Cool Hunting

We all know that a well-designed interface can improve productivity, so Portfolio Magazine recently approached three top design firms—IDEO, thehappycorp, and Ziba Design—to re-design a fantasy interface that could replace the existing Bloomberg interface. Bloomberg's data terminals are used by traders all over the world to track financial information such as stocks and bonds in real-time. Even the Vatican uses the Bloomberg terminal, which features adjustable monitors, a fingerprint scanner and a microphone to communicate with others. One complaint however, is that the aesthetic is dated and it features an interface similar to MS-DOS.

We especially like thehappycorp version (pictured), which has the ability to monitor health, provides relevant news information that could effect your stocks, a gaming space for friendly competition with fellow traders and features the Market Lava Lamp, an easy to read graphic that tracks changes in stock values. We also enjoy the IDEO design which features an electronic notepad that can be reused like a virtual Post-it and the Bloomberg Wherever, a portable device that allows you to take the Bloomberg terminal anywhere you go.

Have a look at all the designs here.