DIGITAL PITCH
An automated fintech sales solutionLower.com, a FinTech mortgage lending startup, was losing potential borrowers to competitors during their sales process due to a dependence on direct sales engagement. After receiving preliminary borrower information, Lower.com would have sales associates call prospective borrowers, but low response rates were eliminating sales opportunities because prospective borrowers didn’t want to speak with sales associates prior to receiving a loan estimate. Lower.com needed a way to increase customer engagement earlier in the sales process without the need for a phone call.
DESIGN CHALLENGE Identify and design product opportunities to engage with borrowers earlier in the sales process.
PROJECT DURATION January 2024-February 2024
MY ROLE
UX researcher, product designer, project owner
Defining the consumer landscape
I developed user personas based on landscape interviews with 20 consumers who had purchased or refinanced a home in the prior two years. After collecting and analyzing interview responses, I used k-means clustering methods (machine learning) in Python to cluster consumers into similar groups based on their categorical responses to the interview questions. Personas outlined in blue are part of Lower.com’s target user base.
“
When you went online, everything was laid out for you: all your fees, all your costs, and it was probably the best in terms of pricing.
”
User interviews revealed that the top priorities for potential borrowers were
1. Financial clarity
2. Personalized assistance
3. Ease of application
Providing users with valuable loan information while they were already engaged with the platform would increase their engagement and enable them to have autonomy over their interactions with sales associates.
However, potential borrowers were twice as likely to convert once they had engaged in a sales conversation. Balancing the need for financial clarity and personalization with the ease of a digital experience, I designed the digital loan estimate to engage with customers before they spoke to a sales associate.
RESULTS
In the six weeks following the launch of Digital Pitch, contact rates increased by 14% and Digital Pitch users were nearly 2.5x more likely to convert to the disclosure phase.