iTrade Discover

Inspiration

iTrade Discover was inspired by the gap between young Canadians wanting to invest and not knowing where to start. From our case research, we found that many younger investors are not avoiding investing because they do not care, but because the process feels confusing, intimidating, and full of jargon. At the same time, platforms like Wealthsimple and Questrade are winning younger users by making investing feel simpler and more approachable. We wanted to bring that same ease of discovery into the Scotiabank iTRADE experience while keeping the trust, education, and credibility of a major Canadian bank.

What it does

iTrade Discover is a new discovery tab built into the Scotiabank iTRADE app. It starts with a short beginner friendly questionnaire that asks users about their goals, risk tolerance, preferred industries, investment timeline, and interest in ETFs or individual stocks. Each question includes a help icon that explains the concept in plain language and links to a short advisor video.

After onboarding, users enter a swipe based discovery experience where they can review personalized stock and ETF recommendations. Swiping right saves an investment to their favourites list, while swiping left removes it from the current set of recommendations. Once users save 10 investments, they are prompted to review their shortlist. From there, they can open each investment to see a detailed breakdown, including why it matched their profile, risk level, fees, performance, pros and cons, and an advisor video explaining the information. The final step allows users to choose how much they want to invest and continue into a guided purchase flow.

How we built it

We used Stitch to build our prototype screens and design the mobile user flow. We focused on making the experience feel like a realistic extension of the Scotiabank iTRADE app, using a banking inspired design language with clean cards, red and white branding, simple icons, and beginner friendly copy. Our design process started with the case problem, then moved into mapping the user journey from confusion to confidence. We created screens for onboarding, education, swiping, favourites, investment details, and the buy flow.

Challenges we ran into

One challenge was balancing simplicity with financial responsibility. We wanted the app to feel easy and engaging, but not like it was encouraging random stock picking. To solve this, we built education into every stage of the experience through help buttons, advisor videos, explanations, and risk information.

Another challenge was making the swipe experience feel useful instead of gimmicky. We addressed this by treating swiping as a discovery tool, not the final decision point. Users still have to review their favourites, read the investment details, and go through a guided confirmation before buying.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud that iTrade Discover directly responds to the main issue in the case: young Canadians need confidence, clarity, and guidance before they invest. Our solution combines the simplicity of fintech apps with the trust and educational support of Scotiabank. We are also proud of how the prototype turns a complicated investment journey into a clear step by step experience that feels approachable for beginner investors.

What we learned

We learned that the biggest opportunity is not just offering more investment products, but helping users understand which products make sense for them. We also learned that young investors value simplicity, transparency, and education, but they still need trust when making financial decisions. This helped us design iTrade Discover around guided discovery rather than just transactions.

What's next for iTrade Discover

Next, we would improve the recommendation logic by adding more personalization based on user behaviour, risk profile, account type, and long term goals. We would also expand the advisor video library, add more educational modules, and test the prototype with real young investors to understand where they still feel confused. In the future, iTrade Discover could also connect with TFSA, FHSA, and RRSP planning tools so users can move from learning to investing with even more confidence.

Built With

• stitch