The previous design relied on a left-hand sidebar navigation that looked dated and felt overwhelming to borrowers. The sidebar functioned more like a dashboard menu—useful for jumping around, but ineffective for guiding borrowers through a linear, multi-step journey. On top of that, the layout did not adapt well to mobile devices, making it harder to complete applications and contributing to high drop-off rates at this early stage.

The redesign shifted from a static sidebar to a step-by-step progress tracker. After defining wireframes, A/B testing was conducted to evaluate different tracker options and validate which approach participants preferred for reducing uncertainty. Compliance requirements added another layer of complexity, as the Uniform Residential Loan Application(URLA Form) had to be translated directly into the App Capture experience. To support this, five distinct workflows were designed, Home Purchase (full application), Prequalification, Refinance, HELOC and HELOAN, and Construction, each with different forms and data requirements. The new design introduced progressive disclosure, responsive layouts, and role-appropriate guidance, helping borrowers focus on what mattered at each stage while ensuring all regulatory requirements were met.

When I joined the team, the Borrower Portal already existed, but it was visually inconsistent with App Capture including the font and the color, felt like a disconnected product, and presented features in ways that created more confusion than clarity.

The redesigned Borrower Portal helps the borrower journey feel cohesive across touchpoints. Key features were restructured for clarity and transparency: the loan tracker was redesigned to clearly show progress and closing dates, a new spotlight section highlighted the most urgent tasks, and the task list was consolidated into a streamlined checklist that guided borrowers step by step. Notifications and communication preferences were added to give borrowers more control, while a conceptual notification panel was explored to centralize updates. The design was also made fully responsive, ensuring a seamless experience across desktop and mobile. Together, these improvements reduced confusion, reinforced trust, and kept borrowers informed and engaged throughout their loan process.

The original Loan Officer Portal offered a minimalistic experience that existing users found familiar and sufficient to “get the job done,” but it lacked the structure and hierarchy needed for efficiency. Key actions were not clearly prioritized, information was presented at the same level, and the cluttered pipeline view made it hard to parse tasks quickly. Content organization added further confusion, with settings split across account-level and layout-level areas instead of following a single intuitive taxonomy. While functional, the design slowed workflows, created ambiguity, and limited scalability—particularly for less experienced loan officers and enterprise clients expecting a modern, streamlined solution.

Before the redesign, I conducted six rounds of interviews with loan officers from enterprise clients such as TD Bank and HSBC to deeply understand their workflows, pain points, and priorities. Synthesizing these insights, I collaborated closely with leadership and product management to define the MVP and align on what would deliver the most impact within the limited timeline and the context of CoreLogic’s acquisition.The redesigned Loan Officer Portal was guided by a North Star vision: create a streamlined, intuitive workspace that reduced clutter, prioritized key tasks, and automated processes wherever possible. The design aimed to meet both user and business goals — helping new loan agencies onboard quickly, reducing the cost to originate a loan (historically ~$10k), shortening the time to process and close loans, and supporting less experienced loan officers and assistants with educational, guided workflows. By rethinking task prioritization, consolidating workflows, and embedding automation, the new portal not only improved daily efficiency for loan officers but also demonstrated CoreLogic the product’s long-term value in scaling and modernizing mortgage operations.

Data Synthesis after Interviews