Work with me
← All case studies

Fintech · Payments · KYC

CrossBorda

The account first. The paperwork after.

Role
User Experience Specialist
At
VigiPay, its own product
Scope
Sign-up, activation, transfers
Status
Designed and handed over
CrossBorda dashboard straight after sign-up, with an Account Activation Required banner
From 10 to 2
Steps before a business account existed, then and now
From 5 to 2
Steps before a personal account existed, then and now
2–3min
From sign-up to the dashboard in usability testingObserved

The problem

Every check came before the account.

Business and personal sign-up both asked for everything up front: identity, BVN, a selfie, addresses, a utility bill, a transaction PIN. Nobody could see the product until all of it was done. People only found out what they needed partway through, so each new request caught them by surprise.

Before and now

The account now comes at step two.

Account type

Both account types changed the same way. Switch to compare each one.

Before10 steps, then the account

  11. Account

Now2 steps, then the account

  3. Account
  4. Activation, later, from the dashboard: business details, documents, service agreement

Each tile is one step. The account appears at the dark tile. Open any step to see it full size.

Before: Old business sign-up: email, phone and password, step 1 of 3
Now: New business sign-up: business email, phone, name, registration type, CAC number and password
The first screen. Before: email, phone and a password, marked step 1 of 3, with ten steps behind it. Now: the business facts up front, so the account can be created straight away.
Old Welcome Onboard message at the end of the business sign-up
Before: where sign-up endedAfter ten steps, a welcome message, and a limit of ₦50,000 per transaction until the business upgraded.
New dashboard with an Account Activation Required banner and an Activate account button
Now: where sign-up endsInside the product after two steps. Activation waits on the dashboard, behind one clear button.

What I chose

Create the account first. Ask for verification once people are inside the product.

Instead of

Every identity, address and document check before the account existed.

Why

People had to finish all the documentation before they could see anything, and the requirements surprised them as they went. Inside the product, each check has a reason and arrives when they expect it.

Transfers

Sending money, checked as you go.

The recipient's account number is verified as it's typed, the transfer is reviewed before it goes, the PIN comes last, and errors show at the step that caused them.

  1. Account numberTyped in
  2. Name confirmedChecked as you type
  3. AmountAnd a note
  4. ReviewName, bank, amount
  5. Enter PINJust before it sends
  6. SentConfirmation

When something's wrong, the message appears at the field or step that caused it, so people fix it there instead of starting again.

RedrawnDrawn again from my description. The original screens are lost, so this isn't shipped UI.

What changed

Observed · Usability testing

About 2–3 minutes from sign-up to the dashboard.

That's what I saw in usability testing of the new flow with 40 people, 20 in-house and 20 external. I left VigiPay before CrossBorda launched, so there are no live numbers.

Next case studyGidaly