English | Deutsch English | DeutschIPC, the market leader for trading floor communication solutions, was under intense pressure to build a product that would put them firmly ahead of its competition. Its flagship product is a multi-line, multi-speaker, specialized phone called a turret. The usability expectations set by mobile phones and PDAs made the product, while still tremendously powerful, seem dated.
IPC wanted a next-generation turret that would enable Wall Street traders and others in the financial services industry to directly connect with their counterparts and rapidly execute trades.
Extensive visits to trading floors, along with observational research on more than 300 traders and financial services professionals, helped ethnographers and design analysts completely rethink the design and lay the groundwork for a system that would best adapt to traders' evolving needs. It would have to feel like an integral part of the trading floor environment to be readily adopted as a crucial trading tool.
In an environment full of stimulation, each element was weighed carefully for its ability to communicate information quickly and not be a distraction. Color, light and behavior were used to form visual cues that convey information such as the priority of a call or how long someone has been on hold. The user should know where the button is for any given action without having to look for it. High-quality screen displays allow for clear viewing at a broad range of angles and light conditions.
IPC's product development group helped define the design and experience of the new turret. Design analysts and digital technologists worked together on the user interface throughout the project, while mechanical engineers and industrial designers collaborated on the physical product design. This cross-disciplinary approach resulted in a number of important gains, such as the ability to manufacture the device and monitor pricing impact.
The overall design is the height of ergonomics. Its signature curved design integrates the turret into the trader's desktop, forming a visual bridge between the trader's monitors and keyboard. The modular design makes the turret adaptable to individual work styles, scalable, and easily accessible for future upgrades or repairs. The user interface reflects the financial information software that traders use every day, while simple symbols quickly relay complex scenarios to the end-user.
The re-designed user interface takes into account how information is visually organized and presented by financial services industry fixtures (such as Bloomberg, CNBC, etc.) and traders. The interface is highly intuitive, ensuring that traders get the most out of the sophisticated technology.
The new turret incorporates many of the newest communication technologies, as well as the latest in user interface design. The result is the most powerful and innovative tool of its kind in the marketplace.
The turret launched successfully in March 2006. IPC is positioned to maintain and extend its dominant market position and believes this new platform keeps them solidly in the game. Industry accolades confirm the turret as representing the state of the art in terms of usability, performance and perceived value. Upon sight, traders exclaim that they "must have" it.
In its first year alone, more than 8,000 IQ/MAX units were purchased worldwide, generating almost $52 million in revenue.
This site is protected by copyright and trademark laws under U.S. and International law. All rights reserved. © 2008 frog design inc. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Site Map
