Designing a Seamless Digital Lending Experience

In this case study, I detail the process of independently designing a comprehensive software solution for a modern digital lending platform. From user research and wireframing to prototyping and usability testing, I focused on creating an intuitive, efficient, and accessible experience for borrowers.

Project: End-to-End UX Design for Small Business Lending
Role: Lead UX Designer
Team: 15 people (Product, Engineering, Legal, QA, Marketing, C-Suite)
Duration: MVP approximately 6 months, continuous iterations from 2022 -2025
Platform: White-label SaaS lending platform
Goal: Improve the small business lending experience from pre-qualification to renewal, increasing loan application submissions

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Small businesses often face confusing, fragmented lending processes. Our goal was to simplify and humanize the experience—while building for a white-label product that had to work seamlessly for multiple partner brands.

By addressing pain points in the lending process, I aimed to enhance user satisfaction, streamline loan applications, and foster trust. The project reflects my approach to end-to-end UX design, balancing both functionality and user-centered design principles to optimize the borrowing experience.

KEY CONSTRAINTS

• Design had to be flexible and brand-agnostic (white-label compatible)

• Legal and compliance requirements shaped certain flows and content

• The experience had to support diverse borrower types with varying tech literacy

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY

We began with a dual-pronged research approach:

• Internal usability testing with stakeholders and customer success teams helped us surface technical limitations and edge cases early.

• External testing with actual small business owners using our product revealed key pain points:

  • Confusion during the application process

  • Uncertainty about loan status and repayment terms

  • Frustration with repetitive data entry

We mapped the full borrower journey, identifying moments of friction and opportunity at each stage.

STRATEGY

To guide design decisions, we defined two user archetypes (eg, first-time borrower and returning customer) and designed the experience to be intuitive, scalable, and brand-neutral.

We broke the experience into four key stages:

1. Pre-Qualification:
   Designed a friendly, minimal friction entry point using progressive disclosure and clear eligibility messaging. I also helped designed white-labeled emails for customer nurturing campaigns.

2. Application:
   Focused on reducing cognitive load—integrated Prove pre-fill, grouped related questions, explained jargon with tooltips, and added autosave features.

3. Repayment:
   Designed a dashboard with clear payment schedules, visual progress indicators, and proactive alerts to keep borrowers informed and in control.

4. Renewal:
   Built a frictionless renewal experience, using predictive logic to pre-fill known data and streamline re-qualification for eligible users.

OUTCOMES

• Loan application volume increased significantly post-launch (exact % redacted for confidentiality).

• Streamlined application flow reduced abandonment rate in key stages.

• Legal and marketing stakeholders approved a reusable, brand-flexible design system that adhered to state by state regulations.

RENEWAL

LEARNINGS

• Designing for white-label use cases requires obsessive attention to detail and minimalist designs. Every component needed to flex between partners without breaking user interface consistency or UX logic.

• Early cross-functional alignment is a multiplier. Including engineer leads, legal, and QA in early design reviews reduced rework and delays later.

METRICS

From the moment we launched lending to our Partners, we’ve reached over $1M+ in monthly originations. We also noticed a 18% decrease in application drop-off rates within 3 months post launch. In the past three years, our lending product as well as our other financial products allowed Jaris to grow its list of partners with an additional 8 Processing Partners and 2 banks.