Unifying Discover Home Loans & Refinance products
Both products were operating and promoting their own features separately. The post-login service is also having a different experience, which needs a common solution to create a unified experience under one name, Discover Home Loans.
Role
Lead Product Designer
Team
Design systems engineer, Product design team
Platform
Adobe Experience Manager
React Native
Duration
10 Months
Problem Statement
The Challenge
Both products were operating and promoting their own features independently. The post-login service also offers a distinct experience that requires a unified solution to create a seamless experience under the Discover Home Loans brand.
Current State Issues
Both products were operating and promoting their features separately
Post-login service provided different experiences for each product
Lack of unified brand identity under Discover Home Loans
Customer confusion about product offerings and differences
Desired Outcomes
Combine existing websites on AEM platform
Align with other Discover product experiences
Improve customer recognition and recall
Provide clarity on both products under one unified brand
Following the five-stage Design Thinking model to ensure a user-centered approach to solving the consolidation challenge.
Research & Discovery
1.
Joined the project with development team already onboarded. Needed to quickly deliver design solutions to stay on schedule.
Rapid Onboarding
2.
Reviewed previously created research documents, including Google search reports and user flow analysis for both Home Equity Loans and Refinance products.
Existing Research Analysis
3.
Planned and conducted whiteboarding sessions with all stakeholders and product owners to align on vision and requirements.
Stakeholder Collaboration
4.
Identified key pages that contain all essential elements needed to design and define the website's style and structure.
Page Identification
Problem Definition & Goals
Collaborative Whiteboarding Sessions
Conducted collaborative sessions with stakeholders and product owners to map out the new unified experience, exploring content hierarchy and navigation structures.
Whiteboard session: Mapping homepage structure, product features, calculators, and navigation flow
Content Priorities
• Product feature comparisons
• Calculators and tools
• Educational articles
• Apply now CTAs
• Related resources
Navigation Structure
• Global Discover products
• Home Equity Loans section
• Refinance section
• Help & decision tools
• Articles & resources
Key Features
• Loan calculators
• Rate comparison tools
• Application checklist
• FAQs
• Customer testimonials
Refined Information Architecture
Developed a comprehensive information architecture that integrates both products under the Discover Home Loans umbrella while maintaining clear product distinction.
Unified navigation system connecting global Discover products with Home Loans subsections
Interactive Calculators:
The Heart of User Engagement
Calculator Conceptualization
Calculators emerged as the cornerstone feature of the Discover Home Loans platform. Through collaborative sessions with product owners and development engineers, we conceptualized and iterated on multiple calculator designs to find the optimal balance between functionality, usability, and technical feasibility.
This feature required extensive cross-functional collaboration to ensure we delivered tools that would truly empower users to make informed financial decisions while remaining technically viable within our development timeline.
Measurable Business Impact & User Outcomes
Results & Impact
Following the launch of the unified Discover Home Loans platform in 2020, we achieved significant improvements in conversion rates, user engagement, and overall business performance. These metrics validate the effectiveness of our design thinking approach and user-centered design decisions.
User Engagement Metrics
