Pre Big Swing
A redesign that turned friction into trust – proven with data
PRODUCT DESIGN
UX STRATEGY
STAKEHOLDER ALIGNMENT
DATA-DRIVEN DESIGN
USER RESEARCH
Overview
In 2021, the team launched a PRE-mortgage-rate experience that provided substantial context to our users before they actually got into the rates page. This initiative derived from Google's E-E-A-T requirements, to which performed amazingly. Driving 78% of earned rate table sessions and 63% of vertical revenue.
However, by 2025, the Google algorithm began prioritizing AI overviews, and competitors had pivoted to a simpler rate-forward direction. This created friction for our current experience that caused our users to turn-away. For this project, I explored, iterated, and tested designs that can satisfy our user needs without causing friction to another.
Solution
My goal was to get our users to the rates, and feel supported with additional context to make this important decision. After several variations, and cross collaboration with business and creative stakeholders, I designed 2 directions to test against the live-experience: an intent-led flow that collected loan details upfront to personalize results, and a rates-led design that surfaced daily mortgage data above the fold.
After finalizing the designs, I ran testing through Userlytics with 101 external participants and we discovered a clear split: high-intent users who wanted rates immediately; and first-time shoppers who needed context and guidance. This determined that the final design required a combination that supports both sides of the table, in one page. The final design leads with live rate data to satisfy high-intent users immediately, then layers personalization tools and supporting context below for users who need it. Dropdown loan-type filters were also replaced with high-visibility buttons to reduce friction at a key decision point.
Results
The design launched as a live A/B test and improved every core conversion metric within one week:
RPS +5%
Click-to-lead CVR +8%
Total revenue +4%
CTR -3% (offset by higher lead quality)
Filter engagement +54% following the button redesign
Unfortunately, the test was paused due to organic ranking volatility while SEO and product teams worked through a path forward — a known risk that had been flagged and debated before launch.
ROLE
ASSOCIATE PRODUCT DESIGNER
TIMELINE
Q3 (6 WEEKS)
TOOLS
FIGMA
USERLYTICS
FIGJAM
CHATGPT + CLAUDE