Improving how applicants apply and get approved

What would it take to make an emotional process such as applying for a credit card feel less like a chore and more delightful?

Product Designer, 2017-2020. I designed and enhanced Capital One's acquisition products, from improving the credit card application, to helping develop innovate dining and entertainment experiences for Savor Rewards. Below are some of the key projects during my time there.

Savor

Capital One's newest credit card, Savor relied on traditional partnerships with large national brands, limiting innovation. I led design strategy and facilitated workshops across business, brand, and product teams to develop a digital partnership framework. This was used as a toolkit for our partner teams to evaluate and eventually pitch to several brand partnerships.

Improving the Credit Card Application during COVID-19

When the pandemic hit, Capital One’s credit card application faced new risks. Stale credit bureau data and rapidly rising unemployment. I discovered that the application process lacked visibility into applicants’ current occupation stability, leaving the business exposed to higher underwriting risk. My core contribution was redesigning the occupation field which consisted of shifting from open text to a category-based typeahead, simplifying user input while improving data accuracy.

We launched and scaled the design slowly from 50% to 100% of traffic. With an increase in positive user sentiment, higher application rates, and fewer drop-offs across the credit card application for all Capital One products.

General Motors Card Art Selector

GM credit card customers could only select their card design via phone, leading to to frustration, unnecessary re-issuance costs, and lost opportunities for personalized engagement. As the acquisitions designer, I worked on introducing this new experience in the application to allow all customers to choose a custom design while applying. The final design launched and led to a 47% increase in card design selections, with over 54% of customers choosing a non-standard card design. This was a major improvement over the previous phone-based experience. Additionally, application completion rates remained stable, proving that personalization could enhance engagement without adding friction.