End-to-end redesign of the global client onboarding experience for Wallester fintech platform. The previous onboarding flow was complex, confusing and compliance-heavy. The goal was to simplify the process, improve usability, and reduce drop-offs, while creating scalable design patterns that work across web and mobile.

Sector
Fintech, B2B/B2C

Project team
PM, Engineers, QA

Role
Lead product designer

Timeline
Dec 2025 - Feb 2026

The problem

Onboarding process was complex, compliance-heavy, and intimidating. It contained long AML and compliance forms, dense text, and no progress visibility.

Drop-off rate during onboarding was approximately 42% — particularly during AML-related steps.

Additionally:

  • If users left mid-process, progress wasn’t saved.

  • Support received frequent tickets related to confusion and document submission.

  • Users described onboarding as ‘stressful’ and ‘bureaucratic.

Research & Insights

We conducted:

  • Funnel analysis to identify exact drop-off points

  • User interviews with users who abandoned onboarding

  • Sessions with compliance & AML teams to understand regulatory constraints

  • Benchmarking against modern fintech onboarding experiences

Takeaways:

  • Users felt overwhelmed by large blocks of compliance questions.

  • The language felt legal and intimidating.

  • Lack of progress saving reduced motivation.

  • No sense of progress or accomplishment.

  • Users needed guidance, not interrogation.

Strategy and key improvements

We reframed onboarding from “form filling” to “guided setup.”

Step-by-step guided flow

We introduced a clear step structure with visible progress indicators.
Users always knew where they were and what remained.

Progress became measurable and encouraging.

Flexible completion & final confirmation

Users can safely leave the process and return at any time without losing progress.

Before final activation, we introduced a clear “one last step” review screen, allowing users to confidently review and sign the agreement before gaining full access.

Psychological engagement

Without gamifying the process, we made it feel lighter:

  • Micro-confirmations after completed steps

  • Smaller grouped sections to reduce perceived effort

  • Clear progression markers to build momentum

The experience shifted from “heavy form” to “guided completion.”

Structured AML & compliance questions

Instead of long open text fields:

  • Complex inputs were converted into structured selections

  • Related questions were grouped logically

  • Plain language explanations replaced legal-heavy copy

  • Contextual tooltips clarified why specific data was required

Compliance remained intact but the experience became clearer.

After implementation:

  • Onboarding completion rate increased from 58% to 76%

  • Drop-offs during AML steps reduced by ~35%

  • Support tickets related to onboarding dropped by 28%

  • Time-to-complete onboarding reduced by 22%

Most importantly that in follow-up interviews, users reported:

  • Higher trust in the product

  • Better understanding of why compliance data was required

  • Feeling more confident completing the process

Trust is everything in fintech — and this was a major shift.

Results

Scalability Impact

Beyond user experience, this redesign improved system scalability.

Previously, adding new compliance requirements required heavy redesign work.

With the new modular structure:

  • Compliance fields can be added without restructuring flows

  • Conditional logic supports dynamic step branching

  • Components are reusable across products

  • Localization became simpler and more predictable

The solution improved not only conversion — but long-term adaptability.

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