Redefining digital loan applications for speed, trust, and accessibility
Client
Tesco Bank / Tesco
Role
Design Lead
Services
UI Design / Research & Insights / Prototyping
I led the end-to-end redesign of Tesco Bank’s loan application journey, creating a modern, scalable, and customer-first experience that set new design standards for the organisation. The process began with usability testing of the MVP “happy path” to identify friction points, followed by a complete re-architecture of the flow using enhanced question sets informed by previous work on Clubcard Pay+. I produced a fully responsive HTML prototype for both desktop and mobile, introducing features such as save & retrieve to give customers flexibility and reduce abandonment.
The outcome was Tesco Bank’s most significant upgrade to an application journey in years. Early results showed measurable improvements: application completion increased from 67% to 69% overall, with existing customers reaching 71%+, pre-submit errors dropped by 3%, and 77% of new-to-bank customers successfully set up Online Banking during the journey. These results not only improved conversion but also strengthened customer confidence and reduced demand on call centres.
This release laid the foundation for future banking product journeys, moving Tesco Bank closer to its vision of consistency and accessibility across all digital applications.
Tesco shoppers wanted a simpler, faster way to apply for a loan and use it immediately on acceptance, helping them better manage their money every day. Our goal was to redesign the loans onboarding journey into a modern, scalable experience that built customer trust, reduced drop-offs, and aligned with Tesco’s wider digital transformation.
We set out to:
Define a plug-and-play solution leveraging new capabilities (anti-impersonation, income verification, etc.).
Maximise reuse of data and components across journeys.
Dynamically personalise the application using Tesco’s existing customer information.
Deliver a consistent experience in design, tone, and process.
Increase accessibility and conversion, while minimising declines, referrals, and errors.
Anticipate emerging customer needs to shape Tesco’s future banking journeys.
Existing application journey was fragmented, with inconsistent UI patterns and copy.
High levels of drop-offs during the application process.
Limited reuse of customer data, resulting in repetitive questions and longer journeys.
Accessibility gaps that excluded certain customer groups.
Customers lacked the ability to pause and return, causing friction in multi-step applications.
Our objectives for the Loans Next-gen Onboarding journey were built around four core pillars, each combining multiple initiatives from the programme:
Streamline and Simplify the Application Experience
Redesign the end-to-end application flow to reduce friction and drop-offs.
Provide clear, consistent guidance and support throughout the journey.
Introduce save & retrieve functionality so customers can pause and return later.
Enhance additional borrowing and alternative loan experiences to make repeat use effortless.
Strengthen Trust, Security & Compliance
Enhance anti-impersonation and fraud prevention capabilities.
Strengthen KYC checks while keeping the process smooth for customers.
Improve the digital signature process for credit agreements, ensuring security and ease of use.
Personalise & Leverage Data for Better Decisions
Maximise reuse of existing Tesco and customer data to reduce redundant questions.
Dynamically tailor the application journey to each customer profile.
Support new data sources to improve decisioning and eligibility checks.
Create a Consistent, Scalable Ecosystem
Align the loans experience with Tesco’s wider digital banking journeys.
Ensure consistency in design, tone of voice, and customer communication.
Keep customers proactively informed at every stage of their application.
Build a design foundation that supports long-term scalability and future product releases.
Analysed current application data to identify key drop-off points.
Reviewed competitor journeys and industry best practices in digital lending.
Carried out usability testing on the MVP happy path journey, gathering insights on pain points, clarity, and ease of use.
Iterated the application flow based on insights, simplifying navigation and language.
Introduced a new set of enhanced question sets, informed by learnings from the Clubcard Pay+ project, ensuring consistency across products.
Prioritised accessibility and inclusivity in both content and interaction design.
Built a full responsive prototype in HTML, optimised for both desktop and mobile.
Enabled stakeholders and developers to interact with a high-fidelity, realistic prototype, reducing ambiguity and improving alignment across teams.
Save & Retrieve Capability: Allowed customers to pause their application and return later, directly addressing one of the biggest pain points in the legacy journey.
Personalisation: Leveraged Tesco’s existing customer data to dynamically tailor the application, reducing redundant questions.
Consistency: Unified copy, branding, and interaction patterns across Tesco’s wider digital ecosystem.
Conducted further internal testing and validation sessions with stakeholders and colleagues.
Iteratively refined UI and flow based on customer insights and technical feasibility.
The final design brought together strategic enhancements and customer-first improvements into a cohesive, end-to-end digital experience. Key elements included:
Unified Front-End Experience: A complete redesign of the interface, copy, and branding to ensure consistency with other Tesco Bank digital journeys.
Seamless Customer Flow: Streamlined eligibility and application steps, reducing friction and making it easier for both new and existing customers to complete applications.
Save & Retrieve Capability: Customers can now pause their application and return at a more convenient time, reducing drop-offs.
Mandated Login for Recognised Customers: A secure, simplified path for returning customers, with instant access to personalised details.
Digital Signature Integration: Introduced in-journey Online Banking setup for customers signing credit agreements digitally.
Error-Resilient Design: Improved error handling and feedback, minimising customer frustration and ensuring higher completion rates.
Scalable Architecture: Full migration to Tesco’s strategic platform, laying the groundwork for future product innovation across loans and other banking products.
This implementation not only delivered immediate improvements to the customer journey but also set a scalable foundation for ongoing optimisation, enabling Tesco Bank to respond rapidly to evolving customer needs and regulatory requirements.
On 26/04/2022 we launched the new Loans Online Application MVP, the first release in our roadmap to modernise all Tesco Bank application journeys.
Key achievements included:
A new strategic front-end design aligned with other DST journeys.
A fully rebuilt journey with improved flow, copy, branding, and error handling.
Save & retrieve functionality so customers can pause and return later.
Mandated login and in-app Online Banking setup for recognised customers.
Migration of the full journey to Tesco’s strategic platform.
This release marks Tesco Bank’s most significant upgrade to a loans application in years, setting the foundation for consistency across all digital journeys. Early results show strong adoption, reduced pre-submit errors, and improved completion rates, with enhanced analytics in place to track progress.
While the MVP focuses on single loan applicants, it provides a scalable framework for future releases. The work was delivered through a highly collaborative, Agile process and represents a major step toward Tesco Bank’s vision of seamless, customer-first financial experiences.