The Challenge
Kraken users lacked key tools to track their portfolio performance easily. They struggled with manual gain/loss calculations, had no customizable alerts for market changes, and couldn’t view their assets in multiple currencies. These gaps limited their ability to react quickly and make informed investment decisions.
❌ No customizable alerts for price/portfolio changes.
❌ Difficult to track portfolio performance from purchase to today.
❌ No way to view investments in multiple currencies.
❌ Lack of transparency in transaction fees.
Goal
Help users track performance in real time and react to market changes more effectively
The process
Direct user interview - What user told me
User Persona
Define
Kraken users struggle to track portfolio changes and make timely investment decisions due to missing real-time alerts, unclear fee structures, and limited currency views.
Ideate
Goal: Search, book, and pay for parking at authorized Madrid Central locations
Task Flow
User Flow
Mid-Fid Sketches
I created mid-fidelity sketches to visualize the proposed features for the Kraken app, focusing first on structure and usability, then refining navigation, notification settings, and portfolio views before advancing to high-fidelity prototypes and testing.
Prototype
High-Fidelity Wireframes
The high-fidelity wireframes provide an intuitive interface for customizable notifications and multi-currency portfolio views. Users can easily set alert criteria, adjust settings with toggle buttons, and monitor their investments in two currencies simultaneously through a clean, uncluttered layout that enhances usability.
Testing
Usability testing
Scenario 1: Create an alert in Ethereum
User feedback:
Users found the alert setup route unintuitive (login → balance → select crypto)
Preferred a more direct path from the markets tab to set alerts
Suggested alerts should be available for all cryptocurrencies, not just those in their portfolio
Solution:
Maintained original alert flow for cryptos in the user’s balance
Added an alert button on the markets page to allow users to create and view alerts for any cryptocurrency
Before
After
Scenario 2: Create an alert for the crypto Ripple
User feedback:
The default currency setting (e.g., EUR) was confusing, as users didn’t understand why a currency was preselected without their input
Many questioned: “Why is it showing EUR if I haven’t selected it yet?”
This behavior was perceived as non-intuitive and unclear
Solution:
Two solutions were implemented based on the user flow
From balance: If the user sets the alert through their portfolio, the currency is auto-set based on the crypto pair (e.g., ETH/EUR) and cannot be changed.
From the main page: If the user sets the alert from the markets section, they can freely choose the currency pair, such as ETH/USD, ETH/BTC, or ETH/JPY.
Before
After (from Balance)
After (from Main Page)
Final Prototype Overview
These features were validated through usability testing and refined based on user feedback—resulting in a smoother, clearer experience that supports faster, more confident investment decisions
View Final Prototype
Project Context and Timeline
This project was originally developed in 2022, based on key user pain points identified in the original Kraken mobile app, which was launched in January 2021 (globally) and later in June 2021 in the U.S.
At the time, users lacked access to essential features such as:
Tracking portfolio performance from purchase to present
Customizable price or portfolio alerts
Viewing investments in multiple fiat currencies
Clear, transparent transaction fee structures
In 2023, the launch of Kraken Pro addressed these challenges with major updates:
September 2023: Launch of customizable price alerts on mobile and web.
2023 Kraken Pro updates: Introduction of portfolio analytics (average purchase price, cost basis, real-time P&L).
Enhanced multi-currency display options and transparent fee breakdowns, improving clarity and user control.
These improvements directly validated the research and pain points defined during the 2022 project, highlighting Kraken’s user-centric evolution.