ABOUT

Iwoca, a fintech lender focused on small businesses, had a clunky and unintuitive withdrawal process. It required customers to contact their account manager for assistance, which created delays, increased operational costs, and frustrated users who expected a seamless self-service experience.

A key challenge was that many business owners applied for loans, got approved, but never returned to their account pages to withdraw the funds. Others dropped off midway through the withdrawal process, deterred by unnecessary friction.

As Lead Product Designer, I was responsible for redesigning the withdrawal flow to be intuitive, fast, and frictionless, allowing users to withdraw funds independently. The goal was to reduce customer drop-offs, increase engagement, and free up account managers to focus on high-value interactions.

CHALLENGES

→  Manual intervention required – Customers frequently needed assistance from account managers to complete withdrawals.

→  High drop-off rates – The complicated flow discouraged users from completing withdrawals.

→  Lost engagement after loan approval – Many business owners never returned to the account page to withdraw their approved funds.

→  Lost engagement for loan top-ups – Customers were less likely to return for future loans or additional withdrawals due to the poor experience.

PROCESS

→  Customer Research & Usability Testing

• Conducted interviews with business owners to understand friction points.
• Analysed customer service tickets to pinpoint common withdrawal-related issues.

→  Redesigning the Withdrawal Flow

• Created a simple, self-explanatory interface, allowing customers to withdraw funds in fewer steps.
• Introduced clear guidance & inline error handling, removing ambiguity from the process.
• Ensured mobile-first optimisation, allowing business owners to access funds.

KEY OUTCOME & IMPACT

→  Account manager assistance dropped by 38% in the first month, freeing up support teams for higher-value tasks.

→  Drop-off rates decreased by 27%, as users found the process easier to complete.

→  Loan top-ups & repeat withdrawals increased by 22%, indicating higher customer satisfaction and retention.

→  Positive customer feedback, with users praising the simplicity and efficiency of the new process.

The redesign not only improved customer experience but also reduced operational costs by making the system more self-sufficient.

ORION 

I initiated and led the creation of Orion, iwoca’s design system, to bring consistency to our products’ user experience and visual design. Before Orion, the designs were fragmented, with each project following its own set of rules, which made it difficult to create a unified brand experience. By developing a shared set of elements—such as typography, colours, icons, and interaction patterns—I helped streamline the process for both designers and developers. I worked closely with our front-end developers to ensure Orion would be scalable and flexible enough to support the team’s needs as it grows.