Pre-Built Reports

T-REX is a SaaS solution that improves investment decision-making across alternative financial markets. T-REX eliminates manual processes and automates workflows between asset originators and investors. Scaling the product offering was a problem as most analytical reports were supported through an internal data services team, and their workflows were unsustainable.

Role | UX workshops & Research, UI, Prototyping
Partners | PM Lead, Dev Team, Data Services

How Might We
Holistically make changes to a large set of reports?
Remove roadblocks to creating and editing reports for clients?
Clearly indicate a starting point for clients?
Reduce the time for Data Services to onboard deals

In order to encourage use on platform and to ease reporting we are offering a new suite of tools called quick reports.  These exist in addition to current reports that are built “on-demand”. The reports should be easily accessible to both existing and new users and be surfaced in a manner that encourages their use.​

Research & UX design

Direct feedback from both new and seasoned users was “The system is too difficult to create reports from scratch, give us something to start from”. Platform entitlements can distinguish user types and allow us to curate report offerings by asset class (Solar, Wind, RMBS). Additionally, we want to make it obvious to users that they have this new tool as an option.

Implementation work stream with a new client allowed the PM lead and I to deep dive and partner on the development of this feature.  Synthesis from the interviews, as well as feedback from our internal data services team was that users want to:

• Build dashboards and perform ad hoc analysis in just a few clicks

• Holistically make changes to a large set of reports - users don’t want to have to adjust one by one

• We also know that legacy code is inhibiting innovation, to enhance flexibility in design and implementation we should rethink the process

In complex applications, we know that templates serve as valuable tools to enhance the user experience, improve efficiency, and ensure data consistency. They can be a crucial component of successful user onboarding and ongoing user satisfaction.

Simplified Learning Curve | Users can quickly grasp how to use the application by following the template's framework.

Reducing Errors | Predefined rules, validations, and guidelines, help users avoid common errors and ensure data integrity

Increase Productivity | Users can focus on their specific tasks rather than spending time designing layouts or structures.

User Confidence | Knowing that there's a structured starting point can reduce cognitive load and lead to better user retention and engagement.

Scalability | Templates can be structured to adapt to accommodate new features and data structures, making them suitable for long-term and multi asset class use.

During evaluations of various reporting systems, templates or quick reports are consistently encountered as part of the user onboarding process, enabling both new users to get started and experienced users to delve deeper. Among the systems examined were DOMO, Tableau, Sisense and Excel, a tool often used in conjunction with T-REX workflows.

Platform usage statistics showed that that Stratification Reports (Custom Cashflow Tables) were utilized in 13.5% of all instances, surpassing other report types by a considerable margin. Therefore, it was a logical choice to prioritize and enhance this particular report template.

We conducted a competitive analysis of DV01, a direct competitor, to understand their approach to the problem. DV01's platform offers functionality for searching, filtering, and sorting based on various attributes such as asset class, issuer, shelf name, vintage, and more.

One initial idea was to allow a user to copy the setup from report to report - but it didn’t completely satisfy the requirement of making holistic changes to a large set of reports.

After multiple iterations with our internal data services team, we chose the below as our Minimum Viable Product (MVP) solution. This decision was driven by its simplicity and the compatibility it offered with existing T-REX design components, which would enable us to bring the product to market quickly. It allows for users to create multiple tables at once using common metrics and allows for holistic changes to a large set of reports.

Working closely with the Product Manager and Development teams, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of the project's scope. Our analysis indicated that it would result in a time savings per deal of 6 hours for a team of 2 individuals, allowing them to avoid weekend work commitments. Additionally, this initiative was expected to boost end-user satisfaction and reduce Customer Support requests by at least 5 per quarter.