Please note:
Due to the sensitive nature of information and NDA clauses, client identities have been anonymised in my case studies.
Case Study shortened on mobile
Integrating a Third-Party WhatsApp Service
About the project
The bank aimed to test a new customer engagement channel — WhatsApp — to reduce drop-offs and improve conversion in the “Apply for a Home Loan” journey. Traditionally, if a user abandoned the application, communication only occurred halfway through the journey (via SMS or email). By integrating WhatsApp, the bank could proactively re-engage users earlier in the funnel, offering a more immediate, conversational experience. This was scoped as a 3-month proof of concept (POC).
Tested WhatsApp as a new engagement channel to reduce drop-offs and increase conversions in the home loan application journey.
My role
As the Product Designer, I led the UX and UI design process for both the redesigned DSP (Digital Sales Platform) flow and the integration of WhatsApp as a new channel. I handled journey analysis, customer segmentation logic (New to Bank vs. New to Product), conversational UX design, and worked closely with Meta’s guidelines and a third-party vendor to deliver a viable experience.
Product Designer — UX & UI design, journey mapping, conversational UX, stakeholder and vendor collaboration.
Process Overview
Designing for a new communication channel — especially one governed by a third party like Meta — required careful research and cross-functional alignment.
As-Is Journey Mapping & Touchpoint Audit
I began by creating a high-level flowmap of the existing journey. This included identifying all digital touchpoints (email and SMS) and pinpointing where in the funnel these were triggered. This helped the team understand not only when customers dropped off, but where intervention would be most effective.
Mapped current journey to identify existing SMS/email touchpoints.
Page-by-Page Data Analysis
Using analytics data, we identified the specific pages in the home loan application flow with the highest bounce rates. This allowed us to segment users by drop-off stage and craft tailored WhatsApp interventions for different moments in the journey.
Used analytics to pinpoint high drop-off pages.
To-Be Flowmap & New User Flow Design:
With the drop-off insights in hand, I mapped a new user flow. This version integrated WhatsApp as a dynamic engagement layer while also redesigning the DSP journey for New to Bank (NTB) and New to Product (NTP) users. This required multiple iterations with stakeholders, as customer types needed to receive personalised messaging without compromising data privacy or compliance.
Designed a new flow integrating WhatsApp at key drop-off moments.
Conversational UX
Meta Policy Compliance: WhatsApp is owned by Meta, which enforces strict communication policies — especially around unsolicited messaging and template approval. I worked closely with the third-party vendor to ensure that our flows followed Meta’s Business Policy guidelines and that every message type (reminders, feedback prompts, drop-off nudges) was correctly scoped and compliant.
Messaging Strategy: The conversational design layer included three core types of WhatsApp communication:
- Reminder nudges when users dropped off early.
- Voice of the Customer (VoC) feedback collection for those who disengaged.
- CX check-ins to support users who completed the journey.
These messages had to feel human and helpful without overwhelming or confusing users — requiring precise copy and flow mapping.
Developed conversational UX compliant with Meta’s policies.
Enhanced UX for Returning Customers
Pre-Filled Data for Existing Users: For customers already within the bank’s ecosystem, I enabled a login feature on DSP that would pull data from their Customer Information File (CIF). This allowed us to prepopulate form fields, drastically reducing friction and improving completion rates for known users. It also required designing conditional logic and field validation across different form states.
Created tailored flows for New-to-Bank (NTB) and New-to-Product (NTP) users.
Enabled login and pre-fill for existing users to simplify form completion.
Outcome
The redesigned DSP experience and WhatsApp integration were successfully handed off to development and the third-party vendor. The solution is currently in its 3-month proof-of-concept phase, with the potential to roll out across additional home loan products depending on performance.
WhatsApp comms and redesigned flow handed over to devs. 3-month proof of concept now in progress.
Key Takeaways
- Working with third-party vendors requires proactive collaboration. Keeping them in the loop from day one helped reduce rework and ensured aligned timelines.
- Conversational UX is more complex than it appears. Balancing engagement with compliance — especially with Meta’s rules — added an extra layer of challenge.
- Good design accelerates trust. Pre-filling form fields and optimising flows for known customers helped create a smoother, faster experience.
Partner early with vendors and legal.
Meta compliance makes conversational design tricky.
Personalised experiences boost completion rates.