Projects

Dataffirm

A complex, real‑time Angular‑based web application leveraging machine learning on 'big data' and live market analytics to identify investment opportunities

Screenshot of the Dataffirm website; part of John Kavanagh's development portfolio.

In Brief

Dataffirm was an innovative fintech startup building an alternative investment platform powered by machine learning and real‑time 'big data'. Drawing insights from live market activity, social media, and local news sources, the platform enabled investors to identify patterns and make informed decisions in the dynamic world of alternative investments.

My Role

Joining Dataffirm during the early stages post‑funding, I was one of two front‑end developers collaborating closely with designers, analysts, and a globally distributed back‑end and data science team. Together, we developed a responsive Angular 2 application that visualised vast datasets in real‑time, from company performance to online sentiment, whilst ensuring the platform could scale through multiple product iterations.

dataffirm.com
  1. HTML5 & SCSS
  2. Angular
  3. D3
  4. Node.js
Graphical representation of a network in multiple colours on a purple background.

In Detail

I joined this fintech startup during the very early development stages post‑funding. With a dispersed team of back‑end developers and data scientists based in London, Cyprus and South Africa, I was one of two front‑end developers working directly alongside their designer, analyst, and wider marketing teams.

Starting from scratch, the product was an evolving MVP: a responsive, Angular 2‑based platform using Sass. This was a near real‑time lightweight modern business intelligence tool that deploys machine learning against enormous sets of complex 'big data', live markets and a Java‑based marketing engine. The results allowed users to make informed quantitative investments and track their results.

Being in such an early stage when I joined, one of my responsibilities was to oversee the application through various different iterations and states, ensuring that, technically, the platform remained viable for any future expansion. Directed by investors, stakeholders, and user feedback, it is fair to say that there were a lot of evolutions.

The application itself featured a complex array of interactive data visualisation tools and tables. Whilst this was very much intended as a product to be used on a desktop machine, where more data could be consumed in one go, we also focused heavily on making sure that mobile and tablet users could still access the platform, albeit in a cut‑down form.

Search

The search functionality within the platform was separated into several facets, ranging from a straightforward text‑based search for companies or officers up to much more complex dimensions involving location, media mentions, or even just how active they were on Twitter...

Screenshot of the Company search results table, desktop screen size.Screenshot of the Company search results page in map view, desktop screen size.

Company and Person Profiles

Using masses of data, the platform presents Company and Person profiles in a data‑driven dashboard style, which quickly allows the visitor to get an overview of their position, activity in the media, elsewhere online, and the opportunity to investigate further. This panel‑based dashboard is customisable by the user; they can determine which data falls where on the page.

Screenshot of an individual's profile displaying mentions and features in the press and social media, desktop screen size.Screenshot of a Company's profile page displaying location map and key financials. Desktop screen size.

Content Pages

Simple, accessible, content‑manageable pages were developed in various layouts and with a small component library. In this example, a Knowledge Centre was put together to offer advice and guidance to platform users, including text, imagery, and video.

Screenshot of the Help Centre search results page, tablet screen size.Screenshot of the Help Centre search results page, mobile screen size.
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