Building for Advanced Self-Directed Investors
pivot strategy & user segmentation
As our first major feature during the mutual funds pivot, I identified a segment of advanced users who wanted full control over fund selection rather than pre-built baskets. These users had investment experience but lacked access to comprehensive fund data and comparison tools.
The challenge was building an entire mutual funds platform in just 2 months with our small team, while integrating with BSE StaR MF platform for real-time fund data and transactions.
- User Segmentation: Focused on experienced investors to allow them to make informed independent decisions
- Data Integration: BSE StaR MF API integration to allow real-time fund information and transaction processing
- Search & Discovery: Comprehensive filtering system to improve decision-making for fund selection
Rapid Development with Technical Constraints
technical challenges
Led product development under intense time pressure, managing data integration complexities while coordinating with our 2-engineer team to build the entire platform from scratch.
- Data Integration Challenge: BSE StaR MF API had complex data structures requiring careful mapping to allow seamless user experience
- Performance Optimization: Search functionality needed to handle large fund databases to improve user search experience
- Technical Bandwidth: Prioritized core search and filter features over advanced analytics due to development timeline constraints
team collaboration & delivery
Successfully delivered the platform within the 2-month deadline through effective team coordination and strategic feature prioritization:
- Engineering Partnership: Daily standups with dev team to balance feature complexity with delivery timelines
- Strategic Vision: Focused on essential fund discovery features to allow users to research and invest independently
- Design Coordination: Worked with designer to create intuitive search interface despite complex underlying data structure
- Stakeholder Communication: Regular progress updates to leadership during critical pivot period to improve company strategic alignment