BlackRock - Aladdin Product Group
Aladdin Studio | Consolidating the Data Ecosystem
Executive Summary
Context
This work took place during a moment of growing complexity across BlackRock’s data, analytics, and product ecosystem. As VP of Design Strategy & UX Research, my role was to create clarity early. I aligned cross-functional teams around shared assumptions, priorities, and constraints so that future product decisions could scale with confidence rather than accumulate risk.
Vision
A reimagining of the Data Tools Ecosystem for the modern age as what would become Aladdin Studio - combining Smart APIs (with proprietary modeling), Data Warehouse, and risk model engines with BI connectivity to accelerate revenue growth for existing Aladdin Clients and as a stand-alone offering.
Result
3-year projections to achieve between $27M and $47M in annual incremental run-rate revenue.
Consolidating the Data Discovery, Data Warehouse, Data Science, and API products for BlackRock users.
Context
After evaluating key market trends and shifting client expectations highlighting a gap in the offering, the Aladdin Business conducted a commercialization exercise to identify opportunities to bundle the data product offerings and bring together risk and return data into a single ecosystem to drive alpha.
Opportunity
Following the commercial offsite, I assembled a cross-org team including executive sponsors to define the strategic approach, understand and align on performance indicators and user needs, identify cross-functional goals, create a prioritized road map, and create the MVP —through decision stewardship and shared criteria.
Creating Shared Clarity
The goal of this phase was not to document everything, but to make uncertainty explicit—so teams could move forward with shared understanding and fewer hidden assumptions.
(8 weeks)
Jobs to be Done, White Paper
Closed-door planning session with the business, tech, and design heads
Current state review / heuristic analysis
SME demos and stakeholder interviews
Cross-org Segmentations built on JTBD analysis
User Needs Study Executed and Analyzed (Jobs to be Done)
Requirements Workshop including user story mapping, prioritization, tradeoffs, success definition, and kpi prioritization
Key Decisions & Tradeoffs
1.
Combining Services
While the product was net new, it was formed by combining existing services. The roadmap reflected a transition in the offering, extending the transition as a service to existing clients, stewarding relationships, and rewarding tenure.
2.
Moving at the Speed of Trust
With executive buy-in, I aligned data science, product, and API teams around a shared definition of success. Enhancements included thoughtful reuse rather than introducing new surface area.
3.
Minimizing Downstream Risk
Prior to initiating user research, risks and assumptions were explicitly tested at the product and project level to minimize downstream risk.
4.
Preserving Coherence
Release velocity was intentionally limited to preserve coherence with the existing user base and realize full commercial potential.
The initial release was set to a closed internal beta, then segmented releases with testing and improvement buffers built into the release cadence.
Build on top of Aladdin
Use Cases
Financial engineering and data science tools that let you customize data workflows from beginning to end. From data discovery, to combining with Aladdin compute and scenario engines, to warehousing and integration into BI tools and services.
Flexibility
Create custom algorithms; build, model and run scenarios
Transparency
Configure directly; self-service without the slowdown of a client-service team
Control
Integrate into the Aladdin Data Warehouse to connect to the BI tool ecosystem.
Use Case: Securities Cash Flow Scenarios for Income Projection
System-level UI Explorations
Dark and Light Mode Studies
Visual Systems led by Yael Alpert and Hannah Chung
This work reinforced my belief that early clarity is one of the most powerful forms of leverage in complex systems. When assumptions are surfaced and decisions are made deliberately, teams can move fast without sacrificing trust or coherence.
Results
A feasible roadmap to meet commercial targets
Enabled teams to make downstream product decisions with greater confidence
Reduced duplication and misalignment across data and product efforts
Established a shared language that persisted beyond the engagement
Created a foundation for scalable product direction without increasing complexity
Team
I had the pleasure of leading an incredible Design Strategy and UXR Team as a VP and collaborating with remarkable executive leadership and cross-functional partners.
Executive Sponsors
COO, Executive Team - Head of BlackRock Solutions — Anusha Sriram
Head of Aladdin Product Team — Sarah Schaffer
Lead Product Manager — Dawn Dyer
Head of Aladdin Implementations — David Schneid
MD Analytics and Product Marketing — Lindsey Pedrotty
Head of Aladdin UX Design — Scott Wilkinson
Head of Aladdin UI Design — Yael Alpert
Head of Data Ecosystems — Dave Woodhead
Aladdin Business — Executive Committee
Cross Functional Team
Customer Success
Product Marketing
Data Storage - Tech and Product
Data Discovery - Tech and Product
Data Science - Tech and Product
Behavioral Finance
UXR and Design Strategy
UX and UI Design