BUILDERTREND
0-1 Product Design and Experience Optimization for Financial Success
The Challenge
Buildertrend's financial services offered powerful capabilities but lacked critical workflow features and efficiencies that builders and their clients needed. Key gaps included no loan draw request functionality and a fragmented payments onboarding experience that caused significant user drop-off. These limitations were preventing builders from fully leveraging Buildertrend's financial ecosystem.
Timeline
2023-2025
Role
Lead Product Designer
Team
PM, Devs
My Approach
Research Foundation - I conducted comprehensive research across internal teams and external partners to understand the complete financial workflow ecosystem. Through builder interviews, I mapped their existing processes and identified pain points in internal and external workflows that were costing them time and reducing engagement with Buildertrend's financial products.
Design Strategy - I developed a strategy focused on seamless integration—getting users into Buildertrend’s platform and keeping them there while providing essential functionality from external partners. The goal was to create intuitive experiences that simplified complex financial processes without overwhelming already dense user journeys.
0-1 Product Development - I designed an entirely new product experience from concept through implementation, working closely with engineering, business development, and external partners to ensure technical feasibility and business viability.
Product 1: Loan Draw Request System
Creating an entirely new financial workflow
The Research Insight - Builder interviews revealed that managing loan draws required juggling multiple partner dashboards, creating workflow interruptions and reducing engagement with other Buildertrend financial products.
Strategic Design Solution - I designed a loan draw request system that integrates seamlessly into existing Buildertrend workflows. The experience allows builders to request and track client loan draws without leaving Buildertrend, significantly reducing workflow friction.
Implementation & Results
Complete 0-1 product: Designed new screens, interactions, and integrations from scratch
17% increase: On-time lending payments
Cross-platform coordination: Successfully integrated multiple lending and payment processing partners
Workflow optimization: Users can now complete loan draw requests and tracking within a few clicks
Time savings: Eliminated need for builders to access multiple partner dashboards
Product 2: Payments Onboarding Redesign
Optimizing user acquisition
The Insight and Data - The existing Payments onboarding was a crowded, disjointed experience causing significant user drop-off. The complex KYC (Know Your Customer) requirements were overwhelming new users and preventing successful application completion.
Research-Driven Redesign - I mapped all touchpoints connecting to payments onboarding and conducted user testing to understand specific friction points. This research informed a restructure that balanced compliance requirements with user experience optimization.
Strategic Solution - I redesigned the flow as a guided four-step process with progressive disclosure, clearly outlining requirements while walking users through complex data collection. The new experience provides contextual guidance while maintaining compliance with financial regulations.
Measurable Impact
21% reduction in user drop-off during onboarding
Improved visual design
Enhanced user experience: Clear progression and guidance through complex requirements
Business growth: Increased Payments product adoption driving revenue growth
Strategic Impact & Results
Product Portfolio Expansion - My 0-1 product development work expanded Buildertrend's financial services capabilities, increasing revenue opportunities and improving builder workflows.
Cross-Functional Collaboration - Successfully coordinated with internal teams (engineering, business development, compliance) and external partners (lenders, payment processors) to deliver integrated solutions that meet both user needs and business objectives.
Financial Services Growth - Both product updates contributed to increased adoption of Buildertrend's financial services, supporting the company's strategic expansion into comprehensive financial solutions for builders.
Key Takeaways
This work showcases my ability to design sophisticated financial products that balance user experience with technical complexity and regulatory requirements. By combining thorough research with strategic design thinking, I created solutions that enhanced builder workflows while driving business growth.
Skills Demonstrated
0-1 Product Design: Conceptualized and designed entirely new financial workflow capabilities
User Research: Comprehensive builder and stakeholder research informed all design decisions
Design Strategy: Balanced complex integration requirements with intuitive user experience design