Evolving The Terminal UI

In progress project

 
 
 
 
 

Overview

The Terminal UI modernization project was driven by the need to elevate visual clarity, align with modern design standards, and enhance user perception. As the industry evolves and competitors introduces sleeker interfaces, our Terminal panel begins to feel outdated and visually cluttered. This initiative aimed to address that gap by introducing a cleaner, more refined look that reduces noise and distraction without compromising functionality.

My Role

Interaction Designer (3) | Researcher (3) | Prototyper (2)

 
 

research #1: Terminal perception

 

My team ran a research around the current perception of the Terminal. We interviewed 19 users in a course of 2 weeks.

 

Executive Summary

There is insufficient evidence to suggest that many clients perceive the Terminal as "clunky."

  • The Terminal as a library was by far the most common metaphor clients used to describe if the Terminal was a physical place: vast amounts of knowledge, difficult to find info, takes time to learn.

  • Client perceptions of the Terminal largely focused on: usability, quality, efficiency and value.

Clients appreciate the challenges of content and navigational parity on both mobile and desktop, but have an expectation that, at a minimum, more features and functions would be available on mobile.

 
 

Quotes from Clients

“Professional in the sense that if you are-- if you've never worked in the industry, then probably you will get lost."

"And the feeling is complex. I would be lying if I say that it's easy to use, and even after 10 years, I am learning more about the Terminal."

"So correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's the best source when you trade."

"It's also a pretty ridiculously powerful bit of database kit, and serves possibly any purpose I could meaningfully think of in the financial world."

 
 

Designs

With a better understanding of user perceptions and industry expectations, we translated these insights into actionable design solutions.

 

New Terminal Panel

Original Terminal Panel

 

There are 7 specific areas in the “browser” area that we focused on:

  1. Tab strip

  2. Command line (or search bar/URL bar)

  3. Notifications

  4. Browser menu

  5. Favorites

  6. Quote

  7. Title bar

research #2: new design click-test - Quantitative

 

To validate the effectiveness of the new Terminal design, we ran a second round of research using a click test completed by 619 users. This study aimed to evaluate three core areas:

 

Discoverability

Can clients intuitively find the new location of the “browser” features?

Workflow Retention

Can users still complete their familiar tasks without friction?

Perceived Value

Does the new design feel like an improvement in clarity and usefulness?

 

Participants were asked to complete simple, task-based scenarios that mirrored real-world usage. Their responses helped us assess whether the relocation of elements improved the overall experience or introduced confusion. The insights were crucial in refining the final design, ensuring we didn’t just modernize the interface visually, but also preserved user confidence and enhanced functionality.

 

Research #3: Client conversations - Qualitative

Scheduled for July 2025