Onboarding for trading platform
Redesigning onboarding to reduce abandonment by 66%
Overview
An online trading platform was grappling with a troubling 87% exit rate during onboarding—an experience meant to signal trust and professionalism. This abandonment was also triggering a surge in customer service calls, consuming roughly 10% of daily support capacity. By combining quantitative data with in-depth user research, I uncovered the underlying friction points and led a redesign effort that reduced the exit rate by 66% and significantly alleviated pressure on customer support.
The challenge
While the data made the problem clear—a massive drop-off during onboarding—it didn’t explain why users were leaving. The company had assumed that legal and compliance steps were non-negotiable friction, and that user abandonment was a necessary trade-off. But customer dissatisfaction and rising support costs told a different story.
To move forward, we needed to unpack the experience from the user’s perspective and challenge internal assumptions.
Approach: A multi-lens investigation
I designed a multi-pronged research approach that brought together data, people, and lived experience to illuminate the problem from every angle.
Quantitative analysis: I began with platform analytics to validate the 87% exit rate and identify drop-off points in the funnel. This helped prioritize where to dig deeper and confirmed that the majority of exits occurred early in the process—before users had meaningfully engaged.
Internal stakeholder & customer service insights
Next, I interviewed customer service agents who handled onboarding-related issues daily. Their frontline experience revealed patterns in user frustration—confusion over form length, technology constraints, and lack of feedback on submission status. I also met with product stakeholders to understand the constraints and business requirements shaping the current flow.
Direct user research
The most revealing insights came from users themselves. Through in-depth interviews and moderated usability sessions, I spoke with individuals who had both completed and abandoned the onboarding process. By observing them in real time, I identified pain points that were previously overlooked or minimized:
Users were overwhelmed by the sheer length and complexity of a 109-question form.
Requirements to print, sign, and physically mail verification documents felt dated and burdensome—particularly for digital-native users without printers or scanners.
After submitting documentation, users received no confirmation or feedback, leaving them uncertain if the process was complete.
Key insights - Three core issues emerged:
The length and density of the form created early fatigue and uncertainty.
Physical document handling contradicted user expectations for a seamless digital experience.
Once users submitted their information, they were left in the dark, which eroded trust and caused many to abandon or call support.
The outcome
Armed with these insights, I collaborated with product, design, and compliance teams to rethink the onboarding flow. We prioritized quick, high-impact changes:
Replaced the long form with a dynamic model, surfacing only relevant questions upfront
Introduced secure digital upload options for documents, eliminating the need for printing or mailing
Added real-time progress indicators and confirmation messages to increase transparency
The results:
Exit rate dropped by 66%
Customer service call volume related to onboarding was significantly reduced
Internal teams aligned on a shared understanding of user expectations—shifting mindset from compliance-first to user-first
