Thomson Reuters Marketboard

iPad app design

In March FusionLab was called in to assist Thomson Reuters in developing an interface to support a new application for Apple’s then-unreleased iPad. The challenge was daunting to say the least: come up with a beautiful graphical user interface for a new financial app for a device that was unavailable for testing. Missing the deadline would have prevented the app from being published with the first 1,000 apps available on launch date.

While some have considered the iPad a novelty, Thomson Reuters recognizes the need for new and unique channels for content that serves customers’ increasingly mobile lifestyles, and therefore created three apps for the launch, including Marketboard, which features detailed market and company data. All of Thomson Reuters initial iPad apps are free, but Marketboard will serve as an online store, where market and company information can be purchased as downloadable documents and saved to a “Briefcase” section.

Working together with Thomson Reuters mobility markets division we developed a series of screens for use throughout the entire app, including interactive charts, news updates and transcript screens. Using a paper prototype to scale and the iPad SDK (software development kit), we created a facsimile of what we imagined the iPad would look like and how it would feel. Though we have a great deal of experience in designing web and iPhone apps, the challenge here was to successfully imagine a tactile interface for this new generation of devices to take advantage of it similarities and differences from traditional interface environments.

Through a cycle of quick iterations and agile development, we worked closely with the Thomson Reuters team to meet the ultimate deadline successfully. The financial app was approved and in time for iPad’s April 3rd launch and received great reviews in the financial community.

“It’s the best live-content dashboard of the App Store, with a fascinating feature called briefcase for managing briefs, transcripts, events, news and watchlists. Top content-driven design, extremely well presented. Lots of content but very manageable.”

Alfredo Triviño, Eye Magazine, No.77/Vol.20