Bank Pepper
Designing trust and onboarding in a mobile-only bank (15% → 95% completion)
Company
Bank Leumi
Language
English, Hebrew
Date
2017-2018
Project Overview
Problem & Motivation
Pepper launched with the promise of a radically better digital banking experience.
However, onboarding results showed a significant gap between expectation and reality, with only 15% of users completing the journey.
The issue was not usability alone. It was trust.
Users expected a simple, seamless experience, but encountered:
Unclear steps
Inconsistent flows
Friction between digital interactions and operational processes
This created uncertainty at critical moments, leading to high drop-off and low confidence in the product.
Goal
Improve onboarding completion by reducing friction and building trust from the first interaction.
Approach
Started by identifying where and why users dropped off across the onboarding journey.
Mapped the full experience end-to-end, including both digital flows and underlying operational processes. This revealed gaps between what users were asked to do and what the system could actually support.
Redesigned the onboarding flow to:
Simplify steps and reduce unnecessary decisions
Make progress and requirements clear
Align digital interactions with real operational outcomes
Introduced continuous testing and iteration, validating changes with users and refining the experience over time.
Worked closely with product, technology, and business teams to ensure the experience was consistent end-to-end.
Design
The onboarding experience was redesigned to feel simple, predictable, and trustworthy.
The steps are clear and easy to follow
Users understand what is required and why
Progress is visible throughout the journey
Friction is reduced at key decision points
Particular attention was given to moments when trust could break down, ensuring users feel confident continuing through the process.
Impact
Increased onboarding completion from 15% to 95%
Reduced friction and drop-off across key steps
Improved trust in a fully digital onboarding experience
Established continuous testing practices to support ongoing improvement
Outcome
Onboarding moved from a fragmented experience to a clear, reliable journey users could complete with confidence.
This significantly improved conversion and set a stronger foundation for the overall product experience.
Key Insight
In digital banking, onboarding is the product.
If users do not trust the experience from the start, they do not convert.
