Confer today

B2C, Finance - Compare Mortgage Offers in 3 Easy Steps.

Who is Confer inc?

Confer Inc. is a cloud-first fintech custom software development startup specializing in mortgage finance focused on helping borrower drive revenue & cut costs.

145+ years of combined experience in finance and technology.

Confer planned to launch an app that uses new technology to compare mortgage estimates and find the best rate for homebuyers and refinancers.

iOS

Android

OVERVIEW

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Timeline

Tools

Platform

Industry

Finance and banking, Mortgage industry.

Link

My Role at confer

As the Lead solo designer, I have conducted Stakeholder Interviews and User Research, evaluated ideas, created User Personas, developed Empathy Maps, and created Journey Maps. Additionally, I have performed A/B testing and Usability testing. Furthermore, I have led design sprints and iteratively designed cross-platform tools, such as websites and other tools.

The Problem space

Considering that borrowers face challenges in obtaining competitive mortgage rates due to fluctuating rates, difficulty in identifying low-interest rates and hidden fees in the Loan Estimate provided by lenders, as well as declining refinance activity, it is essential to provide solutions that guarantee affordable mortgage options. The lack of transparency and accessibility can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction among borrowers.

Goals/ Objectives

Confer has identified an app that helps the borrower to compare several loan estimates, suggest the best lenders with low-interest rate hidden fees, and save borrowers thousands of $$ to get their first mortgage. And get the best deal for a house mortgage or refinance.

Understanding the problem

Why are we doing this?

1

There are no tools in the market

The borrower can shop for lenders and third party services provider for their mortgage.

The borrowers want to compare their official loan estimates.

2

Customized mortgage.

Borrowers want their mortgages customized based on their needs.

Customized shop services and go to lenders and get official Loan estimates and compare those lenders LEs using the app so they save $1.000 on their mortgage.

3

Hard to find the best lender

For the borrowers hard to find a suitable lender for their first mortgage and help them to which lender is ideal for lending a home.

HYPOTHESIS

By making confer marketplace, borrowers can find an easy way to compare mortgage offers from multiple lenders in one place. using confer app to catch discrepancies like fees, unnecessary charges & shop for services.

Research

2+ Round stakeholders interview

Primary Research

Key insights

Lengthy process

Mortgage application process is lengthy, complex, and confusing for borrowers.

There are no tools

Borrowers found mortgage comparison tools lacking total cost and fee info.

Fee and cost

Borrowers want more information on the total cost of the mortgage and fees associated with it.

Save time and money

Borrowers help prefer to compare multiple LE’s so they save time and money.

Secondary research

KEY INSIGHTS

47%

(CFPB)

According to a survey conducted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in 2018, 47% of mortgage borrowers considered only one lender when shopping for a mortgage. This indicates that there may be a need for better mortgage comparison tools to help borrowers make more informed decisions and find the best mortgage offer for their needs.

freddiemac

According to a freddiemac research say that ne additional rate quote could save homebuyers an average of $1,500 over the life of the loan, and getting five more quotes saved an average of about $3,000.

Lack of Transparency and Accessibility

Borrowers may have difficulty understanding mortgage costs due to varying transparency among lenders. To get a clear idea of costs, borrowers should request loan estimates and relevant documents, and seek professional help.

Fluctuating Rates

US mortgage rates are influenced by economic factors like inflation, Federal Reserve policies, and market conditions, leading to fluctuations that can make it challenging for borrowers to time their applications. Borrowers should monitor market trends closely and be prepared to act quickly to secure favorable interest rates.

Competitive analysis

Identifying opportunities

Looking five to competitors it was quick see that.

Offer multiple offers for the borrower but don’t have a proper tool that gives you an instant result to choose the right lender.
We only had a tool that allowed people to choose the right lender by uploading LEs.
All loan compression experience redirected to the application process and ask too much information to get compare rate

User persona

It’s time to consider who we are designing for. Based on research insights, we have created a persona who feels that getting a mortgage is complex and lengthy, with extra fees and charges.

Information Architecture and user flow

To proceed with the design, we need to create an information architecture that enables easy navigation and understanding of the loan comparison process, while also creating a flow design that visualizes the user’s journey through the process to ensure a seamless and intuitive experience.

Design System

Before proceeding with the design, I created a collection of reusable components, guidelines, and standards that ensure consistency and cohesion across the Confer app. These components can be reused in other tools, websites, and platforms, saving 20% to 30 % time.

SKETCHING

To arrive at a final design solution, I created several Crazy 8 sketches to explore various ideas and provide solutions for the user flow. This iterative process helped me to refine and finalize the design.

Mid-fi

Testing and Iterations

Quickly to help what borrowers need

1

Reduce 5 LEs to 3 Les for MVP

After many iterations, the borrower was given the option to preview sample loan estimates to gain familiarity with the process, as well as the ability to upload any existing loan estimates received from lenders.

2

Reduce uploading time and processing time.

Move the file upload location, allow for up to three official loan estimates to be uploaded simultaneously, and provide the option for borrowers to choose which estimate to compare. After uploading, the next step in the process will be initiated.

3

How to display complex data and hidden fees in one location structure complex

Up to three mortgage offers from three lenders were allowed, with a user-friendly comparison tool that displayed key details such as interest rates, closing costs, and insurance premiums side-by-side, helping borrowers make an informed decision.

4

Loan Estimate explainer

Initially, we planned to present all fees in a PDF format to inform borrowers about extra charges. However, after user testing and internal evaluations, we opted for a more user-friendly solution to provide easy access and understanding of additional fees in official loan estimates.

IMPACT and outcomes

Evaluating Results

Evaluating our results

Borrowers were able to use the Confer app completely free of charge. As the app had the desired impact, we moved to phase 2 for launching a confer mortgage marketplace and shop for services.

1

Time spend on app

The average time spent on the app comparison was 5m 22 to 59s.

2

Save dthousand of $$$$

First, 110 borrowers Saved thousands of $$$ to get their first mortgage.

3

Win Amazon gift card and success rate

The percentage of borrowers who uploaded their first official loan document and won a $70 gift card increased by 80%, leading to an overall increase in completion rates.

Final thoughts & takeaways

Working on this project with Proposify was such a rewarding experience. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to take the lead on this project, all the way from strategy & research to the final deliverable and measuring impact.

What Next?

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!

Please feel free to reach out if you would like to hear more! 👋🏻