Prescient Fund Services Platform

Architecture

Technical System Design

The solution is built with a forward-looking, modular architecture that is optimised for performance, maintainability, and scalability.

Frontend Architecture:

• Built with Next.js for server-rendered React pages, improving rendering speed.
• Uses TypeScript for strict type safety and fewer runtime errors.
• Styled with Tailwind CSS for responsive, maintainable UI.
• Components documented and tested using Storybook for scalable UI development.

Authentication & Security:

• Azure B2C provides enterprise-grade user management with support for SSO and external identity providers.
• Implements JWT tokens with refresh logic for secure and seamless session management.
• Encrypts all sessions and cookies using secure, rotating keys for maximum data protection.

API Layer:

• GraphQL provides flexible and efficient data queries, enabling real-time updates where needed.
• Auto-generates type-safe queries with GraphQL Code Generator, reducing development errors.
• Uses React Query for caching, background refetching, and retry logic on network failure.
• Features centralised error handling to surface actionable feedback to users and developers.

Infrastructure Features:

• Supports isolated deployments for dev, QA, and prod environments with automated CI/CD pipelines.
• Hosted on Microsoft Azure, with CDN for fast global access and high availability.
• Logs and metrics are monitored via Application Insights for real-time visibility.
• Local development uses Caddy to replicate production SSL behaviour securely.

Integration Points

• 4 Axis Core System: Investment management platform integration for data consistency.
• Strapi CMS: Provides editable content and document storage without requiring app redeployment.
• nCino: Handles identity documentation and supports structured compliance workflows.
  

Key Architectural Features

• Multi-tenancy: A single codebase supports multiple investment brands with distinct branding and data segmentation, enabling seamless integration across all brands.
• Role-based Access Control: Access permissions are granular, aligning with business rules across six primary roles.
• Responsive Design: Mobile-first development ensures optimal accessibility and usability across all devices.
• Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA-compliant design for inclusive usage across diverse user groups.
• Performance Optimisations: Utilises dynamic imports, image optimisation, and intelligent caching to maintain platform speed.

Design

Prescient Fund Services’ investment platform was designed to offer a clean, secure, and professional user experience for both individual investors and institutional clients. The interface was created in Figma using a structured design system with clearly defined colour palettes, font hierarchies, and reusable components to ensure consistency and maintainability.

Key design considerations included:

Investor-Focused Experience

From sign-in to investment actions, the interface was purpose-built to simplify the digital investor journey. A dual-panel landing screen separates marketing and transactional areas, clearly guiding users to either log in or learn more.

Seamless Account Management

Once logged in, users are presented with a personalised dashboard that summarises their investment portfolio. Cards for Unit Trusts, Retirement Annuities, and other product types surface key data points at a glance (total value, returns, and performance trends), enabling confident decision-making.

Clean Navigation Hierarchy

The left-side navigation uses collapsible sections and logical grouping (e.g. My Investments, Transact, My Instructions) to support complex user flows without overwhelming the interface. The current section is visually highlighted to improve orientation.

We implemented a consistent tabbed navigation pattern across multiple sections of the platform, as well as document downloads, to simplify navigation within complex pages. This helps users stay oriented when a top-level menu item has already been selected, allowing them to move between related views without feeling like they are leaving the current section. The use of tabs improves clarity, reduces page reloads, and aligns with our goal of creating a more intuitive, component-based user experience.

Guided Investment Actions

Processes such as contributions, switches, and withdrawals are broken down into clear, multi-step forms. Each stage (e.g. Fund Selection, Payment Setup) is demarcated with progress indicators and contextual labels. Inputs are prefilled wherever possible, reducing friction and minimising user error.

Data-Rich Interactions

Investor dashboards and advisor views include charts, tables, and value breakdowns to support informed decision-making. Bar charts and pie charts are styled in a light, non-intrusive palette, preserving visual hierarchy while communicating returns and allocations.

We used expandable table rows to display key investment details upfront, while keeping more complex information, such as debit order breakdowns, hidden until needed. This progressive disclosure approach reduces cognitive load, avoids overwhelming users, and allows actions like Edit and Cancel to remain within context, making interactions quicker and more intuitive without requiring navigation away from the fund view.

Instruction & Fee Visibility

Users can view, edit, or cancel debit orders, withdrawals, and allocations from a central instructions panel. Fee transparency is enhanced through structured breakdowns (e.g. initial vs. ongoing fees), promoting trust and regulatory compliance.

Advisor & Brokerhouse Dashboards

Broker-level users have access to extended views, including performance across multiple advisors, top performers, and client investments. These admin dashboards provide actionable intelligence in a format that remains visually consistent with investor interfaces, ensuring a seamless user experience.

Accessibility & Compliance

Font sizes, spacing, and contrast ratios were aligned with best practices for accessibility. Important disclosures, session timeout warnings, and legal notices are displayed without disrupting primary flows.

Consistent Branding

The application was designed as a multi-tenant, white-label platform. While Prescient Fund Services maintains the core product and UX foundation, the platform supports deployment for other investment companies, each on its own branded instance. Branded colour palettes and accent elements are dynamically injected through a Strapi CMS, allowing each tenant to maintain visual distinction while preserving interface consistency. This setup ensures that updates to theme colours or brand elements can be centrally managed without requiring code changes, making it scalable and easy to maintain across clients.

Through a carefully considered UX and a tightly governed design system, the platform strikes a balance between financial complexity and intuitive simplicity, making it easier for investors and advisors to manage their long-term wealth confidently and efficiently.