Investment-Focused Browser – Would this improve your workflow?

Hi everyone :wave:

I recently joined this group, so I’m not sure if this is the right place to share this, but I’d love your thoughts.

I’ve been an investor (not an active trader) for two years. While using Zerodha’s tools like Kite, Coin, Console, and also platforms like Smallcase, Varsity, etc., I often felt like the investor experience could be more streamlined, especially on desktop.

That got me thinking:

What if we had a Chromium-based browser — built specifically for investors — but that still works like a regular browser?


:bulb: Here’s the Concept:

Imagine a browser where every new tab is an investor dashboard, showing:

  • :bar_chart: Your Watchlist, Top Movers, NIFTY/SENSEX, Sector Performance
  • :bell: Economic calendar & market alerts (e.g., US Fed meetings, RBI policy)
  • :books: Passive learning cards from Varsity or Console
  • :gear: One-click access to Kite, Coin, Console, Sensibull, Smallcase, Quicko, etc.
  • :paperclip: Market News & Updates
  • :memo: Notes panel to jot down trade ideas or learnings
  • And of course, it’s still a normal browser — you can open Gmail, YouTube, ChatGPT, anything else

Here’s a screenshot of a sample new tab page I’ve been working on as a POC:

:thinking: Why I’m Sharing This:

This is a concept I’ve been exploring out of personal interest — more of a proof-of-concept than a product pitch.

As someone who invests regularly, I’ve often felt that our tools could be better aligned with how we research, track, and learn, especially on desktop. So I started prototyping an investor-focused browser experience to see if it might enhance that workflow.

Now I’m curious to hear from others:

  • Would a setup like this actually help streamline your investing process?
  • What would you want added, removed, or done differently?
  • Do you think this is a useful direction, or just unnecessary complexity?

Thanks so much for reading :pray:
I truly welcome any thoughts, suggestions, or even counterpoints — they’d really help refine the idea.

— Shilad

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I think it’s a great idea! However, a regular trader/investor often holds accounts with multiple brokers. Maybe we can explore an option to allow quick access to all those platforms too. I believe this could be done using some kind of template-based approach.

Also, to be honest, the ss you uploaded look really good. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to use that kind of template too!

May I know how you have done that ?

Hey Keshav,

Thanks a lot for the kind words — I really appreciate it!

Yes, you’re absolutely right — supporting multiple brokers with a flexible, template-based structure is something I’ve been thinking about too. It would be great for power users who use more than one platform.

Regarding the UI you mentioned — I’ve actually built this as part of a custom Chromium-based browser project. It’s still a POC, but you can check out a quick demo here:
:point_right: https://youtu.be/j_PZQdA_Y4E

Would love to hear your thoughts or ideas!

Thanks a lot for sharing the demo video, it looks interesting, but it will be better if you can update this as an add-on that can be added by anyone from the Chrome add-on page

Hey Keshav,

Thanks again — glad you found the demo interesting!

You’re absolutely right, a Chrome extension can be more accessible and easier to adopt. I actually considered that route initially, but many of the features I’ve built (like deep UI integration, custom navigation flow, and browser-level privacy controls) aren’t possible through a standard Chrome extension due to API limitations.

That’s why I went with a custom Chromium build — it gives full flexibility to reimagine the user experience for traders/investors.

That said, I’m exploring ways to bring some of the core features into an extension version too — will keep you posted if I manage to get something working in that direction!

Hey Keshav,

Just wanted to follow up — I’ve actually incorporated the exact idea you suggested about supporting multiple brokers with quick access dials! The new design now includes shortcuts to all major platforms like Zerodha, Groww, Upstox, Angel One, ICICI Direct, and more. Plus, users can add their own custom shortcuts too.

On top of that, I’ve added several new features:

  • A smart search bar with engine selector (Google, Screener.in, Google Finance)
  • An AI assistant section powered by Perplexity

Here’s the updated demo if you’d like to check it out:
:tv: https://youtu.be/sT1cAOHcnbc

Would love your thoughts on the latest version!

8 out of 10 investors wont use it due to privacy concerns. If you market it as an “investment browser”, investors and traders will suspect that you are collecting data and will not use it at all.

Hi Pinpong,

Thanks a lot for your honest feedback. I completely understand your concern, and I genuinely appreciate you pointing it out.

Privacy is extremely important, especially when it comes to anything related to investing. Honestly, I’m still fairly new to investing compared to many of the knowledgeable folks in this group. But inspired by the ideas and insights shared here, I decided to build something that combines investor productivity with a strong focus on security.

For a bit of background, I’ve worked for over 9 years as a Technical Lead with a privacy-centric browser company, so data protection and user trust have always been core principles in everything I build.

This custom browser project actually started off as a Zerodha-themed prototype, with shortcuts to their platforms like Kite, Console, Varsity, etc. But based on helpful feedback from another member here, I realized that most investors use multiple brokers — so I reworked it into a multi-broker new tab dashboard, and renamed it FinIndia to keep it neutral and inclusive.

Just to clarify — everything in the current build runs right inside the browser. Your shortcuts, watchlist, notes, and preferences are saved locally. There’s no backend, no tracking, and nothing ever leaves your device. It’s simply a personal proof-of-concept I created to explore how such an interface could work for active investors.

That said, I totally get that even with the best intentions, trust takes time, and especially in fintech, perception matters as much as technology.

Thanks again for your honest feedback — it’s exactly the kind of input that helps me refine both the concept and how it’s positioned. And if you (or anyone else here) have suggestions on improving the design or layout, I’d love to hear them.

Hi @Shilad_Kumar_Devaram I completely agree with your point. Privacy shouldn’t be an issue here since you’re not fetching any data from a broker via API and displaying it on the home dashboard. You’ve provided a clean, basic, and to-the-point dashboard that gives traders a quick sense of the market which is quite useful.

That said, I do have a few questions:

In the screenshot you’ve shared, on the middle-right side, there’s a section labeled with buttons like “View Portfolio”, “Option Chain”, etc.

  • When a user clicks one of these buttons, which broker’s platform will be opened?
  • Considering that many users have multiple accounts across different brokers, will there be an option to set a default broker?
  • If yes, how will this default selection and redirection mechanism work?

Hi Keshav,

Thanks for your valuable feedback and questions! I’m glad you find the dashboard useful and appreciate the clarity it offers.

Regarding your questions about the “Quick Actions” section:

When a user clicks on buttons like “Launch Trading Platform”, “View Portfolio”, “Market Research”, or “Options Chain”, they will be presented with a modal (a pop-up window) to select their preferred platform or tool.

Launch Trading Platform: As shown in “Screenshot”, clicking this will bring up a “Select Trading Platform” modal, allowing the user to choose between “Groww”, “Zerodha Kite”, and “Upstox” (and potentially more brokers if added).

View Portfolio: Similarly, “Screenshot” illustrates that clicking “View Portfolio” opens a “Select Portfolio to View” modal with options like “Groww Portfolio”, “Zerodha Kite Portfolio”, and “Upstox Portfolio”.

Market Research: For “Market Research”, “Screenshot” shows a “Select Market Research Tool” modal, offering choices such as “Screener.in”, “Trendlyne”, “Investing.com (India)”, “TradingView”, and “Economic Times Market”.

Options Chain: “Screenshot” demonstrates that clicking “Options Chain” will present a “Select Options Chain Source” modal with options like “NSE India Options Chain”, “Moneycontrol F&O”, and “Sensibull”.

Regarding setting a default broker/platform:

Yes, there absolutely will be an option to set a default! As you can see in all the “Select…” modals (e.g., "Screenshot), there’s a “Manage Preferences” link at the bottom.

How this default selection and redirection mechanism will work:

User Preference Storage: When a user clicks on “Manage Preferences” from any of these selection modals, they will be taken to a dedicated “Settings” page (as seen in “Screenshot”).

Settings Page: On this “Settings” page, under “Quick Actions Configuration”, users will be able to configure their preferred “Trading Platforms (Brokers)”, “Market Research Links”, and “Options Chain Links”.

Default Selection: We will implement input fields or dropdowns within these sections on the “Settings” page where users can specify their default choice for each category. For example, under “Trading Platforms (Brokers)”, they could set “Zerodha Kite” as their default.

Seamless Redirection: Once a default is set, the next time they click the corresponding Quick Action button (e.g., “Launch Trading Platform”), the system will bypass the selection modal and directly open the link for their pre-selected default broker/platform. If no default is set, the selection modal will continue to appear.

Adding New Links: The “Add New Broker”, “Add New Research Link”, and “Add New Options Link” buttons on the settings page will allow users to add additional platforms or tools beyond the pre-configured ones, further enhancing customization.

This approach ensures both flexibility for users with multiple accounts and efficiency for those who prefer a single default.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

Best,
Shilad

Hey @Shilad_Kumar_Devaram
Thanks for the clarification.
The quick action flow seems good. Excited to see what else can be added to this project.

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