Ed Chen

Enterprise Systems

ACY Securities
Product Ecosystem

As Product Designer on a cross-functional team (Design, Engineering, PM, Marketing, Legal), I contributed UI/UX design and design systems to a global trading platform serving 100K+ users across 40+ jurisdictions. ACY.com's technical excellence reflects exceptional teamwork.

ACY Securities platform ecosystem showing integrated design system across multiple products including trading terminals, web platform, and mobile apps with unified visual language

Regulatory Impact

Zero compliance violations post-launch, 2+ years operation

Scope

Brand + Web + Platform

Business Impact

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

Engineering Efficiency

Design system reduced component implementation time by ~35% based on developer time logs (from ~3 days to ~2 days average)

ACY Securities Ecosystem — Cross-Functional Team Achievement

As Product Designer on a multidisciplinary team, I contributed UI/UX design and design systems architecture to a product ecosystem serving global traders. ACY.com's technical excellence and Awwwards recognition reflect exceptional cross-functional execution: frontend engineers built sophisticated GSAP animations and real-time features, PM coordinated regulatory priorities, marketing drove content strategy and visibility, legal ensured ASIC compliance. My design work was one essential piece of our collective success.

System Thinking

Design system governing 5+ products: measurable dev efficiency gain
Prototype animations in CodePen: zero-gap developer handoff
Cross-platform consistency: responsive from mobile to 4K displays

In finance, clarity is everything. I focus on creating designs that are easy to use, even when the stakes are high and the pressure is on.

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.

"The user interface is incredibly clean, making execution seamless."
— ForexBrokers.com

"It's rare to see a platform tackle this level of regulatory complexity so elegantly."
— TopTierTrader Review

Finlogix

Redesigned information architecture for a real-time market platform serving traders who process 1,000+ data points daily. Reduced cognitive load for time-critical decisions.

Platform UX Data Viz

LogixTrader

Trading terminal optimized for sub-second decision-making. Redesigned interface to minimize cognitive load in high-frequency trading environments where UI latency directly impacts P&L.

Trading UI Performance

ACYVerse

Gamified social trading platform. AI strategies meet community engagement. Complexity hidden behind simplicity.

AI Integration Social UX

LogixPanel CRM

Enterprise CRM supporting large-scale client operations. Designed operational workflows for account management, compliance tracking, and scalable onboarding.

CRM System Enterprise

TradingCup

Copy trading interface. Democratizing expert strategies through transparent risk visualization.

Copy Trading Risk UI

The System

40+ components. 12 interaction patterns. 1 coherent design language.
Built to unify 5+ products under a single, maintainable system.
Measurably reduced developer implementation time.
Includes responsive behavior from mobile to 4K,
prototype animations on CodePen for zero-gap developer handoff.

Explore Design System →

Regulatory Design Expertise

Navigating Compliance
Across 5+ Jurisdictions

In regulated industries, every choice matters. I work to create flows that are clear for users and pass every legal check.

ASIC (Australia)

Gambling UX restrictions, leverage caps, fund segregation UI

FINRA / SEC (US)

Suitability questionnaires, risk disclosure placement

FCA (UK)

Negative option marketing, financial promotions

ESMA (EU)

Inducement bans, cross-border marketing restrictions

GDPR (EU)

Consent architecture, data processing flows

FTC / FDA (US)

Claims substantiation, Prop 65 compliance

JPX-R (Japan)

Listing rules, disclosure requirements (in progress)

WCAG 2.1 AA

Global accessibility standards for inclusive financial terminals

Prevention Systems I've Built

150+

Pre-tested Compliance UI Components

Forms, modals, consent flows, disclosure patterns. Typical time saved on urgent compliance projects: 40–60%

~15

Red Flags Caught Proactively

Region-specific compliance checklists (FINRA, ASIC, FCA, GDPR, ESMA) catch issues before they escalate.

8+

Projects Avoided Rewrites

Modular architecture approach — independent modules that swap without breaking the system when regulations change.

I'm not a compliance officer. I work closely with legal and compliance teams, translate requirements into clear user flows, and document reusable patterns so teams can move faster in future updates.

Evidence Ledger

Outcomes, Ownership,
and Verifiable Signals

This section summarizes what I owned, what changed, and where the signal can be verified. Detailed numbers under NDA can be discussed during interviews.

MEASURABLE OUTCOMES

Delivery and System Impact

Enterprise-scale platform supported across 40+ countries
Design system reused across 5+ product lines
Reduced typical component implementation time from ~3 days to ~2 days per component (approximately 35% improvement) based on developer time logs across 20+ production implementations
Compliance architecture reused across multiple regional updates (ASIC, FCA, ESMA)

MY DESIGN ROLE

Design Contribution Within Cross-Functional Team

UI/UX Design Ownership: As the sole designer on the team, I was responsible for all design decisions across 5 product lines — wireframes, interaction patterns, visual design, design system architecture, and user research. ~90% of design output originated from my work.
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.
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.
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

User Research & Cognitive Load

Usability Testing & Workload Assessment

Conducted 15+ moderated usability sessions with active traders (n=15, 5 sessions per design variant) using NASA-TLX-inspired cognitive workload assessment framework (6 dimensions: Mental Demand, Physical Demand, Temporal Demand, Performance, Effort, Frustration)
Measured task completion time for Tier-1 order placement workflow (market order, 2-click execution path): baseline 8.2s (legacy interface) → 2.9s (redesigned system), representing 65% improvement in execution speed
Documented qualitative feedback on mental demand, task difficulty, and perceived effort across three design alternatives using structured interview protocols
Research findings directly influenced component design decisions and provided evidence-based rationale for stakeholder presentations
Testing results contributed supporting evidence for executive approval of design system investment (alongside ROI analysis and technical feasibility assessment)

Research Methodology

Participants: 15 active traders (existing ACY clients with 6+ months platform usage, mixed experience levels from novice to expert)

Test Structure: 3 design variants × 5 participants each, counterbalanced order to control for learning effects

Tasks: 5 core trading scenarios (market order, limit order, position modification, risk calculation, portfolio review) timed and recorded

Metrics Collected: Task completion time, error rate, cognitive load scores (NASA-TLX scales), subjective preference ratings

Note: Detailed research protocols, session recordings, and anonymized participant data available under NDA during final interview stages.

Selected Works

Selected
Projects

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

01

PawsRoam

0-to-1 Startup · Product Strategy

Founded and scaled a dual-sided pet adoption marketplace from zero to 1 launch in Japan. End-to-end product ownership: market research, UX strategy, SEO architecture, multi-market expansion across JP/US.

Product Strategy SEO Architecture 3 Markets

Proves: Entrepreneurial product thinking — from zero users to market leadership without paid acquisition

Visit Platform →

02

Christie's Real Estate

Full-Stack Luxury Real Estate Platform

End-to-end realization of a high-end property platform. Demonstrates technical depth by taking pixel-perfect luxury UX design entirely through to production via custom PHP backends and complex SQL schema deployment.

PHP 8 SQL Design Luxury UX Full-Stack

What this project shows: Design implementation from front-end precision to database architecture

Live Platform → Case Study →

03

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 →

04

HorizonSync

Distributed Team Coordination Platform

AI-powered timezone orchestration for global teams. Built to solve a real pain point in managing cross-timezone workflows for international product teams.

AI Integration Data Visualization System Design

What this project shows: Product strategy applied to team operations

View System → Case Study →

View Full Case Study Archive (12 Projects) →

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.

Many designers see strict regulations as a wall between them and a clean UI. I see them as a challenge. In this industry, a single mistake isn't just a bug—it can have real financial consequences.

I joined ACY Securities because I wanted to work in an environment where every pixel counts. Over the years, I've learned that the most successful designers in regulated fields aren't the ones who just tolerate rules—they're the ones who use those rules to build something better.

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

Compliance review isn't a gate at the end — it's a collaborator from day one. Zero post-launch violations.

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 culinary experiments, every domain teaches me something new about systems, constraints, and craft.

🏆 Founder & Product Architect

PawsRoam: Pet Welfare at Scale

Built and scaled a pet adoption platform from 0 to #1 organic ranking on Yahoo Japan. Demonstrates end-to-end product thinking: from UX to SEO strategy to community building.

#1

Yahoo Japan Ranking

5k+

Monthly Organic Visitors

3

Markets (JP/TW/US)

Visit Platform

🍴 Physical Craftsmanship

Le Celeste Héritage

From Michelin-trained kitchens to my own culinary practice. Precision, timing, and sensory design — principles that transfer directly to UX work.

Design parallel: Just as a perfectly balanced dish considers texture, flavor, and presentation, great UX balances functionality, emotion, and visual hierarchy.

開啟夢境之旅

🌏 Cross-Cultural Design

SF · Tokyo · Taipei

Designing for global markets means understanding cultural nuances beyond translation. From APAC regulatory frameworks to Western UX expectations.

3

Time Zones Navigated

5+

Languages Considered

"We are made of star stuff."

— Carl Sagan

Design, like the cosmos, is about finding order in complexity.

Every regulation is a constraint — like gravity shaping a star's evolution. Every user flow is a chemical reaction — small decisions cascading into system-wide outcomes.

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 variable has been considered, every edge case anticipated.

I Write the Code, Not Just the Spec

ReactOmega isn't a Figma file — it's a shipped Turborepo with 50+ TypeScript components. Christie's isn't a mockup — it's custom PHP 8 I wrote and deployed. Every project in this portfolio runs in production.

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 we shipped a compliant system together. Zero violations post-launch.

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.

ACY SecuritiesProduct Ecosystem