Revamping the Balance Transfer Experience
I led the redesign of the end-to-end balance transfer experience. I collaborated closely with PMs, developers, and compliance teams to identify pain points, create user flows, and deliver a mobile-first design aligned with Wells Fargo’s design system.
Role
Lead Product Designer
Impact
Increased completion rate (Eligible starters)
Reduced confusion
Strengthen user trust
Team
1 Lead Product Designer (Me)
1 Content Designer
1 Product Manager
1 Design Program Manager
Dev team & Legal team
Company
Wells Fargo
Tools
Figma, Word, and Jira
Timeline
Oct 2022 – Jan 2023
Context
At Wells Fargo, I worked on improving the Balance Transfer flow a feature that allows both new and existing cardholders to move their credit card balances to Wells Fargo. This service helps customers consolidate debt, lower interest rates, and achieve greater financial stability. While the product fulfilled its functional requirements, adoption and completion rates remained low. This wasn’t a technical failure. It was a critical UX issue leading directly to lost business value.
User flow
To understand why users were dropping off, I started by mapping the entire user journey from the moment they opened the Wells Fargo app, to discovering the Balance Transfer option, and finally attempting to submit their application.
Problem space 1.
Cognitive Overload and Drop-off
the existing experience was incredibly content-heavy and visually overwhelming. Due to the high density of financial jargon and legal disclosures presented on a single screen, users experienced significant cognitive overload. This forced them to second-guess their decisions, leading to a high rate of drop-off.
Problem space 2.
Loss of Control & Navigation Friction
Users felt trapped. They frequently told us they had no clear way to go back and correct information mid-process without losing all their input. This frustration often led them to hit the ‘Cancel’ button and abandon the entire flow, demonstrating a clear loss of user control.
Problem space 3.
Platform Discrepancy & Maintainability
from a platform perspective, the interface was reliant on an outdated design system. This necessitated a complete reskin to align with modern Wells Fargo standards, ensuring long-term maintainability and brand consistency.
Approach
Based on these critical pain points, we formulated a clear hypothesis: we could drastically improve completion rates by focusing on Clarity, Control, and Guided Progression.
Exploration & Iterations
Early sketches and wireframes
This exploration led me to the most effective solution:
the multi-step guided flow, which directly addressed the problems of cognitive overload and navigation friction.
Introduce a Guided Flow
Reduced the cognitive load by ensuring users only focus on one task at a time, efficiently guiding them to completion. We gave the control back to the user. We implemented streamlined navigation that clearly indicates the user’s location and allows them to easily move back and forth without the fear of losing their entered data.
Simplify the Language
Partnered closely with my Content Designer to replace the high-friction, heavy financial terms with clear, user-friendly language. Instead of overwhelming users, we broke down complex concepts into digestible, conversational explanations to build trust.” We strategically placed concise explanations and tooltips next to sensitive fields, making the process feel less like a legal form and more like a helpful conversation.
Enhancing Consistency and Accessibility
Rebuilt the interface using the latest Wells Fargo design system to ensure maintainability, scalability, and brand consistency across platforms. By updating to accessible color tokens and establishing clear visual hierarchy, the interface became both modern and inclusive, enhancing usability for all users.
Final Design
By simplifying language, decluttering content, and significantly improving navigation, the flow shifted from a stressful and confusing task into a guided transparent process.
Entry point
Select Offer & Transfer Type
Enter Transfer Amount
Confirmation
