Strategic Product Design & Migration
Bridging the Gap: Scaling Small Business Funding
Strategic partnership integration that expanded access to working capital
Overview
Led end-to-end UX strategy for migrating thousands of users from a discontinued funding partner to O****, while simultaneously expanding from payroll-only loans to comprehensive working capital solutions. Transformed a technical migration into a strategic product expansion that positioned my company as an all-in-one business growth partner.
The Problem
Our previous funding partner, I***** Capital, became unable to service clients in New York—our largest market. This created a 'funding desert' for a majority of our user base. Additionally, the existing solution was one-dimensional, offering only payroll-specific loans. The Payroll Funding Department was heavily involved in manual application processing, creating operational bottlenecks and limiting scale.
My Role
Principal UX Designer & UX Writer. Led product strategy, designed migration logic for three distinct user segments, created application flow, and wrote all educational content and microcopy.
Process
- Analyzed user base to identify three distinct migration paths based on location and loan status
- Partnered with new company to understand API capabilities and pre-fill opportunities
- Created 'Pre-Flight Check' module to surface eligibility requirements upfront
- Wrote comprehensive educational content explaining loan types and requirements
- Designed hero page along with Marketing
- Collaborated with Engineering and Payroll Funding Dept. to automate handoff process
Design Decisions
- Intelligence-Driven Segmentation
- Designed three distinct migration paths: (1) New York clients automatically diverted to O**** to solve service gap, (2) Non-NY Infinity clients maintained on current dashboard with optional switch, (3) New applicants directed to O**** portal with pre-filled data. This prevented change fatigue while solving the immediate crisis.
- Pre-Flight Qualification Check
- Surfaced minimum requirements (625 FICO, $100K revenue) at the start instead of after a 10-minute application. Protected user time and reduced low-quality leads sent to O****. Shifted from 'apply and hope' to 'qualify then apply.'
- Trust Through Transparency
- Wrote empathetic 'soft landing' copy for users who didn't meet requirements, directing them to O**** loan experts rather than cold rejection. Highlighted pre-filled data to reduce perceived effort. Created educational content demystifying term loans vs. lines of credit.
Results
This project demonstrated my ability to transform a technical migration into a strategic business opportunity. By approaching the partner switch as a product expansion rather than just a vendor swap, I helped position my company as a comprehensive business growth partner rather than just payroll software. The 'graceful decommissioning' approach ensured users never felt at risk with their financial data, building trust during a critical transition.
Deliverables
- Three-path migration strategy and feature flag architecture
- Complete application flow with pre-filled data integration
- Finance Hub dashboard redesign
- Pre-qualification module with eligibility criteria
- Educational content library (help articles, video scripts)
- Soft-landing messaging for denied applicants