NerdWallet · Product Strategy & Research

Making Sign-Up Make Sense

I led stakeholder and user research, analyzed hundreds of session replays, and mapped the sign-up journey to uncover why people were abandoning it. The redesign generated 1,000 additional sign-ups each month and increased conversion by 5.5%.

Methods

Stakeholder interviews User interviews Session replay analysis Funnel analysis Journey mapping Five-second testing Concept testing A/B testing

Timeline

Jun-Aug 2022
A conversion problem that turned out to be a journey problem.
Redesigned NerdWallet sign-up flow on desktop Redesigned NerdWallet sign-up flow on mobile
The challenge

NerdWallet wanted more account sign-ups.

The existing experience combined account creation, security, goal selection, and onboarding into one continuous journey. I reframed the work around three questions: where people were leaving, what drove the drop-off, and which steps actually belonged in sign-up.

Value propositionExplain why an account matters
Enter account infoCollect the required details
Security questionComplete the final required step
Choose a goalBegin onboarding
Begin goal setupContinue onboarding
How might NerdWallet increase account sign-ups?
01 · Build context

I connected what the business knew, what users expected, and what people actually did.

I used each source to answer a different part of the problem. Stakeholders surfaced internal goals and assumptions. Users explained how the journey felt. Session replays and funnel data showed where expectations broke down in practice.

20

Internal stakeholder interviews

Aligned on the business goal, prior decisions, team constraints, and competing definitions of a successful sign-up.

50

User interviews

Explored expectations, motivation, trust, perceived effort, and what people believed they would receive from an account.

100s

Session replays

Observed hesitation, backtracking, abandonment, and the points where people appeared to lose their sense of progress.

Organizational context
+
User expectations
+
Behavioral evidence
02 · Map the journey

The finish line kept moving.

I mapped the journey from the first value message through account creation, security, goal selection, and the first goal flow. I layered interviews, session behavior, and funnel data onto each stage to show where sign-up became onboarding.

Stage
Value proposition
Enter account info
Security question
Choose a goal
Begin goal setup
Monthly users
6,012Start
4,858-19.2%
4,446-8.5%
2,021-54.5%
1,504-25.6%
Barrier
Why join?The value was easy to miss.
Is this NerdWallet?The page felt generic and disconnected from NerdWallet.
How much longer?Another required step made the finish line less clear.
Am I still signing up?The largest drop came when onboarding began.
When does it end?Only one in four starters reached this point.
Current NerdWallet sign-up page using a generic blue illustration and limited NerdWallet branding

The entry point barely looked like NerdWallet.

The cool blue palette, generic illustration, and lack of product context made the page feel disconnected from the brand. In five-second testing, only 33% recognized NerdWallet.

NerdWallet bundled account creation, security, onboarding, and personalization into one commitment.
54.5%

Drop at goal selection

The sharpest loss happened after the core account steps, when the experience shifted into setup.

66%

Unclear on the value

Interview participants were unsure why they should create an account or what they would gain.

33%

Brand recall

The five-second test showed that the experience did little to reinforce who users were signing up with.

03 · Set the experience strategy

I translated the evidence into four experience principles.

These principles gave the team a shared way to evaluate concepts. They connected the business goal to what users needed from the journey before any visual direction was chosen.

01

Clarify the value upfront.

Show what an account unlocks before asking people to provide personal information.

02

Create a real finish line.

End account creation once the required account and security steps are complete.

03

Set expectations early.

Use a visible three-stage progress indicator so people know what remains.

04

Make it feel like NerdWallet.

Use the product, brand, and visual language to build recognition and trust throughout the journey.

04 · Build alignment

I kept the team aligned as the strategy took shape.

I regularly presented synthesis and design directions to product, design, research, and engineering partners, using interview findings and behavioral data to build shared understanding and buy-in.

05 · Align on direction

I tested the tradeoffs, then combined the strongest parts.

I tested two low-fidelity directions and reviewed them with the product design team. One felt simple but left little room to communicate value. The other made the product more visible but increased perceived effort.

Single-column low-fidelity NerdWallet sign-up concept

Single-column direction

Clear, familiar, and easy to scan. The layout gave the product story very little space.

Split-screen low-fidelity NerdWallet sign-up concept

Split-screen direction

Stronger value visibility and brand presence. The two-column layout felt denser and translated poorly to mobile.

Decision criteria
Single column
Split screen
Final direction
Clarity
Strong
Mixed
Strong
Value visibility
Limited
Strong
Strong
Perceived effort
Low
Higher
Low
Mobile fit
Strong
Weak
Strong
Brand expression
Limited
Strong
Strong

Chosen direction

Single-column clarity Visible progress Stronger product preview
06 · Refine the first screen

I refined the entry point across three layouts.

Each high-fidelity iteration used the same core content. I varied the hierarchy, product imagery, and balance between the form and value proposition before selecting the final direction.

First high-fidelity layout iteration of the NerdWallet sign-up screen
Iteration 01

Balanced the form with a large product preview and supporting card.

Second high-fidelity layout iteration of the NerdWallet sign-up screen
Iteration 02

Shifted emphasis toward the dashboard preview to make the product feel more tangible.

Third high-fidelity layout iteration of the NerdWallet sign-up screen
Iteration 03

Brought the benefit statement and product card into tighter visual alignment.

07 · Launch the final flow

A clear endpoint separated sign-up from onboarding.

The final journey ended once the required account and security steps were complete. Goal selection remained available afterward, without blocking a completed sign-up.

Before

Value proposition→ Enter account info→ Security question→ Choose goal→ Begin goal setup
→

After

Enter account info→ Security question→ Sign-up complete→ Optional onboarding
Engineering handoff

I partnered with engineering to translate the final flow, interaction details, and edge cases into the build.

Impact

The redesigned flow increased completed sign-ups, reduced time to completion, and made NerdWallet easier to recognize.

+1,000 additional sign-ups per month
+5.5% conversion increase
75% brand recall, up from 33%
-3 min time to complete
Reflections

What strengthened the work

Bring qualitative and behavioral evidence together.

Interviews explained what people expected. Replays and funnel data showed what happened. The journey map connected the two.

Define the criteria before designing the screens.

The experience principles gave the team and stakeholders the same criteria for evaluating concepts and resolving tradeoffs.

Separate sign-up from deeper setup.

People were ready to create an account. Deeper personalization belonged after that commitment was complete.