COAST CAPITAL

From friction to conversion: Account upgrade experience

From friction to conversion: Account upgrade experience

Q4 2025

Q4 2025

I designed a new product differentiation experience for digital account upgrades, resulting in 18x product adoption. I collaborated cross-functionally, led rapid design iterations, and ensured design quality across platforms.

I designed a new product differentiation experience for digital account upgrades, resulting in 18x product adoption. I collaborated cross-functionally, led rapid design iterations, and ensured design quality across platforms.

TRACKED OUTCOMES

This new digital experience had a significant business and user impact

This new digital experience had a significant business and user impact

Business and user lose less time while keeping more money in their pockets through better product surfacing and less transactional fees.

18x

18x

increase in product adoption

$100k +

$100k +

in Annual Recurring Recenue

Product satisfaction

Product satisfaction

through improved product awareness

PROBLEMS

Calling advice centre to upgrade accounts.

Calling advice centre to upgrade accounts.

Long wait times caused frustration, preventing adoption of our premium account tiers.

Basic account tier receives more complaints due to user dissatisfaction.

Basic account tier receives more complaints due to user dissatisfaction.

Users on the lower-tier account pay a $1.50 fee for each Interac e-Transfer.

RESEARCH & HYPOTHESIS

I conducted 10 interviews and analysed similar flows on other platforms.

I conducted 10 interviews and analysed similar flows on other platforms.

Due to budget constraints, the interviews were internal.

Key findings:

Users struggled to understand the value of upgrading.

Users struggled to understand the value of upgrading.

The discoverability of the upgrade option was ineffective.

The discoverability of the upgrade option was ineffective.

Most users wanted to know if they could revert to basic plan.

Most users wanted to know if they could revert to basic plan.

CHALLENGES FACED & HOW I TACKLED THEM

I faced multiple challenges while iterating on the design and afterwards

I faced multiple challenges while iterating on the design and afterwards

1

Internal user testing revealed that vertical layout didn’t support easy product differentiation.

Internal user testing revealed that vertical layout didn’t support easy product differentiation.

Secured buy-in for a new product comparison layout to improve the user experience of differentiating between products.

2

Continuous feedback from Legal and Product Appropriateness teams led to added content, which increased page length and diminished the overall user experience.

Continuous feedback from Legal and Product Appropriateness teams led to added content, which increased page length and diminished the overall user experience.

I worked with the content designer to reduce text wherever possible, made the account selection sticky, and organized dense information into meaningful accordions to avoid overwhelming users.

3

Stakeholders were still on fence about the discoverability of the feature.

Stakeholders were still on fence about the discoverability of the feature.

I added the feature right in the navigation menu and used tags to highlight the feature along with other promotional content.

FINAL DESIGNS

A digital banking experience that enables users to upgrade their account type seamlessly online.

A digital banking experience that enables users to upgrade their account type seamlessly online.

This feature release addressed key pain points, including long wait times when contacting the Advice Centre, frequent complaints about Interac e-Transfer charges, and the limited benefits of the base account tier.

WHAT DID I LEARN

Some key stakeholders tend to provide feedback late in the process, which becomes difficult to accommodate once the design has entered the development sprint.

Some key stakeholders tend to provide feedback late in the process, which becomes difficult to accommodate once the design has entered the development sprint.

To ensure all stakeholders have visibility and provide sign-off before the sprint, I introduced a separate “Stakeholder Review” design file. This file allows stakeholders to review the final designs and mark their approvals before we proceed with the development handoff.

VBH.

 © 2026. Imagination driven in the era of AI

VBH.

 © 2026. Imagination driven in the era of AI

VBH.

 © 2026. Imagination driven in the era of AI

VBH.

 © 2026. Imagination driven in the era of AI

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