial advice (ASIC/FINRA pattern applied to prototype)

This project was tested with 8 retail traders. User feedback: "Finally, an AI tool that doesn't pretend to know the future." Nova is a prototype, not production-ready — but it demonstrates how I design AI features for regulated environments.

View Nova Case Study →

Evidence Ledger

Outcomes, Ownership,
and Verifiable Signals

Summarizing ownership, measurable outcomes, and verifiable signals. Measurable impact (detailed metrics shared during interview).

MEASURABLE OUTCOMES

System Impact Through Process Discipline

System Scalability: Designed a component system that scaled across 40+ countries by building flexible patterns into core architecture from day one.
Design System Governance: Architected a modular system reused across 5+ product lines with clear documentation and engineering syncs.
Engineering Velocity: Improved implementation speed by 35% through structured handoff processes and Storybook documentation standards.
Regulatory Resilience: Treated regulatory requirements as first-class design constraints from day one — ASIC/FCA updates shipped in days because the system was designed to accommodate change, not resist it.

MY DESIGN ROLE

Design Contribution Within Cross-Functional Team

UI/UX Design Leadership: Established design standards across 5 product lines — defining interaction patterns, visual systems, and research frameworks that enabled engineering teams to execute autonomously. Built documentation and handoff processes that scaled design decisions beyond my direct involvement.
Design System Architecture: Authored 150+ components, interaction patterns, motion language, documentation framework, and developer handoff standards. Worked closely with frontend engineers to ensure technical feasibility and production implementation.
Scaling Design Through Systems: Designed component infrastructure that enabled a 150-person cross-functional organization to deliver consistent, compliant UIs across 40+ countries — empowering PMs and engineers to assemble interfaces autonomously. This systems-first approach ensured design quality scaled beyond individual output through systematic governance.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partnered with Legal on regulatory requirements, Product Management on roadmap prioritization, Engineering on technical constraints, Marketing on content strategy, and C-suite on strategic vision. Design decisions were informed by collective input, not made in isolation.
Executive Communication Support: Designed presentation materials for C-suite stakeholders (investor briefings, board decks, strategic planning documents). Rapidly iterated on data visualizations to meet executive-level clarity standards.
End-to-End Design Process: Led user research, strategic framing, prototyping, and visual QA. Success depended on exceptional execution by engineering (bringing designs to life with sophisticated animations), PM (coordinating timelines), and legal (ensuring regulatory compliance).

VERIFIABLE SIGNALS

Public References

DOMAIN DEDICATION

Bridging the Knowledge Gap

Yale University: Financial Markets (Robert Shiller) — When I joined ACY Securities, I realized I could design trading interfaces but didn't truly understand what I was designing. I knew how to make "Buy/Sell" buttons, but I didn't understand derivatives pricing, risk management frameworks, or why certain regulatory disclosures existed. To fix this, I completed Yale's Financial Markets course (taught by Nobel Laureate Robert Shiller) to systematically learn:
- Market structure: How derivatives, options, and futures actually work (not just their UI representations)
- Risk models: Why leverage limits exist and how margin calls cascade through systems
- Behavioral finance: Why users make irrational trading decisions under stress (and how design can prevent catastrophic losses)
- Regulatory rationale: The economic reasoning behind disclosure requirements (not just "Legal says we need this")
Applied Learning: This wasn't academic curiosity — it directly improved my design work. For example, understanding margin call mechanics (from Shiller's course) helped me design ACY's leverage warning system that shows traders exactly how much price movement would trigger liquidation before they enter a position. Beautiful UI is worthless if it doesn't prevent users from destroying their accounts. Today, my design architecture is driven by market realities and regulatory rationale — not just UX heuristics.

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Navigating Stakeholder Disagreement

Legal vs. UX Trade-offs: When Legal required adding 47 disclosure fields to onboarding (ASIC/FCA compliance), data showed 73% drop-off. Proposed tabbed information architecture with error prevention gates — Legal initially rejected. Built interactive prototype demonstrating all fields visible within 2 clicks. After 3-week negotiation involving C-suite mediation, Legal approved conditional implementation with audit trail.
Engineering Constraints: Design system required Canvas API animations for trading charts. Engineering cited performance concerns for low-end devices. Conducted joint profiling sessions, identified specific bottleneck (re-render loops). Redesigned animation architecture using requestAnimationFrame batching. Engineering validated solution, became advocate for design system adoption.
Executive Misalignment: C-suite pushed for "Robinhood-style minimalism" in B2B trading terminal. Professional traders in user research explicitly rejected simplified UI (verbatim: "I need density, not whitespace"). Presented side-by-side usability data (task completion 40% slower with minimal UI). CEO initially defended vision. After sharing full session recordings showing trader frustration, CEO approved information-dense design with "clean chaos" visual language.
Reality Check: These conflicts took weeks to resolve, not one meeting. Success required building trust through repeated collaboration, not "winning" with a single data point.

RESEARCH PROCESS

Data-Driven Decision Making

Research Methodology: Established 5-step research-to-design pipeline using Hotjar (170+ session recordings) to convert behavioral data into stakeholder-convincing evidence
Hypothesis Testing: Qualitative testing of 3 design variants with 15 traders uncovered critical usability gaps — directional findings validated post-launch through production telemetry, with order placement improving from 8.2s → 2.9s (64.63% faster)
Stakeholder Persuasion: Used quantitative data ( heatmaps showing 85% CTA visibility) to win executive approval for design system investment by proving user behavior, not just defending opinions
Note: Detailed research protocols and methodology shared during interview.

Selected Works

Selected
Projects

These projects show how I work from problem framing to shipped output.

01

Christie's Real Estate

UHNW Client Experience & Luxury Brand Design

Designed the digital platform for ultra-high-net-worth ($50M+) real estate clients — translating 250 years of Christie's brand authority into a digital-first editorial experience. Navigated competing priorities across NYC and London stakeholders, designing a relationship-first model where digital tools enhance broker relationships rather than replace them.

UHNW Client UX Luxury Brand Strategy Stakeholder Alignment Editorial Design

Private banking relevance: Serving $50M+ property buyers = the same trust model, white-glove expectations, and relationship-first design philosophy required for UHNW wealth management clients

Live Platform → Case Study →

02

ReactΩ

Production-Ready Component System

50+ typed React components with monorepo structure and documentation. Built from recurring implementation needs in product teams.

React 18+ TypeScript Canvas API Turborepo

What this project shows: Design system thinking with implementation discipline

Live Library → GitHub →

03

Xanthos Private Bank

Private Banking UX Concept · UHNW Wealth Management

Five interconnected flows for a fictional private bank serving $28M+ net worth households: client portfolio dashboard, RM briefing intelligence, investment proposal flows, life event planning, and UHNW onboarding. Designed to demonstrate B2B2C architecture where technology enhances the advisor-client relationship.

UHNW Client Portal RM Briefing Tools FINRA · SEC · AML B2B2C Architecture

What this shows: Private banking domain fluency — light theme, low density, compliance as service, and the advisor-client relationship model that separates wealth management from retail trading

Case Study →

04

TradeX hedge fund dashboard with AI-native intelligence overlay

TradeX Institutional

AI-Native Hedge Fund & Institutional Trading Design

Two-part institutional design exploration: (1) AI-native hedge fund dashboard with causal intelligence overlays, liquidity stress visualization, and real-time alpha attribution; (2) Bloomberg Terminal-inspired institutional trading terminal with Level 2 Order Book, Portfolio Risk Matrix, and SEC/FINRA-compliant execution workflows. Based on primary research with portfolio managers.

Hedge Fund UX Bloomberg-Caliber Density Risk Visualization $100M–$50B AUM Context

What this shows: Institutional-grade systems thinking — data density, risk architecture, and the design decisions that separate professional trading tools from consumer-grade interfaces

AI Hedge Fund Dashboard → Institutional Terminal →

05

PawsRoam

Full-Stack Product Ownership · 0-to-1 Founder

Founded and shipped a live React + Firebase marketplace — from 7 months of Tokyo field research to deployed MVP. End-to-end product ownership: product strategy, UX design, full-stack engineering, and market launch. No handoffs.

React + Firebase Full-Stack Live MVP

What this proves: 0-to-1 product thinking across the full stack — designed, built, and shipped without a team

Visit Platform → Case Study →

View Full Case Study Archive →

Design Stance

Embracing Constraints as Design Architecture

Compliance isn't just a hurdle—it's a guide. In finance, the best products feel right because they respect every rule of the game.

I've learned to view ASIC leverage caps, GDPR consent flows, and FCA marketing restrictions not as obstacles to clean UI, but as design constraints that reveal which solutions are truly robust.

In regulated environments, designers who thrive aren't the ones who tolerate constraints — they're the ones who use constraints to build better systems.

Constraint-First Framing

Map regulatory, technical, and business constraints before sketching a single screen. The constraints ARE the brief.

Prototype the Risk

Build the compliance-critical path first. If the hardest flow works, everything else follows.

Ship with Legal in the Room

Legal isn't a reviewer at the end of the process — they're a collaborator from day one. Design decisions made with full regulatory context don't need to be unwound later.

Systemize for the Next Crisis

Every solved problem becomes a reusable pattern. When regulations change, the system adapts in days, not months.

Multidimensional Design

Beyond the Screen

Design isn't just what I do — it's how I see the world. From regulated enterprise platforms to independent product launches, every domain teaches me something new about systems, constraints, and craft.

🌏 Cross-Cultural Design Leadership

Designing Across Markets: SF · Tokyo · Taipei

Led design initiatives across APAC and Western markets, navigating regulatory frameworks (ASIC, FCA, FINRA) and cultural expectations. Trained distributed design teams on localization beyond translation — from hierarchy perception to risk disclosure patterns.

40+

Countries Supported

5+

Regulatory Jurisdictions

3

Time Zones Coordinated

"Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing."

— Warren Buffett

In financial product design, risk often comes from not fully understanding what you're building — the regulatory architecture, the user's decision-making context, the downstream consequences of a single UX choice.

This is why I treat compliance constraints as first-class design inputs, not post-hoc requirements. Every regulation exists because something went wrong — and understanding that history makes better products.

I don't fight constraints. I use them to build better systems.
The best financial products feel inevitable — not because they're simple, but because every risk has been considered and every edge case anticipated before the first line of code.

I Partner with Engineering to Ship, Not Just Spec

My designs don't stop at mockups. I collaborate closely with engineering teams throughout implementation — from technical feasibility discussions to production QA. This partnership ensures design intent survives the build process, not just the handoff.

I've Navigated a Regulatory Crisis

When ASIC issued a 14-day compliance order, I contributed a design-system-based approach to the team's crisis response. The proposal was adopted, and the system shipped on time — because the design architecture was already built for this kind of change.

I Design Across Cultures, Not Just Languages

I've designed for 40+ countries, navigated both APAC and Western regulatory frameworks, and shipped localized products across three time zones. Cross-cultural design isn't just translation — it's understanding how trust, hierarchy, and risk perception differ across markets.

I Build Systems, Not Screens

One design system governs 5 product lines and measurably reduced implementation time. When regulations change, the system adapts in days. That's not a portfolio claim — it's how ACY actually operates.

Authenticated Financial Platforms at Enterprise Scale ACY Securities: 4+ Years Designing Secure Login-Protected Client Portals Across 40+ Countries