Aftermath Finance
Aftermath Finance
Simplifying Advanced DeFi Trading UX
Role: UX / Product Designer
Scope: Trading module, Pool listings, Wallet flow
Goal: Reduce cognitive overload while preserving advanced trading functionality
Aftermath offers powerful DeFi features:
Swap
Limit Orders
DCA
Bridge
Liquidity Pools
Overview
Project Background
Aftermath Finance is a sophisticated DeFi ecosystem on Sui, offering a comprehensive suite of tools including high-frequency swaps, limit orders, and cross-chain bridging. As the UX/Product Designer, my mission was to reconcile the platform’s institutional-grade power with the accessibility required for retail adoption. By pivoting toward Intent-Based Design, I restructured the architecture to serve four distinct user personas: the Casual Swapper, the Active Trader, the Yield Seeker, and the Cross-chain User, ensuring that technical depth never compromised the user experience.
Design Approach & Methodology
1. Intent-Based Information Architecture
Rather than building a static, "one-size-fits-all" dashboard, I architected the interface to adapt to specific user personas. By mapping distinct user journeys, ranging from the Casual Swapper seeking low friction to the Active Trader requiring high precision, I developed mode-specific layouts. This ensured that each user type interacted with a UI optimized for their specific objectives, whether that was evaluating pool safety or executing cross-chain bridges.
2. Strategic Progressive Disclosure
To combat the "feature density" typical of DeFi, I implemented a rigorous system of progressive disclosure. The default interface surfaces only the "Critical Path" (token selection, amount, and primary CTA).
The Result: Advanced parameters such as Stop Loss, Expiry, and Slippage are intelligently tucked into collapsible menus. This reduces initial intimidation for retail users while maintaining zero-latency access for power users.
3. Optimizing Visual Density & Scannability
Liquidity pool management often suffers from data fatigue. I redesigned the listings using a Multi-State Hierarchy:
The Compact View: Prioritizes "Decision Drivers" (Pair, APR, TVL, and Risk).
The Expanded View: Surfaces granular technical data (Volume, Composition, and Audit status). This approach prioritizes rapid scanning over information overload, allowing users to move from discovery to decision-making faster.
4. Asynchronous Authentication (Friction Reduction)
I decoupled the exploration phase from the wallet connection. By allowing users to configure trades and analyze data before prompting for a wallet, we reduced the "cost of entry." Connection prompts are now contextually triggered at the execution stage, using inline indicators rather than disruptive modals to maintain a seamless flow.
5. Precision Interaction & Trust Design
Technical adaptability was reinforced through high-fidelity interaction design. I integrated chart-linked Limit Order visualizations to provide immediate spatial feedback on price targets. Furthermore, the use of purposeful whitespace, vertical rhythm, and refined microcopy served to reduce the "uncertainty gap" often found in complex DeFi transactions.
Strategic Outcomes
Cognitive Load Reduction: Heuristic evaluations suggest a 40–60% decrease in first-screen density.
Scalable Framework: Established a modular UX system that allows Aftermath to launch new DeFi products without breaking the existing design language.
Retail-Ready Onboarding: Transformed a professional-grade tool into an approachable gateway for the broader Sui ecosystem.
Core Principles Applied
Progressive Disclosure · Intent-Based Design · Hierarchical Information Architecture · Friction Reduction · Trust-Oriented Layout
Challenges
One of the first challenges we faced was finding the right balance between Web2 familiarity and Web3 complexity. Crypto transfers come with a lot of cognitive load, long addresses, irreversible mistakes, and confusing networks. My design philosophy is that simplicity builds trust, so I pushed for an experience that removed as much friction as possible while still keeping users informed. This sparked several internal discussions about what to hide, what to explain, and how much control users really needed. By grounding our decisions in user interviews and borrowing familiar patterns from Coinbase, we aligned on a direction that prioritized intuition over technicality.
Designing the browser extension and overlay brought a different type of complexity. It was the first time both design and engineering were building something that sat directly on top of Twitter and reacted to whatever profile the user was viewing. The overlay needed to detect usernames, the extension needed to validate them, and both had to communicate seamlessly. We studied similar extensions, explored different architectural paths, and iterated together until we arrived at a version that was stable enough for V1 without creating unnecessary technical debt. It required a lot of patience and collaborative problem-solving, but it shaped a more grounded implementation plan.
A more subtle, yet insightful, conflict arose from the bulk transfer feature. My original design used horizontally scrollable cards with large tap targets to prevent mistakes, especially since money is involved. During a review, the lead developer suggested a vertically scrollable layout instead, arguing it felt more native on mobile and reduced hidden content. After talking through the trade-offs, we realized that a vertical layout aligned better with Hick’s Law: showing more information upfront actually simplified decision-making. Adjusting the design proved to be the right move, making the feature more intuitive.
In the end, these constraints didn’t hold the project back; they shaped it. Each challenge helped us refine our thinking, make smarter decisions, and build a product that was both practical and genuinely enjoyable to use. The healthy tension between design ambition and engineering feasibility ultimately led to a cleaner, more strategic release
Final Solution
The result is a fluid, high-conversion platform that adapts to the user’s expertise. By shifting from a "one-size-fits-all" layout to a Persona-Centric Architecture, Aftermath now provides a streamlined entry point for retail swappers without sacrificing the sub-millisecond precision required by professional traders. The final UI demonstrates that technical adaptability and clean design can coexist, driving both user retention and ecosystem growth.
At the heart of the product, Xend Global introduced a simple idea I strongly believed in: sending money to someone should be as easy as typing their Twitter username. No long wallet addresses, no anxiety about networks — just “@OpenAI → amount → send.” That interaction became the anchor that guided the rest of the experience.
As the product evolved, I extended the flow with the features users needed to complete the journey: QR and link-based payment requests, bulk transfers, a straightforward deposit path, and a smart-account wallet that kept everything stable under the hood. I also designed the Chromium extension for desktop usage, along with an overlay system that could detect usernames directly on Twitter profiles, although we intentionally moved that to a later release to avoid forcing early technical debt.
Overall, V1 was designed to be foundational. We kept it clean, intuitive, and identity-driven, making sure the basics worked seamlessly before layering on more advanced features.