Edidiong Kalu

Financial Literacy for all Nigerians

Role

Sole Product Designer

Timeline

August 2025 - October 2025

Industry

Fintech

When I began designing KBS Insight, my goal was to build a finance advisory platform that makes investment knowledge accessible to everyday Nigerians, not just financial experts or stockbrokers. The idea was to simplify how people interact with market data without stripping away the depth that serious investors need. As the sole product designer, I shaped the experience from the ground up, conducting research, mapping user flows, and creating an interface that feels modern, trustworthy, and easy to navigate. Every design decision was guided by the goal, to help users feel more confident and in control of their finances.

Business Goal: Simplifying market insights and financial analysis for Nigerian retail investors.

KBS Insight was developed to empower retail investors with tools to make informed financial decisions. The business wanted to position itself as Nigeria’s go-to destination for simplified market insights, investment tracking, and AI-generated financial analysis. The long-term goal was to attract both new and experienced investors by providing a platform that merges the simplicity of with depth.

Market Size & Growth

Nigeria’s retail investor market has been expanding steadily, driven by a growing interest in fintech and personal finance. The number of retail investors in the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) rose significantly in recent years as more people sought digital investment options. KBS Insight targeted this emerging audience (young professionals aged 20–50) who were tech-savvy but often overwhelmed by financial jargon. The product needed to meet their curiosity with simplicity, and their ambition with insight.

Forecast & Strategy

The strategy for KBS Insight centred on building trust and engagement. The forecast was that by simplifying access to market data and pairing it with AI-backed recommendations, user retention would increase, and so would conversion to paid features. To achieve this, I designed an interface that makes key market information visible at a glance while allowing deeper exploration for users who want to analyze trends or build portfolios.

Project Goal

The design goal was to build a product that feels modern, fast, and familiar. Every screen had to balance simplicity with utility. The visual system needed to be professional but not intimidating, appealing to new investors while being reliable enough for experienced ones. The final experience had to work well across devices, as many users in Nigeria access financial tools via mobile browsers.

Research

My research began with understanding how Nigerians interact with investment platforms. I conducted interviews with retail investors, professionals, and small business owners who occasionally invested through NGX or bank-managed channels.The conversations revealed a consistent pattern: people wanted to invest, but financial tools often felt inaccessible. One participant, a civil engineer in his early thirties, shared,“I check stock updates once in a while, but I never really understand what I’m looking at. Everything feels too technical.”Another user added, “I use the NGX website, but it’s hard to find what I need quickly. Sometimes I just give up and check finance pages on Twitter.”These insights made it clear that the challenge wasn’t just access to data but comprehension. Many users wanted the same information that stockbrokers used but presented in plain language.These voices guided my approach: focus on simplicity without losing credibility.

Competitive Analysis

In examining three key platforms (NASD PLC, Chaka and Nigerian Exchange Group), clear contrasts emerged that helped define how KBS Insight would differentiate itself.NASD PLC primarily serves as an over-the-counter market and information portal. Their website emphasizes market statistics, price lists, and institutional data. While rich in data, the experience is complex and designed for investors who already understand market mechanics. For a retail user seeking clarity this presents a barrier.Chaka offers a brokerage and investment access app enabling Nigerians to trade local and international stocks. Its strength lies in access and trading rather than deep insight or educational guidance. New investors still struggle to interpret market data or understand strategy.NGX serves as Nigeria’s primary exchange operator and data provider. Its site covers listing rules, market data, indices and investor tools. Although authoritative, its interface is corporate and oriented toward issuance and listing rather than tailored guidance for non-expert retail investors.

Key Findings

None of the three platforms combine market access, plain-spoken insight, and localized design for everyday investors.
NASD and NGX deliver raw data but lack user-friendly interpretation or engagement layers.
Chaka provides a functional brokerage flow but stops short of building deeper investment understanding or long-term tracking.
KBS Insight can occupy the space between raw market infrastructure and trading access by offering:
a. Simplified interpretation of data (not just charts and numbers).b. Localized relevance for Nigerian retail users (Naira currency, NGX tickers, familiar UX).c. Engagement tools (portfolio tracking, AI-driven commentary, comparisons) that help demystify investing rather than add complexity.

The product addresses an under-served gap by positioning KBS Insight in that middle space, catering to the everyday Nigerian who wants more than trading access but less complexity than broker-level platforms.

User Stories

During the research phase, I found that investors in Nigeria approached financial tools with a mix of curiosity and caution. Most had tried using market platforms before but felt overwhelmed by technical data and confusing navigation. Many of them wanted a tool that worked more like a guide, one that could simplify how they understood market movements, track their investments, and give them context for what those numbers meant.The user stories emerged directly from these conversations. They helped shape how each feature of KBS Insight was designed and prioritized.

User Story

As a retail investor, I want to view the overall market performance and the latest stock prices at a glance, so I can quickly understand how the market is performing today.

User Story

As a new investor, I want to search for company profiles and see their historical performance, so I can decide whether they are worth investing in.

User Story

As a user with multiple holdings, I want to create my own portfolio and add investments manually, so I can track my performance in one place instead of using spreadsheets.

Interaction Design & Accessibility

Every interaction was designed to reduce cognitive load. Large typography, simplified charts, and progressive data layers ensured users could find meaning without effort. Accessibility shaped the design deeply: colour contrast met WCAG standards, gain/loss visuals relied on intuitive green and red cues. The interface was intentionally toned to match how users spoke in interviews, making it direct, friendly, and clear.

Ideation & Prioritization

When the research wrapped up and the core problem was clear, I moved into the ideation stage with one main question: How do we make KBS Insight truly helpful for the typical Nigerian investor without confusing them? I needed a platform that offered immediate value but could also grow long-term. To figure that out, I mapped every single feature idea we had, pulling from research, looking at competitors, and talking to stakeholders. These ideas covered everything from market news and tracking portfolios to expanding internationally and using AI. To make sense of all this, I built a prioritization map that ranked each feature based on Impact versus Effort. The vertical side showed the Impact (the value for both users and the business), and the horizontal side showed the Effort(design time, technical work, and resources needed).

Overcoming Constraints

When designing for Nigeria's internet, I had to keep slow network speeds and payment worries in mind. To make the app fast, I used simple charts and cut down on heavy data requests.Payment trust was a huge issue; people were nervous about saving their cards. One person even told me, "The payment thing worries me, I've had issues with cards being charged twice before. If it's transparent and secure, I'll trust it." So, the payment flow was designed to be transparent, showing exactly what they were paying for, and securely routed them through a trusted service called TransactPay.

User Flow

The user journey was structured to feel intuitive and self-guided. This is a simple flow for users who want to compare stocks from different companies.

Research to Reality

Every insight gathered during the research phase became a building block for the product’s final experience. The patterns, frustrations, and aspirations that emerged from user interviews guided how each feature was designed. What started as a set of raw observations evolved into a cohesive platform where users could explore the market, track their portfolios, and access AI-driven insights with ease. This section breaks down how those findings were translated into tangible design decisions across the different parts of KBS Insight.

Home Page

Real-Time Price Ticker: Live stock prices for major Nigerian companies (BUAFOODS, ZENITHBANK, etc.) are prominently displayed at the top.

Search Functionality: A search bar allows users to find specific stocks, funds, or companies.

Market Overview: The homepage opens with real-time performance data of major Nigerian market indices, allowing users to immediately grasp the market’s direction without extra navigation.

Dynamic Index Chart: A live, interactive chart showcases index movements throughout the day, offering users instant visual insight into market performance and trends.

Stock Listing: The stock listings under each index provide a clear, scrollable table of top-performing companies, featuring colour-coded performance indicators for easy comparison.

Index Summary: An informational sidebar summarizes key index metrics, including market cap, dividend yield, and sector distribution, giving context to the data in a simplified format.

Market News: The Market News section integrates curated headlines from credible financial sources, ensuring users stay informed on major market shifts and company-specific developments directly from the homepage.

Company Profile Page

Dynamic Stock Overview: The company profile opens with a live stock chart and performance summary, giving users immediate visibility into a company’s price movement, growth rate, and overall market position.

Company Summary Sidebar: A concise summary panel presents essential financial metrics such as market cap, P/E ratio, and dividend yield, allowing users to quickly assess company strength without navigating away.

AI-Assistant Widget: The “Ask KBS Invest AI” widget lets users interact directly with the AI for personalized insights and stock analysis, integrating intelligence seamlessly into the experience.

Company-Related News: A curated news feed below the chart keeps users updated on the latest company-specific developments, blending data analysis with real-time information.

Detailed Company Data: Structured tabs like Financial Statements, Corporate Disclosures, and Director Dealings organize complex information into readable, well-structured sections for deeper exploration.

My Portfolio

Interactive Chart: The main graph displays historical price data with customizable time ranges (1D, 5D, 1M, 6M, 1Y, 5Y, Max).

Portfolio Performance Summary: Highlights the portfolio's Total Gain and Day Gain with both monetary and percentage change.

Symbol Comparison: A dedicated field allows users to easily search for and compare the performance of other symbols (e.g., BUACEMENT).

Detailed Holding List: A table lists individual investments (DANGCEM, FCMB, GEREGU) with price, quantity, day gain, and total value.

Easy Investment Addition: A clear "+ Add Investments" button is available for users to expand their portfolio.

News Tab Integration: A dedicated tab allows users to toggle between viewing their Investments and relevant News items.

AI-Insights

AI-Driven Core Value: The primary feature offers forecasts, commentary, and scenario analysis powered by a proprietary AI model.

Search Input: Users can search using any NGX stock or index fund ticker symbol (e.g., DANGCEM, GTCO, MTNN).

Premium Subscription: A clear call-to-action ("Upgrade") promotes KBS Invest Premium for advanced projections and unlimited AI queries.

Suggested Tickers: Quick-access buttons are provided for frequently searched or popular NGX stocks (e.g., DANGCEM, AIRTELAFRI, BUACEMENT).

Other Pages

User Testing

User testing was a crucial part of validating the design direction for KBS Insight. I conducted two testing rounds with a total of eight participants drawn from different backgrounds who had shown interest in trading Nigerian stocks. Each session lasted between 25 and 40 minutes and was conducted remotely via Zoom, using an interactive Figma prototype that mirrored the final design.The goal was to evaluate comprehension, navigation, and trust perception. Participants were asked to perform specific tasks such as viewing daily market metrics, searching for a company, comparing two stocks, and adding an investment to their portfolio. They were also asked to explore the AI Insights section to test how they interpreted automated forecasts and commentary.During testing, several themes emerged. Most users appreciated the visual simplicity and clarity of the home page. The introduction of the blurred background during sign-up gave users a sense of continuity rather than disruption. One participant said, “It feels like I’m still part of the app even when I haven’t logged in yet. I like that.” Another noted that the NGX-30 chart appearing immediately on load helped them understand market movement faster, eliminating the “where do I start?” moment that’s common on financial dashboards.However, a few users struggled to notice the “Compare Stocks” entry point at first glance. This led to a design revision where I added a persistent search bar for comparisons at the top of the Company Profile page, along with auto-complete hints to guide user input.In totality, usability testing confirmed that users could complete key tasks smoothly, understand financial data at a glance, and felt more confident interacting with investment tools.

Business Impact

KBS Insight positioned itself as one of the few financial platforms designed for Nigerians from the ground up. It bridged a gap between sophisticated market tools and accessible learning. The design improved user confidence, increased engagement, and created a clear path toward monetization through premium subscriptions.The project proved that financial design doesn’t need to be exclusive. By prioritizing simplicity, context, and local trust, KBS Insight turned financial complexity into clarity.

Career Path

Let’s Discuss

edidiongkalu@gmail.com

Project Idea

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