Designing a Modern, Secure, and Simple VDR Experience
Summary
Finalis needed a modern, reliable, and easy-to-use Virtual Data Room that could support key stages of the deal lifecycle—from initial document exchange with clients to investor review. I redesigned the VDR end-to-end, bringing clarity, simplicity, and the right level of security, while introducing scalable foundations for future analytics and automation.
The new Finalis Data Rooms give users a simpler, faster, and more predictable way to manage and share deal materials. It streamlines permission control, supports secure collaboration across bankers, issuers, and investors, and reinforces Finalis as a trusted, safe space within the dealmaking ecosystem.
Problem Framing
The existing VDR suffered from:
Outdated UI and unclear navigation
Limited security controls that did not align with user expectations
Granular permissions that were unnecessarily complex for most scenarios
No visibility into investor engagement or document activity
Frequent bugs and user complaints, especially during uploads and permission setup
Lack of alignment with real deal workflows and the needs of bankers and investors
Users relied heavily on support and workarounds. The experience didn’t match industry standards, and the tool wasn’t perceived as trustworthy by clients or investors, making adoption difficult.
What Users Needed
Bankers & Clients
A secure and trustworthy space to upload and share sensitive documents
Easy permission setup that works at scale, especially when inviting large investor groups
Visibility into investor engagement to measure interest
Investors & Visitors
Fast access to materials without complexity or friction
The Organization
A competitive VDR aligned with market standards
A scalable and maintainable base for future analytics
A simple and intuitive interface that reduced support overhead
Strengthen the company presence in the investment banking ecosystem and build a network of key players
The Process
Discovery & Foundations
I started by consolidating everything we already knew, since timelines were tight and many insights had never been used. I revisited past research, explored competitor VDRs to understand baseline expectations, and tested the existing Finalis VDR myself to map usability issues and recurring friction.
I also reviewed customer support feedback, bug reports, and documented complaints, and later contrasted them with the deal lifecycle insights gathered during the deal workflows research. This helped me connect user needs with the different stages of a transaction and identify what the VDR truly needed to support at each stage, to build a more customized experience.
A Deal-Centered Journey
I mapped how document-sharing needs evolve throughout a transaction:
Post-engagement: Clients share initial folders and sensitive documents
Preparation & review: Bankers refine materials and collaborate internally
Investor access: Dozens of viewers may need structured, bulk permissions
Interest measurement: Engagement becomes a key signal for deal progress
This journey became the backbone of the VDR redesign.
Approach
1. Define the Core MVP
Given the urgency, we focused on delivering a version that felt modern, simple, and reliable, covering essential VDR capabilities without unnecessary complexity, and creating a structure that could scale later.
2. Simplify Roles and Permissions
Most users don’t need complex matrices, so we reduced everything to three clear roles: Admin, Editors, Viewers.
For file-level permissions, we opted for practical security rather than heavy restrictions that modern tools can easily bypass:
Watermarks with the viewer’s email
One private folder for preparation that viewers can't access (Prep-room)
Bulk permissioning via investor groups
3. Build a Clear Document Structure
Introduced a structured tree view to help users handle large document sets.
A default Pre-Room folder provides:
A private space for internal prep
A future-ready spot to sync approved deal documents automatically
4. Introduce Basic Activity Tracking
To help users meassure investor interest, the MVP tracks: Logins, Sign-ups, File views This creates a foundation for future dashboards, heatmaps, and engagement insights.
The Outcomes
A Simpler, More Trustworthy VDR
The new Finalis Data Rooms is intentionally simple easy to use, secure enough for sensitive materials, and efficient for both small and large groups of stakeholders. Key improvements:
A modern, streamlined interface
Three clear roles with predictable permissions
A structured document tree
Group-based sharing for large investor lists
Watermarking to increase perceived security
Activity tracking foundation for future analytics
The result is a VDR designed for speed, simplicity, and trust, while giving Finalis a strong foundation to evolve the product as deal needs grow.
Future Direction
Analytics, Intelligence, and Automation
The next phase includes:
Investor activity dashboards
Heatmaps by document or page
Engagement scoring
Recommendations to improve materials
Deeper integration with the deal lifecycle (auto-populating the Prep-Room)
The new VDR sets the groundwork for this evolution without slowing down short-term delivery.