Streamlining credit lending

Streamlining credit lending

Digitally transformed Mahindra’s agent-assisted vehicle loan journey, that was failing 73% of users.

Digitally transformed Mahindra’s agent-assisted vehicle loan journey, that was failing 73% of users.

Enterprise

Finance

Live

Overview

Overview

BACKGROUND

Mahindra Finance, a leading provider of vehicle loans, offers two credit lending models: Do It Yourself (DIY) and Do It For Me (DIFM). The DIFM model supports customers who prefer agent-assisted applications, where agents help with onboarding, form submission, and disbursement.

This project aimed to streamline the agent experience by reducing manual tasks, improving workflow efficiency, and boosting productivity ultimately enhancing both agent performance and customer satisfaction.

Mahindra Finance, a leading provider of vehicle loans, offers two credit lending models: Do It Yourself (DIY) and Do It For Me (DIFM). The DIFM model supports customers who prefer agent-assisted applications, where agents help with onboarding, form submission, and disbursement.

This project aimed to streamline the agent experience by reducing manual tasks, improving workflow efficiency, and boosting productivity ultimately enhancing both agent performance and customer satisfaction.

MY ROLE

I end-to-end design process for 'Onboarding' from user research to final implementation, conducting competitive analysis, user interviews, and journey mapping while collaborating with product, engineering and client teams

I end-to-end design process for 'Onboarding' from user research to final implementation, conducting competitive analysis, user interviews, and journey mapping while collaborating with product, engineering and client teams

TEAM

2 UX/UI Designers (Me+1), 1 Product Manager, Developers team, BRD team, 1 Manager

2 UX/UI Designers (Me+1), 1 Product Manager, Developers team, BRD team, 1 Manager

DURATION

7 Months

7 Months

IMPACT

99.8%

99.8%

Reduced Turnaround time

Reduced Turnaround time

68%

68%

Improved executive efficiency


Improved executive efficiency

12%

12%

Optimized business operations


Optimized business operations

The Situation

The Situation

The current application used by agents for the loan process has limited functionality, leading to inefficiencies and a frustrating user experience for agents.

The current application used by agents for the loan process has limited functionality, leading to inefficiencies and a frustrating user experience for agents.

Inefficient
Dashboard

While the dashboard provides a basic overview of leads, it lacks detailed tracking for applications in progress, making it difficult to monitor and manage cases effectively.

Limited
visibility

Agents have no clear insight into application progress, approval status, or next steps, leading to uncertainty and delays.

Manual data entry

Agents manually enter customer information based on collected documents, increasing the risk of errors and rework.

Disconnected Workflow

The app does not integrate approvals, offer generation, or document processing, forcing agents to rely on multiple touchpoints and manual interventions.

The Challenge

How might we streamline and digitize the credit lending process to reduce documentation, simplify agent workflows, and deliver loan offers within minutes, improving customer satisfaction?

How might we streamline and digitize the credit lending process to reduce documentation, simplify agent workflows, and deliver loan offers within minutes, improving customer satisfaction?

Solution overview

Solution overview

We unified the onboarding into one seamless app, cutting context-switching and letting agents focus on targets, not navigation.

We unified the onboarding into one seamless app, cutting context-switching and letting agents focus on targets, not navigation.

After

After

Before

Before

Provided a daily task overview and performance for executives to provide better visibility into their performance.

Motivated agents by visualizing tangible progress through a clear completion tracker, paired with a prominent CTA that intuitively guided them to the next best action.

Enabled seamless access to co-applicant and guarantor applications through a simple tab switch, reducing navigation friction and improving task efficiency.

After

Before

After
Before

After

Before

After

Before

After
Before

Structured the user flow into five clear steps using vertical progressive disclosure to reduce cognitive load and improve form usability.

Consent

Sanction

Post Sanction

DO Issuance

KYC

Ensure all details are correct & complete to get the best offer for your

customer.

Step 3/5

Automated customer background checks via backend API integration, eliminating manual steps and accelerating application workflows.

Displayed key data points like credit score and loan terms directly in the agent interface to streamline decision-making.

Used visual tags to highlight top recommendations, reducing cognitive load and enabling faster, more confident choices.

After

Before

After
Before

After

Before

After
Before

Enabling executives to digitally manage application documents, ensuring easy access, organization, and quick reference.

Leveraged automation(Optimal Character Recognition) to minimize manual errors, and create a seamless, efficient data entry experience for users.

After

Before

After
Before

After

Before

After
Before

Providing guidance and cues throughout the form, reducing mental effort and enhancing autonomy.

Research

Research

I started by talking with 20+ field agents!

I started by talking with 20+ field agents!

"Ughh…I don't get updates of loan approval of my customers on the app"…. I wish I was able to track my priority tasks so I don't miss the deadline for those tasks.

"Ughh…I don't get updates of loan approval of my customers on the app"…. I wish I was able to track my priority tasks so I don't miss the deadline for those tasks.

— Field agent , 32, Male

— Field agent , 32, Male

CURRENT STATE

I started by understanding the current journey for agents to uncover where inefficiencies, redundancies, and delays were impacting both productivity and user experience.

I started by understanding the current journey for agents to uncover where inefficiencies, redundancies, and delays were impacting both productivity and user experience.

❓

❓

❓

❓

❓

The current onboarding journey takes upto 3-5 days to generate an offer for the customer.

The current onboarding journey takes upto 3-5 days to generate an offer for the customer.
SYNTHESIS OF RESEARCH

After conducting user interviews, we synthesized data from multiple research methods to form key insights that highlighted pain points, user needs, and opportunities for improving the agent workflow

After conducting user interviews, we synthesized data from multiple research methods to form key insights that highlighted pain points, user needs, and opportunities for improving the agent workflow

Increased turnaround time

Increased turnaround time due to manual tasks and lack of streamlined processes.

Duplication of work

Lower agent productivity as they juggle multiple systems and repetitive tasks

High error
rates

Higher error rates from repetitive data entry, leading to application rejections.

Reduced satisfaction

Reduced customer satisfaction due to inconsistent and delayed loan processing.

The Opportunity

The Opportunity

JOURNEY MAPPING

I collaborated closely with the journey team to map the "To-Be" journey, aiming to achieve a turnaround time of 20-30 minutes for a streamlined, straight-through process.

I collaborated closely with the journey team to map the "To-Be" journey, aiming to achieve a turnaround time of 20-30 minutes for a streamlined, straight-through process.

The new onboarding journey takes instantly generates an offer for the customer (20-30mins)

The new onboarding journey takes instantly generates an offer for the customer (20-30mins)
WIREFRAMING

I created the mid-fidelity wireframes for the entire onboarding process including edge cases.

I created the mid-fidelity wireframes for the entire onboarding process including edge cases.

DESIGNING TO SHIP

I ensured the design system was always updated to maintain consistency, uphold UX hygiene, and reinforce brand identity.

I ensured the design system was always updated to maintain consistency, uphold UX hygiene, and reinforce brand identity.

Componets

Learnings and Key takeaways

Learnings and Key takeaways

01
Huge Learning Curve. 
With limited knowledge of finance, I faced a steep learning curve. This project expanded my understanding of finance vocabulary and gave me valuable experience designing for non-tech savy audience.


02
Ask many questions to get to the depth.
Asking persistent, thoughtful questions is critical to fully understanding complex processes. It took several weeks and countless inquiries to simplify the intricate workings of MMFSL, but this method ultimately helped us distill the information into a clearer, more manageable form.

03
Keep stakeholders in loop.
In a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines and evolving deliverables, requirements can shift, impacting design decisions. It’s essential to keep all stakeholders informed of design updates and stay current on new developments in both business and technical areas to ensure alignment and responsiveness.

01
Huge Learning Curve. 
With limited knowledge of finance, I faced a steep learning curve. This project expanded my understanding of finance vocabulary and gave me valuable experience designing for non-tech savy audience.


02
Ask many questions to get to the depth.
Asking persistent, thoughtful questions is critical to fully understanding complex processes. It took several weeks and countless inquiries to simplify the intricate workings of MMFSL, but this method ultimately helped us distill the information into a clearer, more manageable form.

03
Keep stakeholders in loop.
In a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines and evolving deliverables, requirements can shift, impacting design decisions. It’s essential to keep all stakeholders informed of design updates and stay current on new developments in both business and technical areas to ensure alignment and responsiveness.