How We Increased DAU by 147% Through Simplified Dashboard Navigation
Traders were abandoning our platform within the first week. 34% churn was costing $5M annually. We redesigned the information hierarchy to guide users to what matters most.
The Business Challenge
Traders were confused by information hierarchy. Complex data without clear prioritization led to frustration and abandonment. We analyzed user sessions and found that the information architecture was unclear. Users didn't know where to look first - everything had equal visual weight. Root Cause: Without guidance, users felt overwhelmed. The dashboard showed everything but highlighted nothing.
34% of users abandoned the dashboard after 1 week
$5M annual revenue loss from churn
200+ monthly support tickets about navigation and feature discovery
Research & Discovery
User Interviews (8 power traders)
"Too much data on one screen. I don't know where to look first." Users needed visual hierarchy to prioritize information.
Session Recordings (50+ users)
Average time to find key metric: 2min 15sec. Baseline should be 8 seconds. Users were scrolling past features without seeing them.
Competitive Analysis (ThinkorSwim, Robinhood)
Best-in-class platforms prioritize: Price → Chart → Orders. Clear visual weight guides user attention immediately.
Design Decision #1: Establishing Visual Hierarchy
Challenge: All dashboard elements had equal visual weight. Users didn't know what to focus on first. Solution: We reduced chart size by 30% and enlarged price display by 200%. Made the most critical data impossible to miss. Why this approach: We tested a tabbed interface but power users needed everything visible at once. Single-page density with clear hierarchy won. Result: Time-to-key-metric decreased by 68% (from 2min 15sec to 45sec).
Design Decision #2: Customizable Widgets
Challenge: Power traders have different trading styles. Day traders need volatility data. Long-term investors need fundamentals. Solution: Drag-drop widget system. Users could build their own dashboard layout matching their trading style. Trade-off: Added 3 weeks engineering time but user retention data justified the cost. Users now spending 45% more time in-app. Result: 67% of active traders customized their dashboard within first week.
Design Decision #3: Quick Actions Sidebar
Challenge: Common actions (Buy, Sell, Set Alert) were buried 3 clicks deep in the hamburger menu. Solution: Persistent right-side panel with 6 most-used actions. Always visible, one-click access. Why sidebar over toolbar: Desktop traders use wide screens (2560px+). Vertical space is premium, horizontal is abundant. Result: Average task time reduced from 24 seconds to 6 seconds.
Final Design
Main dashboard view. Price (largest element) → Live chart → Order book. Visual hierarchy guides attention naturally from left to right, top to bottom.
Customization modal. Drag-drop interface lets traders build dashboard matching their style. 67% of users personalized layout within first week.
Mobile responsive design. Key metrics remain accessible on smaller screens. Quick actions collapse to bottom sheet.
Dark mode variant. Essential for traders working long hours. Reduced eye strain complaints by 40%.
Business Impact
"The new dashboard is night and day. I can finally see what matters without hunting through menus. As a day trader, every second counts - this redesign saves me hours every week."