Independent Concept Project B2B Enterprise SaaS Fintech

Nexus.
AML Intelligence Hub

Designing a clearer investigation workflow for complex AML operations.

Role
UX/UI & Product Designer
Timeline
3 weeks · 2026
Platform
Desktop
Tools
Figma · FigJam · Figma AI Make

A self-initiated portfolio project exploring how complex AML investigation workflows could be made easier to understand and navigate.

01The challenge

Too much information. Not enough clarity.

AML investigation involves alerts, transactions, risk signals, entity relationships, case history and decisions. For this concept, I explored how this information could be organised around the decisions users need to make, rather than simply presenting more data.

How might I help users move from alert → context → investigation → decision with less cognitive load?

ConstraintDesign response
Dense informationClear hierarchy
Multiple user rolesRole-specific workflows
Complex relationshipsFocused visualisation
High-stakes decisionsClear states and explanations
Desktop-firstLarge-screen workflow
3-week timelineFocused product scope
02Understanding the users

Three roles. Three different decisions.

UserPrimary responsibilityMain need
L1 AnalystTriage alertsSpeed and clarity
L2 InvestigatorInvestigate complex casesContext and relationships
Compliance ManagerMonitor operationsVisibility and control

Design implication — the same information isn't equally important to every user. So I designed the experience around role + workflow stage, rather than creating one dashboard for everyone.

03The workflow

Find → Understand → Investigate → Decide

Alert Queue
Case Investigation
Entity Relationships
Decision

Alongside the investigation flow: Manager Dashboard → Audit Trail

This became the core scope of Nexus — mapped out end-to-end in FigJam before any screen was drawn.

04The screens

Five experiences, one workflow.

01 — SCREEN

Alert Queue

Helping analysts decide what needs attention first. The Alert Queue is designed around the first decision an analyst needs to make:

Which alert needs my attention?

The primary view focuses on: Severity · Entity · Alert type · Risk score · Amount · Status. Additional information can be accessed when required.

Nexus Alert Queue screen
Design decision — Progressive disclosure
Instead of showing every available field at once, the interface prioritises the information needed for initial triage.
02 — SCREEN

Case Investigation

This is the core investigation experience. The layout brings together case context, investigation and decision-making in one workspace.

Case contextInvestigationDecision
Case detailsTransaction historyEscalate to L2
TimelineRisk flagsFile SAR
SLARelated casesDismiss
Assigned analystNotes & documentsSet priority
Nexus Case Investigation screen
Design decision — Understand → Investigate → Decide
The goal was to reduce unnecessary movement between different contexts during investigation.

Explainable Risk

The Alert Queue surfaces the risk score alongside severity, alert type, entity and flagged amount, giving analysts an initial signal for prioritisation.

Make risk visible at the point of triage.

03 — SCREEN

Entity Relationship Network

Helping investigators see relationships without creating more noise. The network represents relationships between entities and transactions, using visual hierarchy to communicate node size, risk colour, connection weight, and transaction information.

Nexus Entity Relationship Network screen
Design decision — Focused by default, expandable when needed
The initial view prioritises the most relevant relationships instead of presenting the entire network at once.
04 — SCREEN

Compliance Manager

From individual investigations to team-level visibility. The manager experience focuses on: Workload · SLA risk · Team performance · Trends.

The analyst asks "What should I investigate?" The manager asks "Where does my team need attention?" So the dashboard is designed around exceptions, workload, and operational visibility rather than individual transaction details.

Nexus Compliance Manager dashboard
05 — SCREEN

Audit Trail

Making activity easier to review. The Audit Trail provides visibility into who → did what → when → on which case. The concept also explores surfacing unusual activity patterns so important events don't remain buried in a large activity log.

Nexus Audit Trail screen
Design decision
Make audit information useful, not just available.
05Creating one consistent system

Five experiences, one visual language.

The interface uses semantic colours to communicate meaning. The same visual language is carried across risk, severity, SLA, and status states.

Red — Critical
Amber — High
Yellow — Medium
Green — Low
Blue — Interaction / system state

Colour communicates meaning, not decoration.

06Designing for high-volume work

Keyboard-first workflow

TabNext alert
EEscalate
DDismiss
NAdd note
GOpen entity graph

The intention was to explore how repetitive actions could become more efficient for experienced users.

This is a design exploration, not a validated production feature.
07AI in my process

AI helped me explore faster. I made the design decisions.

I used Figma AI Make during early exploration to generate layout directions and accelerate initial scaffolding.

AI helped withI owned
Initial layoutsInformation hierarchy
Dashboard explorationWorkflow structure
UI scaffoldingRisk and severity system
Faster iterationInteraction decisions

AI helped me get to a starting point faster. The product decisions remained mine.

08Next steps

Nexus is an independent concept project — the next step would be validation.

Alert Queue
Can users identify the right alerts quickly?
Case Investigation
Does the unified workspace make the investigation easier to follow?
Risk Explanation
Does showing contributing factors make the score easier to understand?
Entity Network
Does the focused view help users find meaningful relationships?
Keyboard Workflow
Are the shortcuts genuinely useful?
09What I learned

Good enterprise UX isn't about showing more.

It's about helping users understand what matters now. That became the central idea behind Nexus.

Progressive disclosure Clear information hierarchy Role-based workflows Explainable risk Focused visualisation Decision-focused layouts
10Final reflection

Nexus gave me the opportunity to explore a complex, unfamiliar domain and turn it into a structured product experience.

The project pushed me to think beyond individual screens and ask:

Who is using this?

What are they trying to decide?

What information do they need right now?

What can wait until later?

The result is a concept built around one simple principle:

Turn complex information into confident decisions.

Project details
TypeIndependent portfolio concept
RoleUX/UI & Product Designer
Timeline3 weeks
PlatformDesktop
DomainAML · Financial Crime · B2B SaaS
ToolsFigma · FigJam · Figma AI Make

Explore

Nexus is an independent concept project based on secondary research and exploration of AML workflows. It is not a shipped product, and no proprietary data or confidential systems were used.