Personal loan applicants faced a fragmented, phone-dependent experience that dropped users at critical steps and forced borrowers to call branches for basic account management. Regional Finance needed to digitize their end-to-end loan process to reduce operational burden on branch staff while improving borrower trust and self-service success.

I led the customer portal redesign across mobile and web, from discovery through handoff. Creating a unified platform that reduced support calls by 60% within the first month and enabled borrowers to complete renewals without branch assistance.

Client was lacked a technology partner to help them with digital transformation of the business. They wanted loan process to be easy to understand, straightforward, and accessible to those who may have had difficulty borrowing in the past.

Before the redesign, loan applicants faced a fragmented experience:

• The application process required switching between platforms mid-flow, causing a high drop-off at the document upload step
• Loan terms were buried in legal language with no visual summary, leading to repeated support calls
• Existing customers had no self-service portal, every account query required a phone call
• The mobile experience was an afterthought, despite large of the target audience being mobile-primary

These issues weren't just UX problems; they were directly impacting conversion rates and customer trust.

Client was lacked a technology partner to help them with digital transformation of the business. They wanted loan process to be easy to understand, straightforward, and accessible to those who may have had difficulty borrowing in the past.

Through interviews with loan applicants and analysis of drop-off data, three insights shaped the redesign:

• Applicants abandoned when they couldn’t see progress. Most drop-offs happened between steps 3 and 4, where there was no indication of how many steps remained. → This led us to design a persistent progress tracker with estimated time remaining.
• Loan terms felt opaque. Users reported feeling ‘tricked’ by fine print they didn’t understand. → We introduced a plain-language loan summary card that surfaced APR, monthly payment, and total cost upfront before any commitment.
• Mobile users needed a different flow, not a smaller screen. On mobile, users attempted the process in short bursts (2–3 minutes), not long sessions. → We designed a save-and-resume flow with push notification reminders.

• Gathered insights from existing customer data and direct interviews that exposed pain points in previous loan application steps.
• Identified user priorities such as transparency about loan terms, progress visibility, and immediate feedback on qualification status.
• These findings directly shaped the design of the Prequalify Now flow’s modular and informative structure.

We redesigned the loan origination process to eliminate platform switching and provide clear progress indicators at every step.

• Pre-qualification flow showing loan terms before personal data submission
  
• In-app document upload replacing the external portal transition
  
• Progress tracker with 5 clear stages: Qualify → Apply → Documents → Review → Complete
• Auto-save functionality allowing multi-session completion
  

A redesign customer portal will improve the borrower's perception of the brand and will enable them to be more successful in self-service efforts related to managing their account.

The key approach was to focus on a mobile first approach for both the loan process and the new customer portal app.

Before users committed to the application, we surfaced a breakdown of true loan costs in plain language.

• Monthly payment amount (largest, most prominent)
  
• APR percentage (not buried in legal text)
  
• Total loan cost over the full term
  
• Comparison to requested amount (transparency about fees)
  

A redesign customer portal will improve the borrower's perception of the brand and will enable them to be more successful in self-service efforts related to managing their account.

The key approach was to focus on a mobile first approach for both the loan process and the new customer portal app.

We created a mobile-first portal where borrowers could manage their accounts without calling branches.

• Real-time loan balance and payment status
  
• One-tap payment scheduling (next due date, custom date, or payoff)
  
• Payment method management (save bank details, switch methods)
  
• AutoPay enrollment with full control and transparency
  
• Loan renewal eligibility and instant renewal flow
  

A redesign customer portal will improve the borrower's perception of the brand and will enable them to be more successful in self-service efforts related to managing their account.

The key approach was to focus on a mobile first approach for both the loan process and the new customer portal app.

The redesigned customer portal launched in Q3 2022 with phased rollout across Regional Finance's borrower base. Operations teams reported a measurable reduction in phone-based account inquiries. The lending team adopted the new pre-qualification flow as their primary sales tool, replacing manual PDF-based processes. Borrowers began using loan renewal features, creating an upsell channel that didn't exist before. The design system established a foundation for future product iterations. The technical modernization (updated APIs, modern framework, enhanced security) created a scalable foundation for Regional Finance's digital growth strategy.

• Launched a cohesive digital platform that harmonizes mobile and web experiences, increasing brand trust.
• Achieved measurable improvements in application completion rates and user engagement with the new loan flow.
• Received positive feedback on the intuitive interface and clarity of information presentation.
• Streamlined future iteration cycles via the established design system and documentation.