Reducing Onboarding Drop-off in Saku Kredit

Post-launch testing showed high onboarding drop-offs. While all required inputs were necessary for compliance, users perceived the process as too long and overwhelming, revealing an experience design problem rather than a content problem.

Role

Product Designer

Scope

Full redesign

Platform

Mobile

Timeline

3 months

Background

Saku Kredit is a lending feature designed for users from diverse backgrounds, including housewives and informal entrepreneurs.

During post-launch usability testing and blueprint audits, we identified a consistent issue: users were dropping off early in the onboarding process, despite all required inputs being necessary for compliance.

One user explicitly stopped mid-way and described the form as "too long and overwhelming."

This revealed a critical insight: the problem was not what we asked, but how the experience was presented.

Problem Statement

We observed a significant drop-off during early onboarding steps, especially around the business address section.

Users perceived the form as long before completing it
Repetitive fields increased hesitation

How Might We

How might we reduce perceived effort in onboarding while maintaining compliance requirements?

Goals

Increase onboarding form completion rate
Reduce early drop-offs

Design Strategy

Instead of reducing the number of fields, I focused on reducing perceived complexity, the primary driver of user drop-off.

I explored two approaches:

Reducing the number of inputs
Reducing perceived complexity (restructuring presentation without removing required fields)

I chose to focus on perceived complexity. Compliance requirements limited how many fields could realistically be removed, and usability testing showed that user frustration stemmed from how the form was presented, not what was being asked. Cutting fields would have created legal risk without solving the actual problem.

We prioritized perception over reduction, recognizing that users abandon flows not because of length alone, but because of how heavy the experience feels.

Solution

1. Learning from Competitors

To understand how leading fintech products reduce onboarding friction, I reviewed flows from digital banks and lending platforms. Common patterns observed:

Step-based flows to break complexity into smaller tasks
Progress indicators to set expectations and reduce uncertainty
Contextual guidance to support users at decision-heavy steps

2. Simplifying Structure & Reducing Cognitive Load

Solution approach:

Restructured the form into a multi-step flow using progressive disclosure, allowing users to focus on one task at a time
Introduced a progress indicator to set clear expectations and reduce anxiety around form length
Conducted a UX content audit to remove, merge, and simplify redundant fields
Simplified field labels and microcopy using familiar, everyday language
Added contextual helper text, especially in the business address section, to clarify what information was needed and why

3. Validate & Iterate

I conducted usability testing to evaluate clarity, perceived effort, and completion behavior with the redesigned flow. Finding:

Perceived length improved significantly: Participants understood the flow would take only ~2 steps to complete; no one described the form as "too long", a recurring issue in the original flow
High clarity, low friction in core steps: All participants were able to understand and complete the form without confusion, with no hesitation observed in personal/contact information sections

Iteration

Based on these finding, I refined:

Step grouping to better match user mental models
Information hierarchy to improve clarity

Final Outcome

The final solution transformed a dense, overwhelming form into a structured, guided onboarding experience:

Redesigned into a step-based flow to make the process feel shorter and more manageable
Introduced a progress indicator to set clear expectations and reduce user anxiety
Improved visual hierarchy and spacing to reduce cognitive load
Simplified address input with contextual guidance to minimize confusion
Streamlined questions and microcopy for clarity without compromising required data

Impact & Result

Onboarding completion rate: 12% increase
Qualitative confidence: No usability testing participants described the redesigned flow as "too long," compared to explicit complaints of this kind in the original flow

These results support the hypothesis that reducing perceived complexity had a stronger impact than reducing the number of inputs, though production data should be tracked to confirm this at scale.

Reflection

What i learned:

Designing for perception can be more impactful than reducing functionality
Progressive disclosure is highly effective in reducing cognitive load in complex flows
Clear UX writing and contextual guidance significantly improve user confidence
Strong UX decisions must balance user needs with business and compliance constraints

This project reinforced the importance of thinking beyond interface design, focusing instead on how users experience effort, clarity, and confidence throughout the journey.

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