Morgan Stanley
Integrating two platforms into a singular unified, cohesive experience.
After Morgan Stanley acquired E*TRADE, I was the first designer to lead the unification of the two platforms, starting with the Activity page. By simplifying transaction data and aligning disparate design systems, I improved usability and supported a seamless transition for over 1 million users.
When Morgan Stanley acquired E*TRADE, the Activity Page was chosen as the first unified client experience as its the most visited page.
Within it, the Activity Details component was a key pain point: transaction records were dense, inconsistent, and often difficult to scan.
Each platform had different structures and expectations, so clients risked feeling lost or frustrated if the redesign didn’t strike the right balance.
Design the transaction details feature in the Activity page to be informative and easy to understand, because transaction data is often dense but needs to remain clear without losing context.
Design the transaction details feature in the Activity page to be informative and easy to understand, because transaction data is often dense but needs to remain clear without losing context.
Aka. create a design that will be able to fit in a lot of data, but don’t make it look too crowded.
Audit
Both platforms showed the same core transaction data, but differed in how much detail was visible by default and how secondary information was grouped and accessed.
Competitive Analysis
The dominant pattern across competitors was expanded, inline transaction details rather than modal-based views.
Vertical Design
A vertically stacked, in-row detail pattern used by Morgan Stanley and widely adopted across competitor platforms.
To assess whether a market-standard pattern could support evolving analyst needs without sacrificing clarity or efficiency.
Modal
A modal-based detail view designed for maximum space and flexibility as data and device needs evolve
To see if a highly scalable pattern could future-proof the experience while still supporting core desktop workflows.
Side x Side
A two-column, side-by-side layout that surfaces transaction details inline while minimizing vertical space, allowing multiple transactions to be expanded and compared at once.
To see if a denser, side-by-side structure could support faster scanning and cross-transaction analysis.
When testing three layout patterns, users strongly preferred designs that kept information visible and comparable within context.
25%
Preferred the Vertical Design
05%
Preferred the Modal Design
70%
Preferred the Side x Side Design
Users find importance in quick skim as well as being able to compare transaction informations
Based on the usability testing, many expressed their need to compare between different transactions, so the modal option was not favored by many. While being able to compare, they also expressed their need to “skim quickly” so having the information side to side was “easier” than the vertical information.
Side x Side
Based on user testing and stakeholder feedback, we selected the side-by-side layout and refined it to further optimize for density, clarity, and comparison.
Early Signals
Before I rolled off the project, we released the design to a friends-and-family group and saw strong early indicators of improved usability and engagement.
