Verizon Visa Card - Frictionless credit in a complex space
Two years after Verizon’s first attempt to launch a credit card fell short, I was brought in to reimagine the experience. Partnering with Synchrony Bank, I successfully designed a streamlined, compliant, and user-centered flow that turned a failed initiative into a trusted, revenue-generating product.
Prototype: Provide on interview due to content sensitivity.
Role: Lead UX/UI Designer
Platform: Verizon E-commerce Responsive B2C (Saas)
Duration: 12 months
Tools: Figma / Figma AI, FigJam, Magician AI, Miro, Jira, Usertesting.com, Hotjar, ChatGPT, Midjourney/DALL-E, Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Confluence, Slack, Microsoft Teams.
Applying for a credit card can be one of the most frustrating digital experiences—forms are long, language is confusing, and drop-off rates are high. Verizon’s partnership with Synchrony Bank aimed to change that by creating a card that felt as intuitive as managing a phone plan. The challenge was clear: design a trustworthy application flow that minimized friction while meeting strict financial and legal requirements.
The Verizon Visa Card had to balance multiple priorities: build user confidence, reinforce Verizon’s brand identity, and ensure regulatory compliance—all without overwhelming the customer. Every design decision needed to support ease of use while still communicating critical financial information. This case study explores how I reimagined the credit card experience, turning a complex process into a streamlined, user-friendly journey.
Empathize - Listening to Customers in the Credit Flow
To design a financial product that customers would trust, I had to first understand their pain. I joined calls with Verizon customer support, observed live chat transcripts, and read through survey data capturing the frustrations of credit card applications. Patterns emerged quickly—users felt overwhelmed by lengthy forms, skeptical of unclear approval language, and anxious about whether applying would impact their credit score. For many, it wasn’t just about earning rewards; it was about trust, simplicity, and clarity in a high-stakes decision.
I expanded my research with in-depth interviews and diary studies, asking users to walk me through past application experiences with other cards. Their feedback revealed a recurring theme: “Don’t make me guess.” Customers needed transparent language, fewer interruptions, and reassurance that they were making the right choice. These emotional drivers shaped my design direction—minimizing uncertainty, cutting jargon, and placing the user in control from the very first click.
Research - Digging into User Data and Market Signals
To design an application experience that truly resonated with Verizon customers, I conducted layered research combining analytics, competitive reviews, and direct usability audits. Google Analytics revealed key drop-off moments: users hesitated at form-heavy steps, disengaged when approval messaging was unclear, and abandoned when errors appeared with no guidance. These behavioral insights clarified where confidence was most at risk.
Beyond raw numbers, I benchmarked against competing financial products to identify industry best practices and opportunities to differentiate. I also launched diary studies and remote usability sessions with Verizon Wireless customers to capture the emotional side of applying for a financial product. Their words reinforced what the data showed: clarity, reassurance, and seamless guidance mattered more than speed alone. This multi-pronged research framed the design path forward.
Analysis & Planning - From Insights to Strategy
After gathering insights from user behavior and competitor benchmarks, I began clustering findings into themes that revealed where applicants struggled most. Affinity mapping exposed friction points: long application sequences, ambiguous legal copy, and users losing trust when redirected to Synchrony Bank for pre-qualification.
With these insights, I developed a clear strategy: shorten the path to application, clarify legal and financial jargon, and design reassuring waypoints that guided users seamlessly across Verizon’s ecosystem and into Synchrony’s flow. Planning workshops with product managers and legal stakeholders aligned everyone on a phased rollout that balanced compliance with user confidence
Wireframing - Sketching Confidence into Flow
I translated research insights into low-fidelity wireframes that mapped the credit application journey step by step. My focus was on creating a seamless bridge between Verizon’s branded environment and Synchrony’s pre-qualification process. By sketching out each screen, I ensured early visibility into how trust cues and simplified steps could reduce friction.
Wireframes allowed me to quickly test ideas with stakeholders, aligning legal, product, and design teams before investing in high-fidelity mockups. Iterating in grayscale helped highlight structure, copy clarity, and interaction points—without the distraction of visual styling. These foundational layouts became the blueprint for building confidence into a high-stakes financial flow.
Design Systems - Building with Monarch 3.0
To bring consistency and scalability, I built the experience within Monarch 3.0, Verizon’s enterprise design system. Leveraging established typography, color tokens, and interactive components, I ensured every element felt seamless across the Verizon ecosystem and the Synchrony pre-qualification flow.
Reusable components created consistency across navigation, alerts, and menus. This library accelerated development while keeping the applicant’s experience intuitive and distraction-free. By grounding the project in Monarch 3.0, we not only streamlined delivery but also future-proofed the design for ongoing enhancements across Verizon’s digital products.
Design - Bringing Clarity to Credit
With the system foundation in place, I translated wireframes into high-fidelity designs that emphasized clarity, trust, and speed. Bold typography and simplified iconography guided applicants through each step, while visual hierarchy made dense financial content easier to digest under pressure.
I carefully balanced Verizon’s brand voice with Synchrony’s requirements, ensuring applicants felt reassured while navigating critical decisions. Strategic use of color reinforced states of progress, warnings, and success, while spacing and alignment created an open, trustworthy layout. The result was a visually polished flow that built confidence at every interaction.
Prototyping - Testing the Flow Before it Counts
I transformed high-fidelity designs into interactive Figma prototypes, simulating the end-to-end Verizon Visa Card application experience. These prototypes allowed stakeholders to click through the journey, validate transitions, and experience the flow as applicants would.
Building interactive prototypes surfaced early friction points—confusing copy, unclear next steps, and moments where trust signals weren’t strong enough. Iterating rapidly in Figma let me adjust designs before development began, ensuring a polished, confident experience that felt seamless from Verizon’s landing page through Synchrony’s application process.
Testing - Validating Under Real Conditions
I conducted moderated usability sessions and remote studies to observe applicants navigating the credit card flow. Watching where users hesitated revealed critical friction points—unclear redirect messaging, legal copy confusion, and progress uncertainty.
Quantitative data from GA4 validated these findings, showing high drop-off rates during redirect and disclosure steps. Iterating on trust signals, simplified copy, and clearer wayfinding improved confidence and reduced abandonment. Testing not only refined the experience but also built alignment between design, product, and legal stakeholders.
Launch - Delivering a Confident Experience
Despite the complexity of financial compliance, I successfully launched the Verizon Visa Card application flow in collaboration with Synchrony Bank. We throttled the rollout to 1%, gradually expanding toward the 100% goal.
This measured approach ensured stability, validated improvements, and allowed us to monitor trust and drop-off metrics in real time. Applicants experienced a streamlined, branded journey from Verizon into Synchrony’s system. Launch wasn’t just about pushing designs live—it was about delivering a confident, transparent experience that aligned business goals with user needs.
Iteration - Refining for Trust and performance
After launch, I closely monitored analytics and user feedback to identify new friction points. GA4 and support insights revealed areas for improvement—specifically around redirect clarity, disclosure readability, and mobile responsiveness.
I iterated by refining trust messaging, simplifying legal content, and optimizing layouts for smaller screens. These updates reduced drop-offs and improved comprehension. Iteration wasn’t a one-time pass—it became an ongoing cycle of listening, learning, and adjusting, ensuring the Verizon Visa Card application stayed seamless, compliant, and user-centered as business and user needs evolved.
