Trading Platform Design & Development (Case Study)

Project Plan

Task

Build a trading app design from scratch

Team

Product Manager, UX Researcher, 2 Product Designers,
3 Back-end and 2 Front-end developers, QA Engineer

Duration

22 weeks

Scope

100+ final screens for web, 70+ screens for Mobile App, 50+ screens for CRM

Overview

The client reached out to us looking to develop a modern and user-friendly trading platform that allows traders to buy, sell, transfer, and store cryptocurrency with the highest level of security. As the market demands compelling user experiences and appealing interfaces, we took on a challenge to answer those needs.

Our goal with the project was to develop the functionality and UI/UX design of the trading platform from the ground up. Leveraging our insights into the industry, our experts delivered a robust platform with stand-out visual design and intuitive navigation that is familiar and understandable for crypto investors.

Deliverables

Results

Limeup built i88 to deliver lightning-fast trading, maintaining latency below one second even during peak loads while processing over 1.2 million on-the-fly data refresh daily without data loss. The platform sustained 99.95% uptime through continuous deployment and monitoring, ensuring reliable performance around the clock.

Introducing live video support contributed to a 30% increase in users within the first two months. With infrastructure designed for international growth and institutional integration, i88 is ready to expand its reach and meet evolving market demands.

General info

Trade

Full Graph

Loyalty program

Majors

Affiliate

General info

Trade

Full Graph

Loyalty program

Majors

Affiliate

Discovery Phase

The beginning of the project for a sizeable product is defined by an in-depth discovery phase. We delegated the initial research to our most qualified specialist to dig deep into the market and lay the foundation for our development efforts.

The biggest challenge we’ve uncovered was that many trading platforms were similar, requiring us to design and develop a platform that would make it stand out against competitors yet maintain a familiar structure that traders are accustomed to.

Ultimately, we settled on a plan for the project that would allow the client to capture the attention of users with unique visuals, keep them engaged with an elevated user experience, and satisfy them with fully functional features.

Information Architecture

Designed with clarity in mind, the platform’s structure enables effortless user journeys and quick access to tools. The back-end leverages NestJS and GraphQL to deliver modularity and handle high trading volumes efficiently, while PostgreSQL manages structured data and Redis supports caching and instant synchronization.

Live market updates and user interactions run smoothly via WebSockets, complemented by WebRTC-powered video consultations. Containerized services run on AWS ECS, with assets and logs securely managed through S3 and CloudWatch.

Information Architecture

Technologies We Used

The architecture used to construct i88's trading platform was created to manage enormous volumes of data with low latency, guaranteeing that traders are always connected and informed.

Front-end

React.js

Back-end & API

NestJS

GraphQL

Data & Realtime

PostgreSQL

Redis

WebSockets

Infrastructure

AWS

Docker

Integrations

Firebase Auth

Stripe API

WebRTC

Security

Protecting user data and maintaining secure transactions were top priorities throughout i88’s development. We implemented multiple layers of security measures to safeguard every interaction within the platform:

Secure user identity and session control are achieved with Firebase authentication.

Role-based access enforcement combined with JWT-based back-end authorization.

Stripe API integration that complies with PCI standards for subscriptions, withdrawals, and deposits.

Secure WebSocket channels for real-time trade notifications and updates.

WebRTC enables private live trading consultations with end-to-end encryption.

Centralized monitoring, logging, and alerting are done via AWS CloudWatch.

Discuss your idea with our experts to define the perfect solution for your needs.

Platon Tsybulskiy

CTO

Get in touch

Get in touch

User persona

Trader

Age:34

Status:Single

Location:Bristol

Competitive

Calculated

Trading

Traveling

Biography

has been trading for 3 years. His income has been growing steadily. dream is to reach a new level of earnings. He has tried many trading platforms, but would like to use one multifunctional platform. Rob wants to easily manage the functionality he needs.

Personality

Loyal

Frickle

Introvert

Extravert

Analytical

Creative

Goals

Get access global financial markets commission-free and hassle-free on one platform
Earn more money
Get high level of security

Motivation

Set goals and get bonuses
Increase trading volume

Needs

Keep track all trading markets in one place
Easily navigate through system
Manage finances in crypto

Frustration

Poor number of functions
Insufficient data security
Chances of missing important news from the world of trade

Trader

Age:34

Status:Single

Location:Bristol

Competitive

Calculated

Trading

Traveling

Biography

Personality

Loyal

Frickle

Introvert

Extravert

Analytical

Creative

Goals

Get access global financial markets commission-free and hassle-free on one platform
Earn more money
Get high level of security

Motivation

Set goals and get bonuses
Increase trading volume

Needs

Keep track all trading markets in one place
Easily navigate through system
Manage finances in crypto

Frustration

Poor number of functions
Insufficient data security
Chances of missing important news from the world of trade

User journey map

	Entice	Enter	Engage	Exit	Entend
Touch Points	Word of mouth Google Social networks Advertising	Email Phone Sign Up form	User Profile Settings Trades Markets Balance	Support Chatbot Email Phone	Word of mouth Social networks Reviews sites

	Research	Sign Up	Set up	Achievements	Share experience
User goals	Find the best solution that satisfied the needs	Sign up process easy	Get information about changes and news in the trading market Get information about my trades Get information about my balance and history of transactions Control my investments in an easy way	Get notifications about updates Get support Get promo and reward	Share my impressions of the site Gain benefits
User questions	How can I solve my problem? Which trading platform is the best? What are the features?	How can I register easy? How can I protect personal information?	How can I monitor tools and currencies I am interested in? How can I track my trades? How can I control my balance? How can I monitor my progress?	How can I find out about updates and new features? How can I get support?	What are the benefits of being an site user? How to get additional bonuses?
Solutions	SEO and PPC Targeted ads Reviews	Tips for registration Info about protection personal information Two-factor authentication	Dashboard with information about instruments and their changes, news etc Advanced filter for theinstruments and the currencies Easy trade management Ability add instruments to favorites for quick access Support chat 24/7	Push notifications Surveys for suggestions for improving Support 24/7	Affiliate program Loyalty program

	Entice	Enter
Touch Points	Word of mouth Google Social networks Advertising	Email Phone Sign Up form

	Research	Sign Up
User goals	Find the best solution that satisfied the needs	Sign up process easy
User questions	How can I solve my problem? Which trading platform is the best? What are the features?	How can I register easy? How can I protect personal information?
Solutions	SEO and PPC Targeted ads Reviews	Tips for registration Info about protection personal information Two-factor authentication

	Engage
Touch Points	User Profile Settings Trades Markets Balance

	Set up
User goals	Get information about changes and news in the trading market Get information about my trades Get information about my balance and history of transactions Control my investments in an easy way
User questions	How can I monitor tools and currencies I am interested in? How can I track my trades? How can I control my balance? How can I monitor my progress?
Solutions	Dashboard with information about instruments and their changes, news etc Advanced filter for theinstruments and the currencies Easy trade management Ability add instruments to favorites for quick access Support chat 24/7

	Exit	Entend
Touch Points	Support Chatbot Email Phone	Word of mouth Social networks Reviews sites

	Achievements	Share experience
User goals	Get notifications about updates Get support Get promo and reward	Share my impressions of the site Gain benefits
User questions	How can I find out about updates and new features? How can I get support?	What are the benefits of being an site user? How to get additional bonuses?
Solutions	Push notifications Surveys for suggestions for improving Support 24/7	Affiliate program Loyalty program

Functionality

Crafting a platform that balances ease and reliability was our north star, guiding every feature toward user empowerment. Limeup aimed to create tools that feel natural, helping traders work smarter, not harder:

Extra protection of
personal data

Security is one of the top priorities when developing a trading platform. To ensure the personal data of the users is under the highest standard of protection, we implemented reliable security measures regarding how the system stores users’ data.

Designed to stand out

Being memorable and recognizable on the market is an essential part of the success of the product. Our approach was to translate the unique offer and identity of the client into the final solution. We built a meaningful user experience to match the expectations of the most demanding traders, as well as maintaining ease of use to allow newcomers to understand the platform straight away.

Essential features

Defining convenience as the key, we developed and implemented core features that provide maximum results for minimum effort. For example, the platform now allows users to seamlessly filter through the tools and the desired currencies and add them to favorites for quick access.

Custom CMS solution

One of the technical challenges we had to undertake was the creation of a custom content management system. The result of development is a usable and accessible system that allows for efficient management of the traders' lifecycles.