Case Study
Case Study
Case Study
Faster Onboarding, Fewer Support Touchpoints
Faster Onboarding, Fewer Support Touchpoints
An Endless PDF and Painful Phone Calls
An Endless PDF and Painful Phone Calls
Before the redesign, merchants had to complete one long, confusing PDF doc on their own. Most couldn’t understand the questions without customer support walking them through every step. This created:
Long onboarding times
Frustrated merchants
Heavy reliance on support reps
Dependence on third-party tools like Infinicept for verification
What should have been a fast, self-serve onboarding experience, had become a barrier.
Before the redesign, merchants had to complete one long, confusing PDF doc on their own. Most couldn’t understand the questions without customer support walking them through every step. This created:
Long onboarding times
Frustrated merchants
Heavy reliance on support reps
Dependence on third-party tools like Infinicept for verification
What should have been a fast, self-serve onboarding experience, had become a barrier.
Snapshot
1 Senior Product Designer
1 Product Manager
6 Software Engineers
Challenge
Challenge
Merchants faced a long, confusing PDF and constant support calls.
Onboarding was slow, error-prone, and reliant on third-party tools.
Design Outcomes
Design Outcomes
Replaced PDF with a 5-step guided flow.
Added plain-language tooltips, progress indicators, and stacked fields for accessibility.
Enabled collaborative submissions (invite colleagues).
Built in flexible document handling and transparent confirmations.
Customer Outcomes
Customer Outcomes
Independent, faster onboarding with less frustration.
Clear context built trust and confidence.
Accessible, transparent, and collaborative experience.
Business Outcomes
Business Outcomes
80% successfully completing application on first pass
70% require no follow-up for KYC/KYB (Know Your Customer Know Your Business)
70% onboarded within 48 hours
Cleaner submissions reduced underwriting rework.
First in-house onboarding system, cutting third-party reliance
Financial Outcomes
Financial Outcomes
Lower support costs and faster merchant activation.
Improved time-to-revenue and compliance confidence.
Scalable system supporting growth without extra headcount.
Snapshot
1 Senior Product Designer
1 Product Manager
6 Software Engineers
Before 👎
Before 👎
Merchants faced a long, confusing PDF and relied on support to walk them through the application on the phone.
Merchants faced a long, confusing PDF and relied on support to walk them through the application on the phone.
After 👍
An easy to fill out, 5-step guided flow
Plain-language tooltips, progress indicators, stacked fields for accessibility
Enabled collaborative submissions to make completing the application even easier
Built in flexible document handling and transparent confirmations
After 👍
An easy to fill out, 5-step guided flow
Plain-language tooltips, progress indicators, stacked fields for accessibility
Enabled collaborative submissions to make completing the application even easier
Built in flexible document handling and transparent confirmations
Discovery: Listening Before Designing
Justin G.
Sales Development
Determines the customer fit
Melissa S.
Account Executive
Secures the sale
Isabella F.
Application Specialist
Obtains final sign off
Ashley T.
Underwriting
Evaluates the risk
To ground the work, I led extensive discovery:
Interviews & shadowing with account executives, sales support, underwriting, and other SMEs to uncover what information we truly needed from merchants, and why.
Documentation of underwriter workflows and their verification process, which helped us design the merchant-facing app while simultaneously mapping an internal operations portal.
This ensured the solution worked for both merchants and internal teams.
Discovery: Listening Before Designing
Justin G.
Sales Development
Determines the customer fit
Melissa S.
Account Executive
Secures the sale
Isabella F.
Application Specialist
Obtains final sign off
Ashley T.
Underwriting
Evaluates the risk
To ground the work, I led extensive discovery:
Interviews & shadowing with account executives, sales support, underwriting, and other SMEs to uncover what information we truly needed from merchants, and why.
Documentation of underwriter workflows and their verification process, which helped us design the merchant-facing app while simultaneously mapping an internal operations portal.
This ensured the solution worked for both merchants and internal teams.
My Role: Designing the End-to-End Application
My Role: Designing the End-to-End Application
As the lead product designer, I owned the entire flow, from the initial invitation email through application submission and confirmation.
My goal: build our first independent internal onboarding platform that merchants could complete with confidence, without needing to lean on support.
As the lead product designer, I owned the entire flow, from the initial invitation email through application submission and confirmation.
My goal: build our first independent internal onboarding platform that merchants could complete with confidence, without needing to lean on support.
As the lead product designer, I owned the entire flow, from the initial invitation email through application submission and confirmation.
My goal: build our first independent internal onboarding platform that merchants could complete with confidence, without needing to lean on support.
Breaking Down Complexity Into Clarity
Breaking Down Complexity Into Clarity
Instead of overwhelming merchants with an endless form, I designed a 5-section guided process. Each section was short, categorized, and easy to follow, allowing merchants to complete the application in logical, digestible steps.
Instead of overwhelming merchants with an endless form, I designed a 5-section guided process. Each section was short, categorized, and easy to follow, allowing merchants to complete the application in logical, digestible steps.
Humanizing the Experience with Transparency
Humanizing the Experience with Transparency
We introduced plain-language tooltips and blurbs above fields (e.g., defining jargon like “NAICS code”) and explaining why we needed specific business details (e.g., Patriot Act fraud prevention). Merchants finally had context, not just fields.
We introduced plain-language tooltips and blurbs above fields (e.g., defining jargon like “NAICS code”) and explaining why we needed specific business details (e.g., Patriot Act fraud prevention). Merchants finally had context, not just fields.
Collaboration, Not Isolation
Collaboration, Not Isolation
Onboarding often requires multiple people. We added the ability for merchants to invite decision makers, like legal or finance colleagues, to upload required documents. This transformed onboarding into a collaborative process, cutting down delays.
Onboarding often requires multiple people. We added the ability for merchants to invite decision makers, like legal or finance colleagues, to upload required documents. This transformed onboarding into a collaborative process, cutting down delays.
Setting Expectations, Building Trust
Setting Expectations, Building Trust
Submission no longer ended in a black box. Merchants received:
Email confirmation
A clear view of next steps
Transparency that underwriting may take 12–24 hours
For the first time, merchants knew what to expect, reducing frustration and support calls.
Submission no longer ended in a black box. Merchants received:
Email confirmation
A clear view of next steps
Transparency that underwriting may take 12–24 hours
For the first time, merchants knew what to expect, reducing frustration and support calls.
Validation: Testing Early, Testing Often
Validation: Testing Early, Testing Often
We ran usability testing across two dimensions:
External merchants (5 ICP testers via Usertesting.com): validated flow clarity, ease of use, and information transparency. This testing happened both during ideation and after the first design flow.
Criteria included: working in the finance or accounting department, reviews and reconciles incoming payments, works in a company with over 500 employees.
Justin G.
Sales Development
Determines the customer fit
Melissa S.
Account Executive
Secures the sale
Isabella F.
Application Specialist
Obtains final sign off
Ashley T.
Underwriting
Evaluates the risk
Internal stakeholders: executives, underwriting, and support teams walked through prototypes to ensure internal requirements were met.
This iterative testing cycle helped us identify issues early and quickly refine the design with perspectives across all types of users.
We ran usability testing across two dimensions:
External merchants (5 ICP testers via Usertesting.com): validated flow clarity, ease of use, and information transparency. This testing happened both during ideation and after the first design flow.
Criteria included: working in the finance or accounting department, reviews and reconciles incoming payments, works in a company with over 500 employees.
Justin G.
Sales Development
Determines the customer fit
Melissa S.
Account Executive
Secures the sale
Isabella F.
Application Specialist
Obtains final sign off
Ashley T.
Underwriting
Evaluates the risk
User Tester 1
Job Function: Operations
User Tester 2
Job Function: Accounting
User Tester 3
Job Function: Operations
User Tester 4
Job Function: IT
User Tester 5
Job Function: Operations
User Tester 1
Job Function: Operations
User Tester 2
Job Function: Accounting
User Tester 3
Job Function: Operations
User Tester 4
Job Function: IT
User Tester 5
Job Function: Operations
Internal stakeholders: executives, underwriting, and support teams walked through prototypes to ensure internal requirements were met.
This iterative testing cycle helped us identify issues early and quickly refine the design with perspectives across all types of users.
Justin G.
Sales Development
Determines the customer fit
Melissa S.
Account Executive
Secures the sale
Isabella F.
Application Specialist
Obtains final sign off
Ashley T.
Underwriting
Evaluates the risk
Building in the Open
Building in the Open
I worked hand-in-hand with engineering:
Raised questions and obstacles in daily standups, and collaborated on phasing work in backlog grooming and sprints.
Shared designs during company-wide engineering demos, creating visibility across the org and surfacing input from subject matter experts who hadn’t been directly involved.
By socializing the work, we avoided surprises and built organizational buy-in.
I worked hand-in-hand with engineering:
Raised questions and obstacles in daily standups, and collaborated on phasing work in backlog grooming and sprints.
Shared designs during company-wide engineering demos, creating visibility across the org and surfacing input from subject matter experts who hadn’t been directly involved.
By socializing the work, we avoided surprises and built organizational buy-in.
Flexible Document Handling
Flexible Document Handling
If merchants couldn’t upload certain documents right away, the new platform allowed alternate proof of business accounts. No more dead ends, just flexibility and forward motion.
If merchants couldn’t upload certain documents right away, the new platform allowed alternate proof of business accounts. No more dead ends, just flexibility and forward motion.
The Results: Faster, Easier, More Confident Onboarding
The Results: Faster, Easier, More Confident Onboarding
By transforming a confusing PDF process into a guided, collaborative platform, we created:
A self-serve application merchants could complete independently
Reduced support load through fewer guidance calls
Faster turnaround times for underwriting approvals
Greater merchant trust and confidence in the process
This was the company’s first independent internal onboarding system, setting the stage for scalable, merchant-friendly growth.
By transforming a confusing PDF process into a guided, collaborative platform, we created:
A self-serve application merchants could complete independently
Reduced support load through fewer guidance calls
Faster turnaround times for underwriting approvals
Greater merchant trust and confidence in the process
This was the company’s first independent internal onboarding system, setting the stage for scalable, merchant-friendly growth.
Reflection
Reflection
This project highlighted the value of balancing business needs, compliance constraints, and user empathy. Even without modern conveniences like one-line address search, we delivered a frictionless experience by leaning on clarity, accessibility, and transparency.
Iterative testing across merchants and internal teams proved essential, not only to validate usability but also to build organizational trust in design-led problem solving. Most importantly, the measurable 34% reduction in support calls reinforced that thoughtful design directly impacts operational efficiency.
This project highlighted the value of balancing business needs, compliance constraints, and user empathy. Even without modern conveniences like one-line address search, we delivered a frictionless experience by leaning on clarity, accessibility, and transparency. We also intentionally considered deeper analytics: tracking where merchants still drop off, using data to guide iterative refinements.
Iterative testing across merchants and internal teams proved essential, not only to validate usability but also to build organizational trust in design-led problem solving. Most importantly, the measurable 34% reduction in support calls reinforced that thoughtful design directly impacts operational efficiency.
Next Steps
Next Steps
If continued, I’d explore a few more ideas:
Mobile-first workflows - optimizing onboarding for smaller screens, where many merchants first engage.
AI-assisted guidance - predictive help for required documents or auto-filling repetitive business info.
Global expansion - adapting flows for international compliance and different document standards.
Auto-fill most of your application - connecting your account with another financial partner (visual below).
If continued, I’d explore a few more ideas:
Mobile-first workflows - optimizing onboarding for smaller screens, where many merchants first engage.
AI-assisted guidance - predictive help for required documents or auto-filling repetitive business info.
Global expansion - adapting flows for international compliance and different document standards.
Auto-fill most of your application - connecting your account with another financial partner (visual below).
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