Aiding financial operators when completing daily tasks

Abstract: The engagement in multiple activities in the workplace leads to the challenge of managing several tasks. When managing multiple tasks, it may be difficult to remember to complete all tasks. Within an operations team at a hedge fund, there are demands that all trades are reported by the end of the day to the correct prime brokerage. This thesis examines the research question: How can a GUI be designed to remind and aid users to verify that trade information has been managed correctly? The research was conducted at a financial company, and focused on improving the workflow for one of the company’s clients and its operations team. To identify the challenges of a financial operator, contextual inquiries were conducted, followed by a design workshop to generate design ideas. The results were used as inspiration for the prototype of a GUI. The prototype was evaluated through cognitive walkthroughs, expert review, and with end users. The prototype was found to aid financial operators to verify if there was any work left, but the reminder aspect would need to be examined with a real system during an extended period.