Tala: Know Your Customer
Tala’s KYC (Know Your Customer) is a custom manual process done at Tala to verify a Tala customer in order to either start a savings account or be provided a loan. KYC is completed through the B2C Android app and then verified through a back-end internal program, CARE. It’s a process that most customers will fail either due to not reading the provided instructions or creating drop off due to a lengthy application process. Instant gratification truly is our humanity downfall.
Tala Android App is only available on the Google Play Store in Mexico, India,
Kenya and the Philippines
Role ——
Lead Product Designer
Duration Length ——
4 Months (May 2021 - Sept 2021)
Launched ——
September 2021
Responsibilities ——
Work with stakeholders, UX researchers, PMs in Philippines and Mexico to understand feasibility, data and complex user problems. Speak with engineers about flow and any other questions that arose. Design UX/UI. Document flows within Figma for handoffs.
Previous Designs
While KYC was a current feature within the Tala B2C app, it faced many issues.
— 35% of users had drop off rates during the KYC process for numerous reasons.
— 15% of users faced issues with their phone service or wifi connection.
— 20% of users dropped off due to too lengthy of flow or too much text to read to know what to do.
— 37% of users had their KYC rejected due to poorly taken selfie or ID photos or not submitting the right documents needed for the KYC process.
What’s the problem?
How can we update the KYC to allow customers to feel confident in submitting their correct documentation and provide tips to help customers along their KYC journey so that they are more likely to be approved?
Usability goals ——
Increase KYC success rates with customers so they can be serviced promptly. Make instructions clearer for customers. Improve the quality of visual indicators to customers so they know how to complete the feature.
Business goals ——
Decrease drop-off rates by limiting verbiage and steps from 35% to 15%, lower the rejection rates of KYC from 37% to 20% to start off with.
Predicted outcome ——
By giving more examples of which documents are accepted, shortening the flow, lessening complex verbiage and provide tips on how to give great selfies for verification purposes can elevate a customer’s chance at being approved within the app. We’re McLovin’ this.
Cookin’ up the UX
Before starting design work, I collaborated with UX researchers in the Philippines and Kenya to understand user pain points in the KYC process. Users wanted clearer visual indicators to show document failures, process status, and selfie tips. They also requested the ability to save progress if interrupted.
To reduce cognitive overload from a lengthy process, I focused on minimizing screens and providing clear, written and visual guidance to prevent errors. A drop-off screen was added to show incomplete steps, and users were given the flexibility to upload documents in any order. I also ensured easy navigation back to the overview screen for document re-uploading.
UI and User Testing
After confirming UX design work with stakeholders, I started to focus on updating the UI to Tala’s new standards for mobile. For mobile, it was only certain UI elements such as colors and icons that was to be updated. I also with the help of in-country market teams, wrote UX copy that was easier to understand.
On the side of this project I worked with the design team to help establish and kick off the ideation of applying our rebrand across the board to our mobile app and also creating a higher level design system that could be more uniformed across all design aspects Tala created.
User Testing
Tala’s UX Researcher in the PH market conducted the moderated session with 8 participants.
Keep it flowin’ like a rap song ——
Cut out some of the screens that return back to the main steps screen. Keep a continuous flow right on through. If drop-off happened of course count for that return by starting back at the main screen upon app load.
Lemme see some ID ——
Visually show the user where an ID number can be found on their identification card, that way the proper number can be entered.
You get a tip, you get a tip, everyone gets tips! ——
Keep the ability to show tips for the user even if they tap off.
Launch & Updates
Tala rolled out KYC to 810K of users in October of 2021. Metrics were captured via Looker.
Lightening McQueen fast adoption ——
91% of users were able to go through the KYC process with ease. 9% still had issues with the flow being “too long” but with this process we couldn’t cut out much more since everything was for country specific legal purposes.
K.Y.C., yeah you know me ——
KYC acception rates went up from 63% to 83%.
Look at this photograph, every time it makes me laugh ——
Tala embed a better photo capturing capability in V2 that would accurately capture the users’ selfie and photo ID. Included was a step to ask users to check for their image quality to help improve chances of KYC approvals.
Yo, check this flow ——
Remove the constant go back to the home page by having users to do an all in one continuous flow. If someone dropped-off, they could pick up where they left off on the KYC home screen.
