Case Study: Coinrule Website Revamp
Overview
Coinrule, an algorithmic trading platform for DeFi, crypto, and stocks, approached me to lead the redesign of their website. As a Y Combinator-backed company, they recognised they were falling behind their competitors in terms of visual polish, user experience, and overall brand perception. Their objective was clear: to create a modern, Web3-inspired landing page that could appeal to professional traders, while also addressing the needs of different market segments — centralised trading, decentralised trading, and stock trading. The ultimate goal was to deliver a high-converting, flexible design that balanced innovation with trust, elevating their digital presence and driving growth.
Discover: Research & Analysis
The first phase focused on understanding Coinrule’s current position and defining the scope of the challenge. Their existing website lacked visual credibility, suffered from inconsistent messaging, and did little to differentiate them from competitors in a crowded market. I began with an in-depth analysis of competitor platforms, including Fireblocks, 1inch, WalletConnect, Alchemy, and Kwiksign. These companies showcased strong visual hierarchies, clean typography, purposeful microinteractions, and a confident tone of voice that resonated with Web3-native audiences. I distilled these observations into visual mood boards to inspire the new direction for Coinrule, focusing on sleek, futuristic aesthetics with a professional edge.
To deepen my understanding, I conducted customer research through interviews with active Coinrule users and potential prospects. This helped uncover key pain points, such as lack of trust signals, confusing navigation, and insufficient clarity about Coinrule’s unique value propositions. I then facilitated workshops with the CEO, COO, CTO, and Product Leader to define the target personas, align on tone of voice, and prioritise business goals. These collaborative sessions ensured that both user needs and business objectives would be central to the redesign.
Define: Framing the Solution
With clear insights in hand, I mapped out Coinrule’s existing website content and restructured their sitemap and information architecture. This process simplified user flows, reduced cognitive load, and ensured that each page had a clear purpose aligned with conversion goals. I created a comprehensive content wireframe, curating the most effective elements from competitors while tailoring them to Coinrule’s unique offering.
From these foundations, I established key design principles: the new website needed to embody Web3 visual sophistication while remaining approachable, conversion-focused, and adaptable for different market segments. The design also had to support light and dark mode for versatility, and integrate microinteractions and animations that enhanced—rather than distracted from—the user experience.
Develop: Concepting & Iterations
I began the creative phase by developing three distinct design concepts, each pushing the visual language in different directions. The first was minimalist and technical, designed to appeal to professional and institutional traders. The second embraced a bold, experimental aesthetic targeting Degen traders, with vibrant gradients, futuristic UI elements, and Web3-native cues. The third was clean and accessible, aimed at bridging the gap between casual and professional users.
These divergent approaches sparked valuable conversations with the leadership team, helping us identify their visual comfort zones and refine our understanding of the brand’s identity. Over three major iterations, I pushed the designs further to explore new typographic treatments, interactive components, and bold visual storytelling. At times, the designs ventured too far into niche territory, which led to important discussions about balancing innovation with brand credibility. I used this feedback loop to reel the design back in, refining the visuals to strike the right balance between forward-thinking and professional.
Throughout this phase, I also developed a new typographic system that improved hierarchy and readability, ensuring clarity across devices. Additionally, I created a bespoke illustration library that visualised Coinrule’s automated trading workflows, helping to communicate complex features in an intuitive and engaging way.
Deliver: Final Design & Outcome
The final delivery included a polished, responsive landing page designed in both dark mode and light mode, along with tailored variations for the centralised trading, decentralised trading, and stock trading segments. Each variation maintained visual consistency while addressing the unique needs and motivations of its target audience. The designs incorporated subtle microinteractions, including animated hover states, scroll-triggered reveals, and interactive CTA buttons, all designed to guide users intuitively through the site.
I also integrated purposeful animations to enhance engagement without overwhelming the user. Hero sections featured smooth reveals, cards transitioned seamlessly, and data visualisations were animated on scroll to maintain user attention. These enhancements created a dynamic yet cohesive experience that reinforced Coinrule’s position as a serious player in algorithmic trading.
The outcome was a flexible, conversion-optimised design system that elevated Coinrule’s digital presence, strengthened brand credibility, and provided a scalable foundation for future growth. Stakeholder feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and the new website positioned Coinrule to compete visually with top-tier Web3 platforms.
Reflection & Impact
Leading this project reinforced the importance of balancing innovation with business pragmatism. By exploring bold design directions and actively engaging in feedback loops with the leadership team, I was able to define where the line was for innovation in Coinrule’s context. The project showcased my ability to combine strategic thinking, user research, and high-quality visual execution to deliver a solution that met both user expectations and business goals.
Ultimately, this redesign was not just a visual uplift—it was a strategic repositioning of Coinrule in a highly competitive space. The project was a testament to the power of collaboration, iteration, and user-centred design in driving meaningful business outcomes.