Role
Product Designer
02Product Design
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.
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
01
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
01 — 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
02 — 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
03 — 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.
Interested in working together?