Simplifying Document Collection for Credit Assessment at Scale
Executive Overview:
This project focused on designing a document collection and management panel for credit managers responsible for evaluating customer creditworthiness.
The existing process relied heavily on fragmented systems, manual follow-ups, and poor visibility into document status. This created delays, increased operational overhead, and made it difficult for credit managers to make timely, confident decisions.
My role was to redesign this experience end to end, with a focus on clarity, efficiency, and decision support rather than surface-level UI improvements.
The Problem
Credit managers were spending a disproportionate amount of time chasing documents instead of evaluating them.
The challenges were systemic:
- Documents arrived through multiple channels with no single source of truth
- There was no clear visibility into what was missing, complete, or pending
- Follow-ups were manual and repetitive
- Important credit decisions were delayed due to operational friction
This wasn’t just a UX issue.
It was an operational bottleneck that affected turnaround time and the quality of risk assessment
.
Understanding the Users
The primary users were credit managers working under time pressure, handling multiple cases simultaneously.
Through interviews and workflow analysis, a few patterns became clear:
- Credit managers cared less about “document upload” and more about decision readiness
- Their mental model revolved around cases, not files
- Status visibility mattered more than file organisation
- Reducing follow-up effort was as important as collecting documents
The design needed to support how credit managers think and work, not how systems traditionally store files.
Design Approach
Instead of designing a generic document manager, I reframed the problem around credit evaluation workflows.
My approach focused on three principles:
- Make document status instantly understandable
- Reduce manual follow-ups through system cues
- Keep the interface focused on decisions, not storage
This meant designing the experience around cases and progress, rather than folders and uploads.
Key Design Decisions
1. Case-Centric Document View
Documents were grouped by credit cases instead of users or file types.
This allowed credit managers to:
- See all required documents in one place
- Understand completeness at a glance
- Move from document review directly into evaluation
The interface shifted from “file management” to “case readiness”.
2. Clear Status Indicators
Each document was assigned a clear state:
- Pending
- Submitted
- Verified
- Rejected
This removed ambiguity and reduced the need for manual checking or follow-ups.
Status clarity became a core usability feature, not a secondary detail.
3. Guided Follow-Ups
Instead of relying on manual reminders, the system surfaced:
- Missing documents
- Delays beyond defined thresholds
- Next recommended actions
This helped credit managers focus their effort where it mattered most, without tracking everything mentally.
4. Progressive Disclosure
The interface avoided overwhelming users with unnecessary controls.
High-level status was visible by default.
Detailed document previews and actions were available when needed.
This kept the experience efficient for frequent use without sacrificing depth.
Outcomes & Impact
The redesigned panel significantly improved operational clarity and efficiency.
Key outcomes included:
- Faster identification of incomplete cases
- Reduced manual follow-up effort
- Improved turnaround time for credit evaluations
- Better confidence in decision-making due to clear document status
While the tool was internal-facing, its impact directly influenced customer experience by reducing approval delays.
What This Project Reinforced for Me
- Internal tools deserve the same design rigor as customer-facing products
- Good UX in enterprise systems is about reducing cognitive load, not adding features
- When workflows are clear, users don’t need to “work around” the system
This project strengthened my belief that design has a critical role in operational efficiency, especially in high-stakes financial environments.
Why This Case Study Still Matters
Although this project was completed earlier in my career, it reflects themes that continue to define my work:
- Systems thinking over screens
- Workflow clarity over visual polish
- Designing for real-world constraints
It represents the foundation of how I approach complex, operationally heavy products today.