Reduced Unqualified Applications by 40% Without Reducing Lead Capture

Timeline: 2 weeks

Role: UX designer

Tools: Figma, ira,

Context

Dohzy is a fintech company focused on providing financial services for the African diaspora in Canada.

Redesigned the onboarding experience to reduce unqualified applications, lower manual review workload, and set clearer expectations for new immigrants applying for short-term loans.

Problem

The company was receiving a high volume of unqualified applications.

This created serious operational challenges:

  • Manual application reviews by a tiny team

  • Time spent sending rejection emails

  • Growing customer support requests

  • Operational cost wasted on applicants who could never qualify

Because the company is small, every unqualified application had a real cost.

Many applicants:

  • Didn’t fully understand eligibility requirements

  • Applied in urgent financial distress

  • Expected instant approval like payday lenders

  • Contacted support for clarification

This created:

  • frustration

  • confusion

  • false expectations

Goal

The onboarding flow allowed anyone to apply, but did little to help users understand whether they should apply

My role

I was the sole UX designer on this project and collaborated directly with the founder.

My responsibilities included:

  • Reviewing analytics and existing onboarding

  • Identifying friction and support pain points

  • Designing a new onboarding strategy

  • Improving UX writing and communication touchpoints

Reoccurring themes

The Existing Experience (Before)

Users invested effort into applying before learning they were not eligible.

Problems:

  • No expectation setting

  • No eligibility education

  • No pre-qualification

  • Users rejected at the end of the process

Reoccurring themes

Goal

Introduce a new app flow that helps loyal and frequent visitors get a deeper insight into the brands they love.

Whose perspective should I prioritise?

I created a user persona by leveraging my research and observations to guide my design choices.

How are other luxury retailers keeping their customers engaged?

By examining three popular luxury retailer apps, I identified the differences and similarities in their key features. Notably, Bicester Village, as an outlet, offers a unique experience as it doesn't feature the latest designs and lacks conventional online shopping.

To prioritise the users’ preferences over my own, I added a feedback column written from their perspective.

Summary

↩ Customers need an opportunity for exploration & consistent updates

😑 Lack of new items can create a negative experience

🔔 Notifications about relevant deals and new arrivals are desired

🤝 Build trust, familiarity, and consistent positive experiences to foster a loyal relationship

Solution

Upgrade the ‘Favourites’ feature with personalised settings and introduce dedicated brand pages, creating an engaging hub for users to stay informed about individual brands in the village.

User flow

Shortening the journey to your favourite brand, while extending the exploration beyond

It currently takes 3 clicks to navigate to their ‘favourite’ brand. However, once there, no additional features or functions are activated and no details about the brands’ stock are disclosed.

Current flow

New flow

Wireframes

After sketching, I created low-fidelity wireframes on Figma…

Wireframe 1st round

As I began to prepare for the high fidelity designs, I noticed some of the design elements needed to be refined.

Wireframe 2nd round

High fidelity designs

Adopting their visual identity

Since Bicester Village already has an app, I kept the visual identity to ensure cohesion throughout.

Further insider knowledge

I discussed this project with a Bicester Village employee for feedback. As a result, I was given further clarity about what differentiates the village from other retailers.

Insight - Some brands don’t have general ‘sales’, they’re called ‘special prices’ and apply to specific products. Bigger brands rarely participate in village-wide sales but, when they do, they require a minimum spend.

Changes:

  • Sections accessable on the brand page will vary depending on the running promotions

  • A promotional banner

  • ‘Sales’ is now ‘Special prices’

Insight - Shops in the village rarely have ‘New in’ items, but when they do, a shop usually only have 3 - 5 pieces of a product.

Changes:

  • Changed the UI to focus one product at a time as the quantities a small

  • State how many are in stock to encourage a sense of urgency

Outcome

Keeping tabs on your favourite brands

Access your favourites from the home page

A dedicated brand page

Discounts!

Prepare yourself & your wallet for what to expect on your next trip to your favs

A tailored collection of press coverage from your favourite brand

And be the first to know about all of it!

Reflection

I’m happy with what was able to complete in a short timeframe

  • My initial concepts were derailed due to the information shared by the employee - I should have contacted them during the research phase of this project.

  • Referring to Emily’s ‘commentary’ (the user persona) throughout the process provided so much clarity!

  • I’ll revisit this project to give more time to smoother prototypes.

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