BlackRock Aladdin® Studio
Transforming Developer Experience

Background
Aladdin® is BlackRock’s industry-leading end-to-end operating system, empowering investment professionals with a unified view of their portfolios, precise risk analysis, and actionable insights. To complement this ecosystem, Aladdin® Studio was launched to cater to developers and power users who prefer working directly with code, offering tools to extend and customize Aladdin’s capabilities.

Aladdin® Studio focuses on simplifying access to data, providing cloud-based development environments, and automating complex workflows. However, as a newly introduced offering, it required a clear user experience (UX) strategy to ensure adoption, efficiency, and long-term scalability.

The Challenge
Without a dedicated product manager, the Aladdin® Studio team faced several challenges:

1. Lack of UX Vision: The product needed a long-term UX strategy and a north star vision to guide development.

2. Fragmented Execution: Multiple teams were contributing to the program without clear alignment or planning frameworks.

3. User Adoption Barriers: The platform had to simplify developer workflows while offering robust customization options.

4. Resource and OKR Planning: Strategic annual goals and resourcing asks had to be aligned with the broader Aladdin® ecosystem.

The Solution
As Head of the Studio UX Program and chief UX architect, I led the charge to transform Aladdin® Studio into a cohesive and user-friendly platform. This included:

1. Defining the Long-Term UX Strategy

• Developed a north star UX vision centered around a seamless developer experience, focusing on discoverability, usability, and efficiency.

• Mapped out user journeys for key tasks like data exploration, workflow automation, and cloud-based development to identify friction points and opportunities.

2. Implementing a Quarterly Planning Framework

• Designed and deployed a structured planning process, ensuring alignment across teams for short-term sprints and long-term goals.

• Established clear milestones and success metrics to track progress against the UX vision.

3. Leading UX and Visual Design Execution

• Directed cross-functional teams in research, UX design, and visual design to create a cohesive interface and experience.

• Introduced intuitive navigation and interaction models to simplify data discovery and coding workflows for developers.

4. Driving OKR Development and Resourcing

• Collaborated with leadership to define Studio program objectives and key results (OKRs), aligning them with business priorities.

• Advocated for resourcing needs to support ambitious goals, ensuring the program had the capacity to deliver on its vision.

Results
The revamped UX strategy and execution framework yielded significant improvements in both the product and team operations:

1. Improved Developer Experience:

   • Simplified workflows for discovering data sources and automating processes, reducing friction for developers.

   • Enhanced interface design contributed to a 30% improvement in task completion times during usability testing.

2. Alignment Across Teams:

   • Quarterly planning ensured teams worked cohesively, meeting deadlines and delivering impactful features.

   • Sprint-by-sprint execution provided transparency and accountability.

3. Stronger Strategic Direction:

   • The north star UX vision became a guiding framework, aligning efforts across design, engineering, and leadership teams.

   • OKRs provided clarity and focus, leading to measurable progress on annual goals.

4. Scalable Platform Growth:

   • Introduced a scalable foundation for future enhancements, setting the stage for continuous improvements in developer experience.

Conclusion
The transformation of Aladdin® Studio into a developer-focused platform was rooted in a strategic and user-centered approach to UX. By defining a clear vision, aligning teams through structured planning, and advocating for resources, Aladdin® Studio has become a cornerstone for users seeking to customize and extend Aladdin’s capabilities with code.

This case demonstrates how thoughtful UX strategy and execution can bridge gaps in product management, delivering impactful results for both users and the business.

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