State Department Federal Credit Union
Mobile Membership + Loan Application Redesign
UX/UI for Seamless Mobile Lending and Membership Experience
Situation:
State Department Federal Credit Union (SDFCU) experienced significant friction in its online application process. Users interested in low-rate auto and home loans were required to apply for membership first, wait for approval, and then apply for a loan—a delay that often resulted in losing potential borrowers to faster competitors. The applications were not mobile-responsive, lacked auto-save and prefill features, and had high drop-off rates due to overwhelming form requirements and poor mobile accessibility.
Task:
Redesign the application experience to:
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Enable users (especially non-members) to apply for membership and loans simultaneously.
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Offer instant membership approval, while allowing backend verification before committing data.
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Make the application fully mobile-responsive so users could apply from anywhere (e.g., car dealerships).
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Reduce form abandonment by improving usability, autofill, and document upload workflows.
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My Role
I led UX/UI design for this initiative, collaborating directly with SDFCU developers and Meridian Link (our vendor partner) to design, prototype, and iterate on mobile-first application experiences. I was responsible for:
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Leading user research with Media Barn
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Mapping application flows in Axure
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Designing and prototyping the UI with accessibility being very important.
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Collaborating with developers to align build with design
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Supporting integration with Meridian Link’s lending platform
Action:
User Research & Discovery
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Conducted in-person usability testing with 35 members and 15 non-members to observe current pain points and abandonment behavior.
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Discovered users were frustrated with sequential steps (membership → loan) and the lack of mobile accessibility when applying on the go.
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Identified friction from long, form-heavy pages, absence of autosave, and poor document upload workflows.
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Key Insights & UX Goals:
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Simultaneous Membership + Loan Applications with auto-approval logic
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Mobile-first responsive design across all platforms
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Autosave and Document Checklist Pages to set clear expectations
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Autofill with ID scan or member data to speed up form completion
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Design & Prototyping
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Created detailed user flows in Axure to account for all membership and loan scenarios.
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Designed an intuitive multi-step application with progress indicators, simplified layouts, and responsive UI.
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Incorporated disclaimers for membership auto-approvals and built-in delays for backend data verification.
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Prototyped in Axure and iterated with stakeholder feedback across multiple sprints.
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Collaboration & Development
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Worked closely with Meridian Link, initially contracted to develop the applications.
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Maintained design consistency while ensuring integration with Drupal and backend systems.
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After seeing the strength of the final UI, MeridianLink licensed the designs to use in their national suite of mobile credit union applications.
User Join Flow
Result:
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34% reduction in application completion time due to ID scan auto-fill, intuitive flow, and document prep alerts.
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24% increase in conversion rates, with users completing both applications in one seamless flow.
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Applications now function across all platforms—mobile, tablet, desktop—allowing users to apply anywhere, anytime.
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Improved experience reduced abandonment at key drop-off points and helped SDFCU retain loan applicants who may have otherwise gone elsewhere.
Extended Impact:
Following the success of the project, MeridianLink adopted my designs into their broader platform offerings for credit unions across the country. What began as a custom solution for SDFCU became a standard-setting design for mobile lending applications nationwide.
SDFCUs New Applications
Other Credit Unions Using My Designed Applications
