NYSE Handheld

IBM provides handheld communications devices for New York Stock Exchange traders
IBM designed and produced 3000 custom handheld devices that traders now use on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) trading floor.

Business need
On the floor of the NYSE, traders move from selling station to selling station throughout the day, lugging heavy tablets and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to communicate with their brokers. The Securities Industry Automation Corporation (SIAC) -— the New York Stock Exchange's technology partner -— sought a way to improve the usability of the devices.

Solution
The IBM Design Consulting Services team started with a set of product specifications and built a series of design models based on those specifications. As part of their design process, team members tested quick solutions with the floor traders and found that the models were too cumbersome and heavy. By observing the traders, the team redefined the product specifications and developed innovative solutions to battery management and changing, along with a novel carrying strap. After developing and refining the concept, our Design Team continued development with IBM's E&TS Engineering team to produce the product. The resulting design delighted users.

Benefits
The IBM design team created new, wireless, handheld devices that have the following features:

	Lightweight design with an elliptical back that fits in the palm of the hand to help reduce fatigue.
	A wearable design that protects the device and the user's clothing. The user can swivel the device so that the screen faces the user's body to protect the screen while the device is being carried. An elastic cord absorbs shock as the user drops the device to the hanging position. The device slides up and down the strap — an improvement over the way users had been sliding straps across their clothing and abrading their clothes as a result.
	A battery that lasts for a third of the user's shift, but can be changed in about 10 seconds without shutting down the system. When the device isn't in use, the screen backlight turns off to save power.