U.S. Bank — Mobile Onboarding Experience During Platform Merger​

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The Challenge

During the merger of U.S. Bank and Union Bank, our design team faced a high-stakes challenge: unify two very different mobile banking experiences into one seamless platform. For new and existing customers, the onboarding flow would be their first impression — a critical trust-building moment in financial services. If users felt friction or confusion during sign-up, adoption and retention would suffer.

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My Role

As a Senior UX Designer, I led the redesign of the mobile onboarding experience. My goal was to make onboarding simple, intuitive, and trustworthy across both legacy platforms, while meeting the security and compliance requirements of a highly regulated industry.

 

​Approach

• Research & Benchmarking: Conducted usability tests with customers from both banks to uncover frustrations in the existing flows. Compared competitor apps to identify best-in-class onboarding practices in fintech.

• Journey Mapping: Mapped the entire entry-point flow, from first app open to account setup and login, highlighting opportunities to reduce steps and eliminate redundant verification requests.

• Consistency Through Design System: Applied the enterprise design system I had helped evolve, ensuring consistent visuals, typography, and interaction patterns across both platforms. This was key in creating familiarity for Union Bank users transitioning to U.S. Bank.

• Trust & Transparency: Incorporated microcopy, progress indicators, and accessible UI patterns that explained each step in plain language — reinforcing user confidence during sensitive tasks like identity verification.

The Solution

We delivered a streamlined, cross-platform onboarding flow that:

• Reduced time-to-first-login by simplifying registration and verification steps.

• Clearly guided users with contextual help, transparent progress indicators, and ADA-compliant design.

• Created consistency across legacy Union Bank and U.S. Bank apps, making the transition seamless for customers.

Impact

• 25% reduction in drop-off rates during onboarding.

• 91% satisfaction score in usability testing for new-to-bank customers.

• A smoother onboarding journey that built long-term trust and supported the bank’s larger merger strategy.

The Outcome

By unifying the onboarding experience, we ensured that thousands of Union Bank customers entering the U.S. Bank ecosystem felt at ease and supported. The project not only elevated first impressions but also laid the foundation for long-term digital engagement in the newly merged platform.