UX/UI Case Study
Personal loans,
without the anxiety.
FinJ matches users with 50+ lenders in minutes, with zero impact on their credit score.
Loan discovery in India is broken.
Applying is fragmented, confusing, and stressful. Users give up before they ever see an offer.
How might we make loan discovery feel fast, trustworthy, and personal, without overwhelming the user?
Reduce onboarding friction
Build trust at every step
A clear, linear funnel
Graceful error handling
A modern, credible UI
What we learned.
Competitor audit of BankBazaar, Bajaj Finserv, MoneyView & CASHe, plus secondary fintech UX research.
Drop-off peaks at form-heavy steps
Flows that feel like a government form get abandoned.
CIBIL fear is a real barrier
Users hesitate to apply anywhere, afraid of score damage.
Phone-first converts best
Mobile number is the lowest-friction entry point.
Purpose signals personalization
Categories make offers feel tailored, not generic.
Progress cuts abandonment
"2 of 5" tells users the end is in sight.
Common competitor flaw
Too many fields, no inline validation, no reassurance, vague CTAs.
A strict 5-step funnel.
Each screen does one job. One job is easy to finish.
Phone-first, OTP via SMS & WhatsApp.
₹50K–₹50L slider, purpose chips.
Name, DOB, PIN auto-detect, email.
Employment type & income bracket.
Soft check, then offers from 50+ lenders.
Where the thinking lives.
Phone-first authentication
One input. No password. +91 pre-filled, CTA disabled until the number is valid. The user's only job is to type a number, the lowest possible cognitive load.
OTP with an attempt counter
Six auto-advancing digit boxes. On a wrong code: "Enter correct OTP - 4 left." Showing remaining attempts removes uncertainty and prevents surprise lockouts, so users never feel stuck.
Amount slider + purpose chips, one screen
Combining related inputs cuts the perceived step count. A tactile slider sets the amount; toggle chips (Medical, Wedding, Education…) capture intent. Selected = purple fill, unselected = outline.
The loading screen as a trust builder
At the exact moment of maximum hesitation, FinJ surfaces the reassurance: a soft-check badge confirming this does not affect the CIBIL score. Copy is UX. It calms the user when it matters most.
Inline validation
Errors sit directly under the field, following Gestalt proximity. Red is used only for errors.
Smart details
PIN auto-resolves to a locality; email chips append the domain in one tap.
Minimal KYC
A single PAN field fetches KYC, reassured inline with “no credit impact.”
Single-select list
Full-width rows beat dropdowns, with bigger tap targets, scannable at a glance.
A consistent, scalable kit.
First-class, not afterthoughts.
Every error state was mapped before the happy path was finalized.
Red border + inline message; CTA activates so the user can correct.
Inline error with a remaining-attempts counter ("4 left").
Continue button stays disabled until complete.
"See My Offers" stays disabled until one is chosen.
The logged-in app.
Tracking, offers, and a reassuring hand-off to the lender.
Resume where you left off, step by step.
Rate, limit, and EMI compared at a glance.
Co-branded redirect, never a dead end.
Profile management.
After the funnel, users manage their details: edit photo, name, contact, and address with a top-right Save, following standard mobile conventions.
One brand, every screen.
A responsive marketing site carries the funnel from desktop to mobile.
Research to handoff in 14 days.
Speed vs. trust
Five intentional steps, not one long form, resolved the tension between fast input and trust data.
CIBIL anxiety
Layout alone couldn't fix emotional hesitation. The reassurance copy did. It was added late, and mattered most.
Errors under pressure
Designing error states first, before the happy path, kept them first-class in a tight timeline.
In fintech, trust is the product. Every micro-decision, from an error border to a validation message to a soft-check badge, decides whether a user feels safe.