Fixed Income Financial System
FinTech
Executive Partnership
Complex Systems
Fixed Income Financial System
FinTech
Executive Partnership
Complex Systems
Fixed Income Financial System
FinTech
Executive Partnership
Complex Systems
Summary
MISSION
MISSION
YieldX set out to build a fixed-income portfolio creation platform from zero to one. Operating initially as Bondhouse post-seed funding, the company had deep institutional expertise but no product foundation.
YieldX set out to build a fixed-income portfolio creation platform from zero to one. Operating initially as Bondhouse post-seed funding, the company had deep institutional expertise but no product foundation.
CHALLENGE
CHALLENGE
The challenge was to translate complex, institutional-grade fixed-income workflows into a modern, accessible, and scalable fintech platform, without diluting analytical depth or regulatory rigor.
The challenge was to translate complex, institutional-grade fixed-income workflows into a modern, accessible, and scalable fintech platform, without diluting analytical depth or regulatory rigor.
MY CONTRIBUTION
MY CONTRIBUTION
As the first Product Designer, I defined product strategy, UX architecture, and led end-to-end design execution. I partnered closely with Product and Engineering to architect workflows, map the ecosystem, and establish a modular platform supporting portfolio construction, analysis, and trade execution across institutional and advisor-facing contexts.I built the platform’s foundational UI system, including semantic color hierarchies, tokenized components, and scalable interaction patterns enabling enterprise customization and long-term product expansion.
As the first Product Designer, I defined product strategy, UX architecture, and led end-to-end design execution. I partnered closely with Product and Engineering to architect workflows, map the ecosystem, and establish a modular platform supporting portfolio construction, analysis, and trade execution across institutional and advisor-facing contexts.I built the platform’s foundational UI system, including semantic color hierarchies, tokenized components, and scalable interaction patterns enabling enterprise customization and long-term product expansion.
CLIENT & ROLE
CLIENT & ROLE
YieldX
Company
Aventura, FL
Location
2 years
Duration
Sr. Product Designer
Role
Figma / Miro / Storybook
Tools
Built financial platform
Service
KEY OUTCOME
KEY OUTCOME
From concept to acquisition by FNZ in 2023, YieldX launched a differentiated fixed-income platform that modernized bond and ETF distribution. The product reframed fixed income as a configurable digital system rather than a fragmented manual process, influencing how emerging fintech platforms approached bond accessibility.
From concept to acquisition by FNZ in 2023, YieldX launched a differentiated fixed-income platform that modernized bond and ETF distribution. The product reframed fixed income as a configurable digital system rather than a fragmented manual process, influencing how emerging fintech platforms approached bond accessibility.
75%
75%
Reduction in time to construct portfolios
Reduction in time to construct portfolios
2x
2x
Increase in advisor platform adoption
Increase in advisor platform adoption
$2B+
$2B+
Assets managed through new platform created
Assets managed through new platform created
$18M
$18M
secured across three funding rounds
secured across three funding rounds
Starting point
Starting point
DISCOVERY
DISCOVERY
Before designing solutions, I examined both market positioning and user friction.
Competitors such as BlackRock, Yieldstreet, and SoFi had integrated bonds or ETFs, but none had reimagined fixed income through an experience-first lens. Traditional workflows were fragmented and opaque:
Before designing solutions, I examined both market positioning and user friction.
Competitors such as BlackRock, Yieldstreet, and SoFi had integrated bonds or ETFs, but none had reimagined fixed income through an experience-first lens. Traditional workflows were fragmented and opaque:
Scheduling in-person bank appointments
Manually defining goals with advisors
Navigating complex pricing structures
Executing trades in slow, disconnected systems
Insight: Fixed income wasn’t inaccessible because of the financial product, it was inaccessible because of the experience layer.
This reframed our ambition: design a modern operating system for fixed-income portfolio construction.
Insight: Fixed income wasn’t inaccessible because of the financial product, it was inaccessible because of the experience layer.
This reframed our ambition: design a modern operating system for fixed-income portfolio construction.
PLANNING
PLANNING
I facilitated structured strategy sessions with Product and Engineering to move from domain expertise to executable architecture by providing; Competitive benchmarking and whiteboarding, Ecosystem mapping in Miro, Defining modular application boundaries, and Establishing automation tiers aligned to user sophistication
We introduced a weekly ritual called “Throwaway Friday,” where concepts were intentionally discarded if they failed to meet strategic clarity or usability standards. This reduced sunk-cost bias, accelerated alignment, and ensured only high-leverage ideas moved into
I facilitated structured strategy sessions with Product and Engineering to move from domain expertise to executable architecture by providing; Competitive benchmarking and whiteboarding, Ecosystem mapping in Miro, Defining modular application boundaries, and Establishing automation tiers aligned to user sophistication
We introduced a weekly ritual called “Throwaway Friday,” where concepts were intentionally discarded if they failed to meet strategic clarity or usability standards. This reduced sunk-cost bias, accelerated alignment, and ensured only high-leverage ideas moved into
Wireframes
Wireframes
STRUCTURING THE SYSTEM
STRUCTURING THE SYSTEM
With the architecture defined, I translated strategy into low-fidelity wireframes focused on system clarity and workflow validation. I modeled progressive automation paths from manual to guided to fully automated, while structuring dense financial datasets to reduce cognitive load without sacrificing analytical depth. These wireframes validated that advisors needed progressive disclosure, which led us to split InPass (automated) from BestFit (guided). They became a decision-making artifact that aligned teams around logic and product thinking, not aesthetics
With the architecture defined, I translated strategy into low-fidelity wireframes focused on system clarity and workflow validation. I modeled progressive automation paths from manual to guided to fully automated, while structuring dense financial datasets to reduce cognitive load without sacrificing analytical depth. These wireframes validated that advisors needed progressive disclosure, which led us to split InPass (automated) from BestFit (guided). They became a decision-making artifact that aligned teams around logic and product thinking, not aesthetics
UI Design
UI Design
UI & VISUAL FOUNDATION
UI & VISUAL FOUNDATION
The platform evolved into five interconnected applications:
InPass - Fully automated portfolio creation
BestFit - Guided automation with advisor control
Asset Explorer - Access to 10,000+ fixed-income assets
Optimizer - Algorithm-assisted portfolio logic
Portfolio Manager - Monitoring, comparison, and rebalancing
The platform evolved into five interconnected applications:
InPass - Fully automated portfolio creation
BestFit - Guided automation with advisor control
Asset Explorer - Access to 10,000+ fixed-income assets
Optimizer - Algorithm-assisted portfolio logic
Portfolio Manager - Monitoring, comparison, and rebalancing
KEY DESIGNS DECISIONS
KEY DESIGNS DECISIONS
I introduced a dark-first, modern interface to replace legacy “terminal-style” financial tooling and established a semantic color and token system to bring clarity and hierarchy to data-dense environments. I built a scalable, component-based architecture that enabled white-label deployments and enterprise customization from the foundation. This was not a UI refresh — it was a structural redefinition of how fixed income could be accessed, understood, and operationalized within modern fintech infrastructure.
I introduced a dark-first, modern interface to replace legacy “terminal-style” financial tooling and established a semantic color and token system to bring clarity and hierarchy to data-dense environments. I built a scalable, component-based architecture that enabled white-label deployments and enterprise customization from the foundation. This was not a UI refresh — it was a structural redefinition of how fixed income could be accessed, understood, and operationalized within modern fintech infrastructure.
RESULTS
RESULTS
The platform drove rapid advisor adoption, 2x increase in advisor platform adoption within 12 months and sustained engagement growth, signaling strong product-market fit early on. Enterprise demand quickly followed, with partners requesting white-label implementations built on our modular UX architecture. That same architecture enabled seamless multi-product expansion without added complexity. Ultimately, the strategic acquisition validated both the platform’s differentiation and the long-term vision behind its design and infrastructure.
The platform drove rapid advisor adoption, 2x increase in advisor platform adoption within 12 months and sustained engagement growth, signaling strong product-market fit early on. Enterprise demand quickly followed, with partners requesting white-label implementations built on our modular UX architecture. That same architecture enabled seamless multi-product expansion without added complexity. Ultimately, the strategic acquisition validated both the platform’s differentiation and the long-term vision behind its design and infrastructure.
InPaas
InPaas
Functionality: Answer three questions, how much to invest, what to optimize for (yield, risk, or income), and your diversification range, from there InPass builds a fixed-income portfolio instantly. No financial expertise required.
Functionality: Answer three questions, how much to invest, what to optimize for (yield, risk, or income), and your diversification range, from there InPass builds a fixed-income portfolio instantly. No financial expertise required.
BestFit
BestFit
Functionality: For advisors who want control without the complexity. BestFit guides users through credit quality, maturity targets, ESG exclusions, sector focus, and risk parameters, then builds a portfolio from the answers. Not satisfied? Step into Asset Explorer and take over manually.
Functionality: For advisors who want control without the complexity. BestFit guides users through credit quality, maturity targets, ESG exclusions, sector focus, and risk parameters, then builds a portfolio from the answers. Not satisfied? Step into Asset Explorer and take over manually.
Asset Explorer
Asset Explorer
Functionality: 10,000+ fixed income assets in a single interface. Filter by name, CUSIP, ISIN, credit quality, rating, product type, pricing, and more. Save favorites, build a cart, or run the Optimizer directly from your results. Built for our expert user who knows exactly what they're looking for.
Functionality: 10,000+ fixed income assets in a single interface. Filter by name, CUSIP, ISIN, credit quality, rating, product type, pricing, and more. Save favorites, build a cart, or run the Optimizer directly from your results. Built for our expert user who knows exactly what they're looking for.
Optimizar
Optimizar
Functionality: Bring your existing portfolio from YieldX or anywhere else. Upload your positions and the Optimizer analyzes your holdings, identifies inefficiencies, and suggests adjustments to improve return. Original and optimized portfolios shown side by side so the value is immediately visible.
Functionality: Bring your existing portfolio from YieldX or anywhere else. Upload your positions and the Optimizer analyzes your holdings, identifies inefficiencies, and suggests adjustments to improve return. Original and optimized portfolios shown side by side so the value is immediately visible.
Portfolio Manager
Portfolio Manager
Functionality: Where every portfolio lands. Review as a paper portfolio before committing, then submit and manage from one place your yield, returns, maturity dates, pending adjustments. Whether you built it in InPass or assembled it manually in Asset Explorer, Portfolio Manager is the single source of truth for what you own and what it's doing.
Functionality: Where every portfolio lands. Review as a paper portfolio before committing, then submit and manage from one place your yield, returns, maturity dates, pending adjustments. Whether you built it in InPass or assembled it manually in Asset Explorer, Portfolio Manager is the single source of truth for what you own and what it's doing.