D E SHAW DESIGN TASK

DASHBOARD DESIGN

AI trade

recommendation

DASHBOARD.

Image: dashboard UI composite (Silver Futures card, trade idea cards, Portfolio Performance, Activity, Alerts)

Trade Dashboard

The firm is planning to introduce an AI-powered trade recommendation dashboard for internal use by its investment teams. The tool will integrate multiple real-time data sources, including market data feeds, economic indicators, news sentiment, analyst reports, and alternative datasets, to generate actionable trade ideas across asset classes.

Design a desktop-first AI Trade Recommendation Dashboard that enables users to:

- View AI-generated trade ideas with confidence scores and risk-return assessments.

- Understand the reasoning behind recommendations via explainable AI modules, such as feature importance, contributing factors, and supporting news.

- Filter trades by asset class, strategy type, holding period, and risk tolerance.

- Run backtests or forward simulations on suggested trades.

Integrate market, sentiment, and alternative data in a unified view.

- Track recommended trades over time and compare them to executed trades for performance attribution.

- Collaborate by commenting on, modifying, and sharing AI-generated ideas with team members.

- Set alerts for new recommendations in specific markets or strategies.

- Ensure compliance with internal trading rules and regulatory requirements.

PROJECT DETAILS

Year

2025

Duration

48 Hours

Deliverables

Stakeholder understanding, Workflows, Sketches, Wireframes

domain

research.

DISCOVERY STAGE

what is

trading

Trading is speculating on an underlying asset’s market price movement without owning it. Basically, only predicting whether a financial asset’s price will rise or fall.

Traders use a platform to access these markets and take a position on whether they think a market’s price will rise or fall. If their prediction is correct, they’ll make a profit. If incorrect, they’ll incur a loss.

3.1

key

terminology.

trade idea

a suggestion or plan for buying or selling a financial asset with the goal of making a profit

asset class

main categories of things people trade:

equities/stocks

Fixed Income

Currencies

Commodities

Derivatives

Crypto

holding period

amount of time a trader plans to keep an investment before selling it.

Risk Profile

measure of how much risk (chance of losing money) a trader is willing to accept for potential reward

Risk Tolerance

How much fluctuation and potential loss an investor can handle without getting worried.

Risk-Return Assessment

Shows what could be lost or gained on a trade—how risky it is versus the possible reward.

Strategy Type

The method or logic used to decide trades:

· Fundamental:

Based on company or economic facts (like earnings, management quality).

· Technical:

Based on past price patterns and charts to predict future moves.

· Event-Driven:

Based on specific events (like company mergers or economic news).

· Quant (Quantitative):

Uses math and computer models to find trade opportunities

3.2

trade

process.

SCOPE OF DASHBOARD

Idea Generation

›

Identify possible trades by researching different data sources. This is where trade ideas are born.

Analysis & Evaluation

›

Study each trade idea closely:

· Assess potential risks and rewards.

· Check if the idea matches the team’s goals, risk profile, and strategy.

· Understand the reasons behind each idea

Simulation & Scenario Analysis

Before acting, test the trade idea:

· Run simulations or back test using historical data.

· Experiment with “what if” scenarios

⌄

(OMS – ORDER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM)

Execution

‹

Place the buy or sell order in the financial market, following best practices for speed and cost.

⌄

RISK & COMPLIANCE SYSTEMS

Compliance Check

‹

Run checks to ensure the trade follows internal rules and legal regulations

Decision Making

Decide whether to act on the idea:

· Review team discussions and comments.

· Confirm the trade fits within risk limits and strategies.

Monitoring & Attribution

· Track how the trade performs over time.

· Compare results with other trades and measure outcomes (performance attribution).

· Learn what worked and what didn’t for future improvement.

(PMS – PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT SYSTEM)

3.3

involved

stakeholders.

key stakeholders

Strategists

· Generate trading strategies.

· Analyze market trends and data.

· Suggest trade ideas based on strategy frameworks.

Analysts

· Conduct detailed research using market data, news, and reports.

· Provide insights and support to strategists and traders.

Traders

· Execute buy and sell orders in markets.

· Monitor trade performance.

· Provide practical feedback on trade ideas.

primary stakeholders

AI/Data Scientists

· Develop and maintain AI models producing trade recommendations.

· Improve explainability and data integration.

· Ensure AI outputs align with trading goals.

Risk Managers

· Assess and control the risk profile of trades.

· Ensure trades comply with risk tolerance and regulatory limits.

Compliance Officers

· Monitor that all trades adhere to internal trading rules and external regulatory requirements.

· Prevent unauthorized or illegal trading activities.

Portfolio Managers

· Oversee overall portfolio and strategy executions.

· Make final decisions on high-level trade approval.

IT/Platform Developers

· Build and maintain the dashboard platform.

· Ensure data integration, security, and usability.

3.4

main

clients.

secondary stakeholders

Institutional Investors

Pension funds, insurance companies, endowments, and foundations.

They invest large sums and rely on the firm’s strategies and consistent performance.

High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNWIs)

Wealthy private clients seeking portfolio management and advisory services

Personalized portfolio management and tailored risk profiles.

Corporate Clients

Companies seeking treasury or investment management services.

Capital preservation and liquidity management aligned with corporate needs.

Fund of Funds

Firms that invest in multiple hedge funds or investment vehicles.

Diversification and consistent performance reporting of underlying funds.

Sovereign Wealth Funds

State-owned investment funds that manage country reserves for long-term national benefits.

Sustainable, long-term growth with prudent risk management and transparency.

Endowments and Foundations

Non-profit institutions investing donated funds to support their missions (universities, charities).

Personalized portfolio management and tailored risk profiles.

Corporate Clients

Companies seeking treasury or investment management services.

Stable returns to fund ongoing programs while preserving capital.

Insurance Companies

Large firms managing premiums collected, investing to meet future claim obligations.

Reliable risk-adjusted returns aligned with liability management.

3.4

main

clients.

secondary stakeholders

Institutional Investors

Pension funds, insurance companies, endowments, and foundations.

They invest large sums and rely on the firm’s strategies and consistent performance.

High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNWIs)

Wealthy private clients seeking portfolio management and advisory services

Personalized portfolio management and tailored risk profiles.

Corporate Clients

Companies seeking treasury or investment management services.

Capital preservation and liquidity management aligned with corporate needs.

Fund of Funds

Firms that invest in multiple hedge funds or investment vehicles.

Diversification and consistent performance reporting of underlying funds.

Sovereign Wealth Funds

State-owned investment funds that manage country reserves for long-term national benefits.

Sustainable, long-term growth with prudent risk management and transparency.

Endowments and Foundations

Non-profit institutions investing donated funds to support their missions (universities, charities).

Personalized portfolio management and tailored risk profiles.

Corporate Clients

Companies seeking treasury or investment management services.

Stable returns to fund ongoing programs while preserving capital.

Insurance Companies

Large firms managing premiums collected, investing to meet future claim obligations.

Reliable risk-adjusted returns aligned with liability management.

3.5

analysing

competitors.

Positives

Gaps/Opportunities

UI Inspiration Points

Trade Ideas logo

· Real-time AI-generated trade signals.

· Interactive backtesting tools.

· Brokerage integration.

· UI can be overwhelming for beginners.

· Limited team collaboration features.

· Clean dashboard with real-time alerts.

· Visual representation of AI confidence scores.

CITADEL.ONE logo

· Full-stack digital investment platform.

· Seamless trade execution.

· User-centric experience for professionals.

· Newer platform, limited public insight about AI explainability.

· Collaboration features evolving.

· Modern interface with focus on usability.

· Streamlined task workflows.

QuantConnect logo

· Comprehensive algorithmic trading environment.

· Strong community support and customizability.

· Steeper learning curve.

· Less focused on making AI recommendations explainable or accessible to non-quant users.

· Modular design.

· Combination of code and visual strategy displays.

Kavout logo

· Unique AI-driven equity scoring (K Score).

· Integration of fundamentals and sentiment data.

· Narrow focus mostly on equities.

· Limited transparency on AI decision-making.

· Simple scorecards with AI signals.

· Minimalistic design emphasizing data clarity.

NUMERAI logo

· Innovative encrypted data science-driven hedge fund.

· Uses crowd-sourced machine learning models.

· Emphasis on AI predictions and model diversity.

· Transparency limited for general investment users.

· Narrow focus on AI model leaderboard rather than full dashboard.

· Leaderboard style analytics.

· AI model competition interfaces.

user

personas.

For this project, the key users are Strategists, Traders, and Analysts — the core roles involved in generating, validating, and executing trade ideas within an investment firm.

photo

Rohan Sharma

Investment Strategist

38, CFA, 12+ years in finance.

Goals:

· Develop robust multi-asset investment strategies

· Identify early market trends and new opportunities

· Steer team decisions with high-conviction recommendations

Wants:

· Fast, unified access to high-quality, diverse data sources

· Scenario analysis and quick validation of ideas

· Collaboration features to share research notes.

Frustrations:

· Time-consuming manual data gathering.

· Struggles to track which research actually influenced executed trades

· Understand why AI recommended something.

photo

Jennifer D’Souza

Senior Equities Trader

30, CS, 8 years in trading.

Goals:

· Quickly act on high-quality, vetted trade ideas

· Minimize mistakes and compliance breaches

· Stay updated with real-time alerts.

Wants:

· Clear, actionable recommendations prioritized by risk and confidence

· Simulation tools to test short-term moves.

· Seamless handoffs from strategy to execution

Frustrations:

· Missing or late alerts lead to missed opportunities

· Manual compliance checking slows workflow

· Conflicting inputs from AI vs. human strategy.

photo

Arjun Patel

Investment Analyst

29, AI-DS,4 years in finance.

Goals:

· Provide clear, comprehensible story behind each data-driven suggestion

· Improve research efficiency and output accuracy

· Track how recommendations perform vs. real outcomes.

Wants:

· Tools to process, visualize, and explain large, diverse datasets

· Ability to trace AI recommendations to supporting data and logic

· Collaborative platform for sharing annotated insights

Frustrations:

· Manual data gathering and scattered sources

· AI outputs with hidden logic decision-making frustrates credibility

· Repetitive reporting for different team members

defining

key features.

DEFINE STAGE

During this step, we prioritized features that would best address user needs and project goals. The focus was on identifying functionalities that enhance usability, provide meaningful insights, and streamline user workflows.

AI Trade Ideas

AI Confidence Score

AI Reasoning

AI Suggestions

AI Analysis

Performance

Risk Analysis

Watchlist

Editable Parameters

Testing

Backtest

Forward Simulation

Stress Test

Human v/s AI

KPIs

user

flow diagram.

CONCEPTUALIZE STAGE

The user flow maps how strategists, traders, and analysts interact with the AI dashboard — from exploring trade ideas to testing, validating, and finally executing them within the portfolio.

›

Onboarding

Select Role

· Analyst

· Strategist

· Trader

Select Client/Fund

Overview

· Portfolio Overview

· Trade Ideas

· Live Feed (Market Data)

· Performance

· AI Suggestions

Specific Trade Idea

· Confidence Score

· Risk to Return Analysis

· Reasoning

· Sources

· Forecast

· Comment

· Add to watchlist

Saved Trade Ideas

Test

Summary

Send for Review

Execute

· Scenario Analysis

· Back Tests

· Stress Test

· Trade SImulation

· Asset

· Position size,

· holding period,

· Risks strategy,

· AI v/s human edits

My Portfolio

· Executed Ideas

· All Trade Ideas

· Total Assests

· Overall Performance

· Risk Analysis

· Human v/s AI

lo-fi

wireframes.

IDEATE STAGE

Wireframe sketches were created to map layout, content hierarchy, and core interactions before moving into detailed design.

Image: lo-fi wireframe sketches (Overview, Trade Idea, Watchlist, Asset detail, Test, Portfolio, with flow arrows)

7.1

hi-fi

wireframes.

IDEATE STAGE

High-fidelity wireframes were explored to test different layout options, ensuring clarity of information and usability before finalizing the design.

Image: hi-fi wireframe collage (greyscale explorations: trade idea cards, watchlist tables, split view, My Portfolio)

visual

suitcase.

VISUALISE STAGE

The visual suitcase was created to gather design inspiration and references, helping define the tone, color, and visual direction for the dashboard.

PRIMARY COLOR

#19D86B

SECONDARY COLORS

#FFFFFF

#B5B5B6

#6E6E7B

#32323A

#1C232D

#15191F

ALERT COLORS

#FF6767

#FFCB00

Iconography

Apercu Pro Bold

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

0123456789 %$#@

Apercu Pro Medium

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

0123456789 %$#@

Apercu Pro

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

0123456789 %$#@

Typography

8.1

modular

elements.

To build consistency and reusability across the dashboard, modular UI elements and graph templates were designed. These components—such as cards, tables, charts—form the building blocks of the system and ensure scalability for future features.

Image: Portfolio Value card

Image: AI Confidence card

Image: Risk Assessment | Market Sentiment card

Image: Silver Futures card

Image: Back Test chart

Image: Forward Simulation chart

Image: Stress Test chart

Image: trade ideas table

Image: AI Reasoning card

Image: Trade Idea Execution funnel

final

screens.

TEST STAGE

Overview

Provides a high-level summary of trade ideas, market alerts, and portfolio performance. It is designed to give users quick insights at a glance, with clear entry points to explore details further.

Screen: Overview (menu, Trade Ideas cards, Portfolio Performance, AI Suggestions, Activity, Alerts)

Screen: Overview with collapsed side menu

Collapsible Menu

A collapsible side menu was designed to provide quick access to core modules while keeping the dashboard uncluttered. This allows users to focus on key insights with the flexibility to expand navigation when needed.

View Trade Idea

The trade idea quick view lets users scan AI-generated opportunities at a glance, showing key details like asset class, confidence score, risk level, and rationale.

Screen: Trade idea quick view (Silver Futures: Portfolio Value, AI Confidence, Risk Assessment | Market Sentiment, Future Forecast, AI Reasoning)

Watchlist

The watchlist screen helps users track shortlisted trade ideas, compare their performance, and monitor key metrics like returns, risk, and sentiment. It allows quick prioritization of which ideas to test or execute.

Screen: Watchlist table

Screen: Watchlist with AAPL (Apple Inc.) detail

Test

(Back Test, Forward Simulation, Stress Test)

Screen: Test · Back Test

Screen: Test · Forward Simulation

Screen: Test · Stress Test

Screen: My Portfolio (Total Assets, Overall Performance, Active Positions, Executed Ideas, Risk Exposure, Performance Attribution, Trade Idea Execution, Risk & Resilience, Performance Timeline, AI Insights)

My Portfolio

provides a consolidated view of assets, executed ideas, and overall performance. It highlights AI vs Human contribution, risk exposure, and historical returns, helping users evaluate strategy impact and portfolio resilience.

user

feedback.

Shared the dashboard prototype with potential users and collected their feedback to understand usability and clarity.

“The dashboard looks clean and easy to navigate. I like how the charts give a clear overview at a glance. It would be great to have more filter options to focus on specific data sets.”

“I’m not very comfortable with dark mode. It would be helpful to have a light mode option available.”

“It would be helpful if the dashboard could show the historical success ratio of trade ideas. That way, I can make more informed decisions.”