FinTech · Case study 02 of 12
ForumFin
ForumFin is a next-generation financial planning platform for independent financial advisers and their clients. The brief: design a product that felt trustworthy enough to connect a real bank account to, yet sophisticated enough for complex multi-goal retirement planning.
The challenge
Financial products face a brutal trust gap at onboarding — the moment users are asked to share account credentials or link financial data. Drop-off rates for competitors averaged 74% at the Plaid connection screen. ForumFin needed an onboarding flow that built confidence step-by-step, and a planning interface that made complex financial projections feel approachable rather than intimidating.
The solution
We redesigned the onboarding as a progressive trust sequence: each step reveals only what it needs, explains why it needs it, and shows the value delivered before asking for the next level of access. The planning interface uses a layered disclosure model — goals first, then scenarios, then detailed assumptions — so users start with outcomes and discover complexity only when they choose to.
Our process
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01 Trust Audit
Benchmarked 11 competing fintech onboarding flows. Identified 6 trust-breaking patterns common across the category.
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02 Onboarding Architecture
Designed a 7-step progressive disclosure onboarding. Each step validated with 5-second tests for comprehension and trust signals.
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03 Goal-Setting Interface
Built a goal canvas where users set outcomes before touching numbers. Reduces anxiety; increases completion.
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04 Scenario Modelling UX
Designed a real-time scenario slider that shows how changes in savings rate affect retirement outcomes without a financial degree.
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05 Accessibility & Testing
Full WCAG 2.1 AA audit. 8 rounds of moderated usability testing with participants aged 28–65.
Outcomes
- 61%Improvement in onboarding completion
- 4.8★App store rating at launch
- 3.2×Increase in goal-setting engagement
- WCAG AAAccessibility compliance