JUMP TO

Context

Design Question

Research insights

Iteration Proof

System response

Tradeoffs

System continuity

Closing statement

Easel Experience design

Easel
Experience design

Designing for irreversible financial commitment in illiquid markets.

Designing for irreversible financial commitment in illiquid markets.

Designing for irreversible financial commitment in illiquid markets.

Context

Easel is a concept platform for fractional art investment.


It explores how digital products should handle commitment when users invest in assets that are attractive, abstract, and illiquid.

Easel is a concept platform for fractional art investment.


It explores how digital products should handle commitment when users invest in assets that are attractive, abstract, and illiquid.

Easel is a concept platform for fractional art investment.


It explores how digital products should handle commitment when users invest in assets that are attractive, abstract, and illiquid.

Timeline

Timeline

15 weeks

role

role

Individual

Scope

Scope

End to end decision flow

Design Question

How might a digital investment flow support better judgment before users commit money to assets that are difficult to exit?

How might a digital investment flow support better judgment before users commit money to assets that are difficult to exit?

Research Insights

3 User Interviews and flow test of existing investment platforms

“I’d like to know more about what I’m investing in before I have the option to put money in.”

“I’d like to know more about what I’m investing in before I have the option to put money in.”

Jaz, 19. Painting Major at Pratt
New to investing

Jaz, 19. Painting Major at Pratt
New to investing

Jaz, 19. Painting Major at Pratt
New to investing

“I would like to invest in art for diversity, but I don’t know if it is a secure investment.”

“I would like to invest in art for diversity, but I don’t know if it is a secure investment.”

Charles, 50. Fidelity User
Growth focused investor

Charles, 50. Fidelity User
Growth focused investor

Charles, 50. Fidelity User
Growth focused investor

“I need to track the investments I put forward for my clients and measure whether they are worth it or not.”

“I need to track the investments I put forward for my clients and measure whether they are worth it or not.”

Alex, 41. Works at JPMorganChase
Fund Manager

Alex, 41. Works at JPMorgan Chase Fund Manager

Alex, 41. Works at JPMorganChase
Fund Manager

Findings that informed design Decisions

Findings that informed design Decisions

Existing investment flows often compress exploration, evaluation, and commitment into one moment.

Easel separates them into distinct stages.

Iteration Proof

I separated one overloaded investment screen into four distinct stages: Explore, Setup, Review, and Authorize.

SYstem Response

>Commitment is removed from discovery.

>Risk interpretation happens before authorization.

>Execution is treated as a state transition, not a tap.

1

Awareness

Understanding

2

Constraints

3

Commitment

4

Browsing Without
Commitment

Exploration is allowed before any commitment is possible.

Browsing Without
Commitment

Exploration is allowed before any commitment is possible.

Contextual Evaluation

Exploration remains unrestricted prior to formal review.

Contextual Evaluation

Exploration remains unrestricted prior to formal review.

Continued…

This section shifts the user from artwork appreciation to decision preparation.

Continued…

This section shifts the user from artwork appreciation to decision preparation.

Commitment Setup

This step captures the user’s adjustable commitment input before the flow enters the final review state.

Commitment Setup

This step captures the user’s adjustable commitment input before the flow enters the final review state.

Review Before Commitment

Key details and constraints are consolidated here before any irreversible action is allowed.

Review Before Commitment

Key details and constraints are consolidated here before any irreversible action is allowed.

Irreversibility is Explicit

>Authorization is the final irreversible state.

>No adjustable inputs remain beyond this point.

Irreversibility is Explicit

>Authorization is the final irreversible state.

>No adjustable inputs remain beyond this point.

Execution Recorded

Authorization transitions the asset from intent to ownership.

Tradeoffs Considered

Where should friction happen?

(A) Add friction during browsing/artwork exploration

(B) Add friction only at the commitment boundary

Chosen direction

Friction at moments of risk, not attraction

Why not the alternative

Early friction reduced exploration quality and made the product feel prematurely transactional.

How should constraints be presented?

(A) Present risk/ownership terms as dense disclosure text

(B) Convert key constraints into a scannable review state

Chosen direction

Authorization is a distinct irreversible state

Why not the alternative

Allowing edits during confirmation blurred the boundary between setup and commitment.

Where should friction happen?

(A) Add friction during browsing/artwork exploration

(B) Add friction only at the commitment boundary

Chosen direction

Friction at moments of risk, not attraction

Why not the alternative

Early friction reduced exploration quality and made the product feel prematurely transactional.

SySTem COntinuity

Commitment persists as a system state across authorization, receipt/history, and portfolio state.

Post-Execution State

Following authorization, the position remains recorded and reflected over time.

Cross-Platform Navigation

Core navigation remains persistent across discovery, portfolio state, and market context without disrupting active decisions.

Commitment Is a System State.
Not a Button

Commitment Is a System State.
Not a Button

Digital Shouldn’t Always Mean Instant

Some decisions shouldn’t be fast. Some decisions shouldn’t feel reversible.

Some decisions shouldn’t be fast. Some decisions shouldn’t feel reversible.

Easel explores how to design systems
that slow users down when commitment is permanent.

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