PaisaPop.
Simplifying the loan application journey through a heuristic evaluation and redesign.
A clearer way through lending.
PaisaPop is a digital lending platform where applicants provide and verify personal, identity, financial, employment, and banking information. This one-week redesign focuses on salaried individuals seeking quick, short-term personal loans, often for immediate or unexpected needs. Rather than beginning with visual changes, I walked through the existing application and evaluated its usability first.
One long journey, too little orientation.
The loan application asks for sensitive information and multiple verifications. Some screens present competing actions and visual elements, while the overall journey does not consistently show what has been completed or what comes next.
High cognitive load
Several pieces of information and actions appear at once, making the journey feel more complex than necessary.
Limited progress visibility
Applicants complete multiple verification and information-sharing steps without a consistently clear view of overall progress.
Competing visual hierarchy
Large hero imagery and saturated interface elements can compete with the primary task and call-to-action.
Poor information chunking
A lengthy application is easier to understand when broken into smaller, focused steps.
Audit the journey before redesigning it.
I conducted a structured heuristic evaluation of nine screens, from starting the loan to final submission, using Nielsen’s usability heuristics. The audit identified problems alongside patterns worth keeping.
Start and PAN verification
The hero image competes with the primary task; the start screen gives limited context about what happens next. “Next” appears available before PAN verification, and its status is not clearly communicated.
Personal information and documents
PAN-verified details are already prefilled, reducing re-entry. Locked fields need an explanation. The form can group related information more clearly; uploads need format and size guidance plus selected, success, and error states.
Bank account and employment
“Next” appears available before bank verification. Saturated statuses weaken hierarchy. Employment and salary details are separated across cards even though they belong to one step; clear field labels are already a strength.
Video and Aadhaar verification
The repayment statement recording needs context and preparation before the camera starts. The Aadhaar handoff already explains the redirect to Digio and asks users to keep their Aadhaar card ready.
Review and application status
The 100% complete and “Ready to submit” indicators help users recognize the final step. Grouped review details support checking information; “Under review,” the expected review time, and “Submitted → Review → Approved” help explain what happens next, although the status screen feels visually busy.
Seven heuristics guided the decisions.
The evaluation translated usability principles into concrete design requirements rather than a purely visual refresh.
Visibility of system status
Show progress and communicate verification, loading, success, and pending states.
Consistency & standards
Use consistent components, terminology, layouts, and interactions throughout the journey.
Flexibility & efficiency
Reduce repetition and group related information into meaningful stages.
Help & documentation
Offer concise guidance where verification or financial information needs explanation.
Match with the real world
Explain why sensitive information and verification steps are needed.
Error prevention
Clarify formats and requirements, validate inputs, and confirm important actions.
Aesthetic & minimalist design
Reduce competing elements and strengthen hierarchy so each screen stays focused.
Turn each finding into a decision.
The redesign responds directly to the audit: stronger hierarchy for easier task recognition; a progress indicator for orientation; a quieter hero for task focus; progressive disclosure to lower cognitive load; and manageable stages instead of one open-ended form.
Competing elements → stronger hierarchy
Give the main task and action priority over decorative imagery.
Unclear progress → persistent indicator
Make the current stage and remaining stages visible on every screen.
Overwhelming requirements → progressive disclosure
Reveal information when it becomes relevant instead of presenting everything at once.
One long task → three named stages
Break the application into destinations people can recognize and return to.
Three stages. One continuous journey.
A persistent tab stepper organizes the application into Your details, Financial profile, and Verify & review. This directly addresses the perception of a long, open-ended task.
01 / Your details
Mobile number and OTP; consent and terms; PAN verification; Aadhaar verification; basic information; address verification.
02 / Financial profile
Bank information; account verification; employment information; salary details.
03 / Verify & review
Video verification; application review; submission; status tracking.
Make identity steps understandable.
The first stage establishes expectations up front and confirms each verification as it completes. Verified details can fill the following form, while address upload stays a single focused task with clear document requirements.
A six-digit OTP input and resend action clarify the phone verification step.
PAN guidance explains why it is needed and shows the expected format.
A clear success state confirms PAN verification.
Aadhaar consent and the linked-mobile explanation appear before verification.
The same confirmation pattern is reused for Aadhaar.
Verified details are prefilled, with locked fields visually distinguished.
Address proof is a single upload step with file-format and size guidance.
The selected document name confirms the upload received.
Keep financial information focused.
Bank and employment details move through a consistent flow. Contextual guidance explains which bank account to provide; a calm confirmation replaces noisy account-status styling; employment and salary information sit together.
An inline note asks for the account where salary is credited.
A single confirmation card communicates successful account verification.
Employment and salary details form one continuous step rather than fragmented cards.
Prepare, confirm, then submit.
The final stage explains video requirements before recording, allows a retake, gives applicants a grouped review of their information, and keeps them informed after submission.
Face visibility, lighting, and the statement to read are explained before recording.
A success state and retake control let applicants check the recording before continuing.
Grouped information supports review before the final submission.
A five-stage status tracker shows completed steps, review status, and what comes next.
A redesign grounded in what the audit found.
The design aims to make the journey simpler, more transparent, and easier to progress through. Its changes are specific: a three-category flow, explicit verification statuses, and prefilled fields where information was already verified. These are design outcomes, not claims of measured business or usability improvement.
Balancing simplicity and requirements
Break a lengthy, document-heavy process into focused steps with clearer progress indicators.
Creating visual hierarchy
Prioritize the main action, reduce distractions, and organize supporting information.
Maintaining trust
Use clear explanations, familiar patterns, and transparent communication when people share sensitive information.