Beyond the Forms - Redesigning Taptap Send’s User Onboarding

Imagine you’re a user eager to send some cash to a friend using the money transfer app you’ve just downloaded. But as you open the app, you’re met with a seemingly endless number of screens, each asking for information without ever explaining why and for what purpose.

On top of that, the crucial step of verifying your address feels like an afterthought, hidden behind an optional button. Not exactly the smooth and welcoming experience you were hoping for, right? That was the reality for many Taptap Send users. Our initial onboarding process was clunky, confusing, and ultimately led to a significant drop in user engagement.

We knew we had to hit the reset button and design an onboarding experience that was as user-friendly as it was secure. The vision we aimed to achieve when we embarked on the journey to redesign the onboarding experience for was of a user walking into a well-organized store where everything you need is easily accessible, and the staff is ready to assist you without any confusion.

The original onboarding flow, with its lengthy and disjointed process, was not only frustrating for users but also non-compliant with new regulatory requirements. It involved multiple screens overloaded with information and users often found themselves lost, unclear about the steps, and overwhelmed by the information being asked for without context. Lacking a clear narrative, the current flow didn’t effectively guide users through their onboarding journey.

Data analysis and user research showed a substantial portion of users were abandoning the app at critical steps, an indication of confusion and frustration during their onboarding journey.

As a financial app, a major component of the onboarding process was user address verification. Previously, users could skip this step and still send money up to a certain amount, a practice that left us vulnerable to potential security risks. However, changes in regulatory requirements meant skipping address verification was no longer an option, and this mandatory step became a major hurdle in the onboarding process.

The onboarding flow at Taptap Send was quite complex and lengthy, causing a lot of confusion and frustration for users. The disorganized information collection led to high drop-off rates and a noticeable fall in transactions and product growth. On top of that, the optional address verification contradicted new regulatory requirements, which posed serious legal risks.

To make matters worse, the sudden increase in manual address verification requests overwhelmed the customer service teams, resulting in backlogs and delays. These issues highlighted the urgent need for a more streamlined and efficient onboarding process that not only complied with regulations but also enhanced the user experience and fostered product growth.

To understand what made a great onboarding experience, we conducted a thorough competitive benchmarking exercise to discover the best practices in onboarding journeys across similar financial apps.

This competitive benchmarking exercise wasn’t just about identifying and copying features – it was about understanding user expectations within the fintech remittances space and delivering a user-friendly and secure onboarding journey.

This analysis helped us identify points of parity (common features across all apps), like signup information collection and verification steps. We also recognized opportunities for differentiation. For instance, while most apps included verification, none offered the option of location-based verification or OCR technology, which we planned to integrate into Taptap Send’s onboarding process.

Combining and permutating the benchmark elements alongside signup best practices helped us craft a unique onboarding experience for Taptap Send. The new process highlighted the value of a clear introduction, the importance of breaking down signup into manageable steps, and a user-centric approach to offering multiple verification methods.

The new onboarding flow was designed based on our research and the need to comply with the stricter regulations around user address verification. The input collection process was optimized, making information requests on each screen clearer and fit for purpose, and the order of screens rearranged to minimize cognitive load on users.

The overall design was created with the goal to be more efficient and compliant with regulatory requirements.

We ditched the blank opening screen and crafted a compelling introduction that highlighted the benefits of using Taptap Send. This set the stage for a positive first impression, focusing on 4 core principles – Clarity, Engagement, Security and Reach.

Onboarding screens were redesigned to make them more intuitive for users. Screen order was rearranged to create a more natural progression and logical flow of information collection, and where possible, merged. This helped to reduce cognitive load, making the process feel less overwhelming for users.

Onboarding instructions were rephrased and rewritten using friendly and easy-to-understand language. We focused on clear and concise communication, making the verbiage and tone of voice as user-friendly as possible.

Real-time feedback mechanisms were incorporated within the forms, alerting users to any errors or missing information as they entered it. This helped them understand mistakes they make, guide them in correcting these mistakes and avoid frustration. A smooth and error-free experience is key to a positive onboarding journey.

We added a progress bar to give users a sense of accomplishment as they completed each step of the onboarding process. This helped them stay motivated and on track, knowing exactly how much further they had to go.

To address the verification backlog and ensure compliance, we introduced two new modes for real-time address verification in addition to the manual process – Location verification using Google Maps and Optical Character Recognition to verify documents. Users had the option to choose their preferred method, effectively reducing the load on customer service teams and speeding up the onboarding process.

The customer service teams remained available for manual verification as a backup option. This gave users a sense of control and catered to different privacy preferences.

Users grant access to their location, which is then used to match the address they submitted.

Users can scan their documents, and the system automatically extracts and verifies the address information.

While the onboarding flow revamp addressed verification for new users, we recognized the need to encourage existing unverified users to complete the process, using the real-time verification options that did not require them contacting the already overworked customer service teams.

A prominent but non-intrusive banner was displayed on the app homepage, reminding them of the need for address verification and how to get started.

This multi-pronged approach – a streamlined onboarding flow for new users and a gentle nudge for existing users – helped us significantly increase the overall verification rate on the app, contributing to a more secure and compliant platform for everyone.

We launched the redesigned onboarding to a small segment of our users and based on the positive results progressively rolled out to 100% of our users. The results of the onboarding redesign were what we had hoped for. A most immediate indicator of the success was the reduction in number of new daily verification requests to the customer service teams.

A look into the data after the initial rollout showed a significant reduction in the drop-off rates during onboarding, especially at the address verification stage, an indication of a significant improvement in user experience. People were no longer getting lost in a maze of forms, and they appreciated the clear guidance and user-friendly approach.

While the overall redesign was a success, there were a few unexpected challenges we encountered.

Even though convenient and quick, some users were hesitant to grant us location permissions for verification. We addressed this by clearly explaining how and what we used their location data for, and steps taken to ensure their privacy is protected.

Consideration was made for edge cases including invalid or nonsensical addresses, spelling errors, ambiguous addresses or with multiple interpretations and addresses in formats unfamiliar to the system.

While OCR technology offered a great alternative to location verification, it wasn’t perfect. There were instances where blurry documents or unusual formatting caused errors. Users could also have phones with low quality cameras. We mitigated this by allowing users to manually edit any information captured incorrectly through OCR.

By focusing on user needs and implementing a data-driven, user-centric approach, we were able to transform Taptap Send’s onboarding journey from a frustrating hurdle into a smooth and welcoming experience. Following these principles enabled us create onboarding experiences that not only meet user needs but also set the stage for a long and successful user relationship with our app.

The key takeaways from this project were clear: prioritize user experience, empower users with choices, and constantly strive for clear and concise communication. Prioritizing these delivered significant increases in user engagement and satisfaction, and product growth.