Prosper was founded in 2005 as the first peer-to-peer lending marketplace in the United States. Since then, Prosper has facilitated more than $23 billion in loans to more than 1,400,000 people. Through Prosper, people can invest in each other in a way that is financially and socially rewarding. Borrowers apply online for a fixed-rate, fixed-term loan between $2,000 and $50,000. Individuals and institutions can invest in the loans and earn attractive returns.
Our primary objective in this project was to redesign our existing homepage to showcase the diverse products that Prosper provides, ensuring adaptability for the potential addition of more products in the future. Our subsequent aim was to establish uniformity across the product landing pages.
Problem statement
Historically, Prosper's homepage was designed with a sole emphasis on the Personal Loan product. As we've evolved, introducing offerings such as Credit Cards and Home Equity products, it has become evident that our homepage requires a more comprehensive and adaptable design. The current format, while effective in the past, now presents scalability challenges given our expanding product suite. Additionally, there's a discernible inconsistency in design across our product landing pages, which needs addressing to ensure a cohesive brand presentation and to enhance user experience.
Design process
I began with an in-depth analysis of user interactions and engagement metrics on the existing homepage. Subsequently, stakeholder interviews were conducted, coupled with collecting feedback from existing customers, to understand both business and user expectations for the new layout.
Recognizing that 50% of our users access our platform via mobile devices, it became imperative to integrate a mobile-first design approach into our process. This meant that while redesigning Prosper's homepage and product landing pages, special attention was given to ensuring optimal mobile user experience. Our design layouts were made responsive to accommodate various screen sizes, with touch-friendly navigation and faster load times.
Using this information, our team engaged in brainstorming sessions to determine key design elements that would cater to scalability and inclusivity of multiple products. The next phase involved creating preliminary wireframes, which visualized the new homepage layout. These wireframes were not only improved iteratively based on internal reviews but also underwent usability testing with a selected group of users to gauge the design's effectiveness and identify potential pain points.
Prosper homepage & landing pages
Insights
Financial products can be intricate. Many participants prefer simplified language with fewer jargons.
People resist the feeling of being pressured into a product.
Existing users prefer not to relearn an entirely new navigation system.
Many participants prefer to receive detailed information about a product on the homepage.
Design solutions
Showcase all the product lines above the fold.
Implement a responsive design to ensure compatibility across devices.
Prioritize essential information, using clear and concise language.
Incorporate user reviews or testimonials to build trust.
Include clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons, guiding users toward the next step.
Parallelly, we audited all existing product landing pages to identify inconsistencies in design language and user experience, formulating a style guide to ensure a uniform presentation across the board. The design concepts were then transformed into high-fidelity prototypes, which underwent rigorous A/B testing to gauge their effectiveness and usability. Upon validating the designs, we collaborated closely with the developers to implement the new homepage and landing page designs.
Finally, post-launch analytics and user feedback were meticulously analyzed to make any necessary adjustments and optimizations, ensuring alignment with our goal of a scalable, consistent user experience across all products.