AI

AI

Fintech

Fintech

Design Systems

Design Systems

B2B

B2B

OpenBB Workspace

OpenBB Workspace

The Project

COUSE

COUSE

The AI Workspace for Finance

OpenBB Workspace is a platform focused on developing advanced tools for investment analysis and research. Designed to be a flexible, customizable, and collaborative product, it offers a range of features: modular dashboards, widgets integrated with financial data, and an AI assistant to support decision-making.

INDUSTRY

Finance

DATE

2021 — Current

ROLE

UI/UX Designer

I joined OpenBB team at a very early stage, when all that existed was OpenBB Terminal, an open source command line tool for financial analysis. The vision was clear: to transform that technical base into a more visual, intuitive and collaborative platform.

Starting from scratch, I helped build what is now OpenBB Workspace. We defined the brand's visual identity, shaped the interface and designed the entire experience: focused on flexibility, customization and integration with financial data and AI models.

Challenge

Financial data and tools are scattered across multiple platforms, forcing analysts to spend extra time gathering information. Using AI for deeper insights can add complexity and security concerns, and the lack of transparency in its processes makes its results difficult to trust.

Solution

OpenBB unifies diverse financial data and tools, bringing multiple sources together in one place. Customizable dashboards let users view all the information they need at a glance. An integrated AI agent provides deeper insights without adding complexity or raising security concerns, while clearly explaining its reasoning and data sources to build trust.

Process

Research & user insights

During the research phase, we conducted interviews with financial professionals and analyzed existing tools on the market. This gave us valuable insights into the diverse contexts and needs of different users in the financial sector.

Based on this research, we mapped the journey from the first contact with the product to its adoption. This process allowed us to identify the key priorities of each user group, the challenges they face, and potential areas for workflow improvement, ensuring that we are developing a solution that truly meets their needs.

Design decisions & iteration

Every mockup ships with a dark and light mode version, documented states, interaction flows, and visual guidelines: making handoff to engineering clear and reducing back-and-forth.


We share designs early with developers to discuss feasibility, alternatives, and trade-offs, iterating continuously based on technical realities and user needs.

Clarity over decoration: Prioritized data legibility and chart real estate over aesthetic flourishes, maintaining the brand's professional identity while reducing visual noise.


Visual Clarity: Optimized contrast ratios (WCAG AA) and ensured text can scale up to 200% without layout breakage.


Keyboard: Keyboard navigation to support power users and those with motor impairments without mouse dependency.

Key UX principles that guided every decision: clarity over decoration (data legibility above aesthetic), WCAG AA contrast throughout, and full keyboard navigation to support power users and accessibility.

Key UX principles that guided every decision: clarity over decoration (data legibility above aesthetic), WCAG AA contrast throughout, and full keyboard navigation to support power users and accessibility.

Methodology

As a team, we followed a methodology based on biweekly sprints to organise and distribute tasks between members. Each sprint begins with a planning session where we set priorities, assign responsibilities, and align expectations. Throughout the two weeks, we track progress with daily meetings. At the end, we hold review sessions to present the work done and retrospectives to identify improvements and adjust processes.

Clarity over decoration: Prioritized data legibility and chart real estate over aesthetic flourishes, maintaining the brand's professional identity while reducing visual noise.


Visual Clarity: Optimized contrast ratios (WCAG AA) and ensured text can scale up to 200% without layout breakage.


Keyboard: Keyboard navigation to support power users and those with motor impairments without mouse dependency.

Validation & continuos research

Reviewing videos of real users interacting with the product is an essential part of our design process. By observing these interactions, we uncover flaws and opportunities that might otherwise remain hidden: things that don't surface in specs, reviews, or conversations with the team.

Clarity over decoration: Prioritized data legibility and chart real estate over aesthetic flourishes, maintaining the brand's professional identity while reducing visual noise.


Visual Clarity: Optimized contrast ratios (WCAG AA) and ensured text can scale up to 200% without layout breakage.


Keyboard: Keyboard navigation to support power users and those with motor impairments without mouse dependency.

AI as a tool

We use AI across the entire workflow. With GitHub Copilot, we share screenshots of parts of the product that needed UI changes (small but important fixes) and it opens a pull request with code suggestions ready for the team to review. That alone removed a whole layer of back-and-forth between design and engineering for minor iterations.


Claude handles the heavier thinking: breaking down complex requirements, refining copy, and building quick prototypes to validate an idea before it becomes a design, or to show a behaviour to the dev team faster than a spec ever could.


Claude Code goes further, running through the terminal with extensions connected directly to the browser and our product. It allows us to automate UX research tasks and pull data from the live product to inform decisions. It's brought a level of speed and rigour to research that wasn't practical before.

Clarity over decoration: Prioritized data legibility and chart real estate over aesthetic flourishes, maintaining the brand's professional identity while reducing visual noise.


Visual Clarity: Optimized contrast ratios (WCAG AA) and ensured text can scale up to 200% without layout breakage.


Keyboard: Keyboard navigation to support power users and those with motor impairments without mouse dependency.

Features

Widgets

Widgets are interactive modules that display specific data, graphics, or functionalities within a dashboard. OpenBB offers a comprehensive library of widgets, all built with a unified structure that ensures consistency and delivers a reliable user experience across the platform.

Dashboards

Dashboards are customizable interfaces composed of various interactive widgets, such as charts, tables, and notes, that enable users to analyze financial data in an integrated way. Each user can belong to an organization, making it easy to share dashboards and tailor them to specific needs.

AI Agent

The platform features an AI Agent that makes data analysis more efficient and interactive. Users can explore data, ask questions, generate automated analyses, and create widgets within a single environment.

Admin Portal

Administrators can use the Admin Portal to manage user roles and access, aligning with the organization's structure or investment strategies. They can define roles (e.g., analyst, trader, manager), adjust permissions and monitor activity, ensuring that each role has the appropriate access.

© 2025

All rights reserved

© 2025

All rights reserved