PGPansilu Gunaratna
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Case study · GTN

Redesigning corporate client onboarding

Corporate clients complete a multi-section onboarding application before they can trade. The product owner asked me to improve its user experience. I reviewed the existing flow, documented ten usability issues and proposed a solution for each. Company policy does not allow product screens to be published, so the work is presented as written findings and redrawn wireframes.

Role
Senior UI/UX Engineer
Scope
UX review and redesign proposal
Status
In progress
8+sections
20+chapters in the largest sections
2+question sets per chapter
10usability issues identified

Findings

Proposed solution

  1. No visibility of progress.The flow has no progress indicator, no save confirmation and no status for each step.
    Proposed solutionA persistent progress indicator in the sidebar, an overview showing the status of every section, and autosave with an “All changes saved” confirmation. A home page that summarises completed steps, with a single “Continue” action and a “Needs your attention” list.
  2. Locked steps appear available.Entity Tax Residency and Controlling Persons look like standard steps but stay disabled until five earlier sections are submitted, with no lock indicator or explanation.
    Proposed solutionA lock indicator on any section that depends on another, with the reason it is unavailable.
  3. Steps appear without warning.Investment Knowledge is added only after certain answers, so the list of steps changes with no explanation.
    Proposed solutionA flow tailored to each client: earlier answers determine which steps, questions and documents appear, and a “Tailored to you” panel explains what was added or hidden, and why.
  4. The primary action looks disabled.The “Next Step” button has such low contrast that it appears inactive, and there is no option to save a draft.
    Proposed solutionA modern, high-contrast colour for the primary button so it clearly reads as active, plus Save Draft and autosave on every page.
  5. Clients must work out the rules.On Controlling Persons, clients have to recall earlier answers to decide whether the step applies, although the system already holds that information.
    Proposed solutionThe system applies earlier answers automatically, either showing the form or marking the step “Not required”.
  6. No overview of related parties.People are added one card at a time, with no summary of the directors and authorised signatories already entered.
    Proposed solutionAll related parties in one table with roles and status, live validation chips, a running ownership total and a chart that updates as people are added. Each person receives a personal link to complete their own part.
  7. No input validation.Invalid entries such as “wrwr” are accepted, and the phone field has no country code or format check.
    Proposed solutionInline validation as clients type, including a country-code phone picker with format checks and minimum-length or pattern rules on free-text fields.
  8. The longest form is overwhelming.The W-8IMY form presents 29 sections on a single page.
    Proposed solutionThe form split into short parts shown one at a time, with known details pre-filled, legal wording collapsed, irrelevant parts hidden and missing items flagged before moving on.
  9. No document tracking.After submission there is no way to upload documents or see their review status.
    Proposed solutionA document checklist showing what is approved and what still needs action, with replies to reviewer feedback on the same page. Documents can be uploaded at any time and are marked “Awaiting review”.
  10. Help is hard to find.Guidance sits behind icons rather than beside the relevant question.
    Proposed solutionA “Why we ask this” note above each set of questions, plain-language definitions beside each option and a “Use recommended for all” shortcut.
Before
Company details
Company Details
Products & Services
Source of Wealth & Source of Funds
Mode of Trading and Settlement Type
Corporate Leadership & Beneficial Owners
Investment Knowledge
Entity Tax Residency Information
Identification of Controlling Persons
FATCA Details
Fully Registered Name (in accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation) *
Does your company have any former names? *
○ Yes   ◉ No
Do you have any trading name(s)? *
○ Yes   ◉ No
Email Address *
Contact Number *
Date of Incorporation / Registration *
Incorporation / Registration Number *
Please enter registered address of the company below.
The existing flow: ten section names styled identically, with no indication of what is complete, what remains or why information is needed.
After · proposal
Company name✓ All changes saved · Just now
Overview3 of 10 done
30% · about 39 min left
About your company
!
Company details3 fields to check
✓
Products & Services4 products, 5 markets
✓
Wealth & fundsComplete
Trading & settlement5 settings left
People
People & ownershipOwners add up to 85% of 100%
Investment knowledgeAdded because you chose Options & Margin
Tax
✓
Tax residencyComplete
Overview › About your company Company details
Why we ask this. Regulations require us to verify your company, so these details must match your certificate of incorporation.
We filled in 9 fields from your certificate of incorporation and the public register. Please check them.
Identity
Registered name From certificate
Does your company have any former names?
YesNo
Registration number From certificate
Date of incorporation From certificate
Checked as you typePhone numbers, registry IDs and registration numbers are checked as they're entered.
Documents for this section
Certificate of incorporationApproved
Memorandum & articlesNeeds you
Upload documents
The proposal: grouped sections with their status, overall progress and time remaining, autosave, pre-filled fields with their source, and document tracking in each section.

Illustrative wireframes redrawn from my designs. Product branding and client data removed.