Overview
UX and UI | B2C | Consumer Fintech | Neo Banking | Mobile App
Times One was designed as an end-to-end mobile financial app bridging the gap between Times Internet's massive media ecosystem (~550M+ MAUs across TOI, ET, TP, Cricbuzz and Gaana) and instant digital lending powered by HDFC Bank.
The primary objective was to convert high-intent media traffic into active credit customers through a 3-minute digital onboarding experience, followed by a feature-rich card management dashboard.
Project
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Team: Times Card, Times Internet
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My Role: Lead UX Designer
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Timeline: Q3 (Jul 2022 - Sep 2022)
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Resposibilities: Leverage existing research data, End to end UI and UX, Competitive Benchmarking, Wireframing, Design Trade-Offs, Prototyping and Final Testing.
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Cross Functional Partners: Chairman, Business Head, Product Manager, Engineering Head (3 Engineers), HDFC Bank Stakeholders, QA Engineer and Product Manager.
Problem Statement
Traditional credit card onboarding in India (back in 2022) suffered from high drop-off rates due to dense multi-step application forms, rigid income documentation requirements and upfront invasive verification before users even knew if they qualified.
Project Outcome
The project was formally presented to the Times Group Board of Directors in September 2022. The board approved the concept and UX strategy. However, following revised RBI Digital Lending Guidelines and tightened PCI DSS compliance mandates which restricted non-banking entities from handling KYC data and credit pipelines directly. Board members strategically paused the public rollout until compliant, bank-led co-branding operational frameworks matured with HDFC Bank.
Project Constraints
Limited Research
Relied on secondary user insights and market analysis synthesized by an external agency due to timeline constraints.
Partner Bank Latency
Extended iterations due to multiple review loops, compliance checks and slow feedback from partner Bank.
Targeted Beta Userbase
Initial testing was restricted to Times Internet's existing userbase rather than organic open market leads.
Technical Integrations
Complex multi entity API integrations across bank and government systems (such as NSDL and Aadhaar) could cause slower onboarding and post-onboarding processing.
Target Users 👨💼
The Digital Native (Salaried)
22–32 yrs, Tier 1/2 Cities, Tech-savvy
Primary Need
Instant virtual card access, rewards on lifestyle & news subscriptions
Pain Area
Dislikes uploading dense paper documents; expects instant approval
Expectation
Minimal frictionless onboarding, soft-profiling upfront
The Thin Filed (Self-Employed)
25–40 yrs, Tier 2/3 Cities, Freelancer / Merchant
Primary Need
Transparent credit line, hassle-free income proof step
Pain Area
Often rejected by traditional banks due to lack of standard salary slips
Expectation
Crisp and clear offer, fallback error handling with better visibility
Design Methodology
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Discovery
• Competitive Benchmarking with best in class
• Takeaways from the shared research
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Design Proposal and Validation
• Ideal User Journey derived from multiple userflows.
• Lo-fi wires
• Tech feasibility check
• Visual Journey
• Design Trade-off and Closure
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Development and Implementation
• Dev hand-off and Grooming
• Closely monitored the engineering cycle and tickets
• UAT sign-off
• Users and Stakeholder's Feedback
• Validate and Improve (next)
Competitive Benchmarking
Competitive Audit of Onboarding, KYC and Post-Eligibility Experiences Across Leading New Age NBFCs
Key Findings from Research💡
What's working well
Users are increasingly adapting to digital-first onboarding experiences
Basic details, contact and KYC details are essential for assessment
5 out of 8 competitors offer credit limit against Fixed Deposits
6 out of 8 competitors enable users to convert outstanding bills into easy EMIs
Cashback and rewards are primary acquisition and engagement triggers
What's require attention
KYC remains a key friction point, with limited visibility into application status after profile creation.
~35% drop-off at bank document stage
Opportunity to retain ~28% CIBIL rejected/Thin filed prospects
Static loading indicators during third-party API calls create uncertainty and waiting anxiety
Force bank account linking during onboarding
Post card issuance, the experience transitions users from applicants to active cardholders but through unstructured, dashboard instead of need based dashboard
User Flow
Key Wireframes
Key Design Decisions and Trade-offs
Document Stage
INITIAL APPROACH:
Ask for PAN and Salary Slips on same screen.
UX PIVOT:
Introduce Progressive Profiling & Soft Credit Teaser instead of asking bank documents.
OUTCOME:
Convert ~35% those who dropped at this stage.
CIBIL Rejections
INITIAL APPROACH:
Show generic "Not Eligible" screen.
BUSINESS PIVOT:
Integrate Perfios fallback flow for bank statement parsing.
OUTCOME:
Retained ~28% of otherwise lost applicants.
External API Calls
INITIAL APPROACH:
Static powerful loading spinner.
UX PIVOT:
Designed skeletal or micro animation with contextual typo ("Evaluating eligibility with HDFC...").
OUTCOME:
Reduce waiting anxiety during 5–8s bureau calls.
Post-Approval Onboarding Fatigue
INITIAL APPROACH:
Force bank account linking during onboarding.
UX PIVOT:
Moved Auto-Pay/Mandate setup to post issuance.
OUTCOME:
Enable instant virtual card usage without onboarding fatigue.
Visual Journeys
Soft Profiling
Eligibility and KYC
Post Onboarding
Soft Internal Launch and Next Steps
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Rolled out an invite only early access restricted to select Times Group users using mock data to validate UX interactions and test onboarding conversion.
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Benchmarked real world user engagement and gathered early feedback on core interaction flows within a controlled sandbox environment.
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Times Group leadership strategically paused the public commercial launch to await fully compliant, bank-led co branding and data handling operational frameworks with HDFC Bank under revised RBI guidelines.
What I Would Do Differently Today (Design & Tech Perspective)
Agentic & Conversational Profiling
Instead of serving a static multi step form, introduce AI assisted conversational onboarding interface that adapts fields in real time based on response.
More Accessible and Inclusive Design
Integrating voice-to-text and conversational AI allows users to navigate app features, check balances or execute transactions through natural language commands (e.g. "Show me how much I spent on groceries last week").
Predictive Financial Nudges
Replace basic static alert banners (You spent ₹1,000 on food) with actionable predictive insights (Based on your weekend spends, pausing your unused Gaana subscription will keep you within your ₹5,000 budget before Sep 15).
Localized Guidance
Generative AI agents can provide multi-lingual, voice or chat-based micro guidance in regional languages during complex stages (such as Video KYC or Net Banking authentication) to reduce drop offs among non-tech savvy users.
Automated Subscription & Recurrent Control
Machine learning algorithms continuously scan transaction streams to detect hidden recurring charges, free trial endings, or price hikes, giving users one-tap options to cancel or manage subscriptions.
'UPI on Credit' First Onboarding
Instant Rupay Credit on UPI handle embedded directly into the app header (already shown in the mockups).
Key Learnings as a Design Lead💡
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Keep pace with fluid RBI digital lending guidelines to maintain compliance throughout the sprint.
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Align Product, Engineering and Bank teams on the onboarding flow early to eliminate later stage revisions.
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Managing third party API response times (CIBIL/Perfios) requires building dynamic skeletal states and reassuring micro copy to prevent drop offs during processing delays.
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Fintech product interfaces must remain modular so that specific screens (e.g., KYC or bank login) can be swapped into bank hosted SDK containers without disrupting the core user experience.
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Establish continuous feedback loops across product, tech, alliance and bank teams at every project milestone.
Thanks for your time!