Sim2Bank Mobile Wallet

Overview

Sim2Bank is a digital wallet embedded within the 9mobile ecosystem, designed to enable users to create a wallet and perform financial transactions directly within the telecom app.

The product was part of a broader strategy to expand beyond connectivity and unlock transaction-driven revenue within the telecom ecosystem.

However, early adoption was low due to friction in the onboarding experience.

My Role

Product Designer (End-to-End UX)
Platforms

iOS, Android
Scope

Onboarding, Wallet Setup, Payment UX

Impact

+35% increase in onboarding completion rate
–28% reduction in user drop-off during registration
+20% faster wallet setup time
Increased wallet adoption within the telecom app
Improved user confidence during financial onboarding

Business Context

For 9mobile, the wallet was not just a feature, it was a strategic move into financial services.

Success depended on:

Increasing wallet adoption
Enabling transaction volume growth
Building user trust in a non-traditional financial platform

However, onboarding friction was directly limiting:

User activation
Transaction revenue potential

The Problem

The initial onboarding experience created significant friction, causing users to abandon the process before completing wallet setup.

Key issues included:

7-step onboarding flow with high cognitive load
No visibility into progress or completion time
Unclear verification feedback during critical steps
Low user confidence in financial registration

Drop-off rates increased sharply after step 4, indicating verification fatigue and uncertainty.

Evidence: Where Users Dropped Off

Original onboarding flow showing multiple steps and friction points

Users dropped off mid-way through onboarding due to unclear progress and excessive verification steps, particularly after step 4.

Key Insight

Users will complete financial onboarding only when the experience is:

Predictable (clear progress)
Fast (minimal steps)
Trustworthy (clear feedback)

The biggest barrier was not complexity alone, it was uncertainty during critical financial actions.

User journey mapping helped identify friction points during wallet verification and highlighted where users were most likely to abandon the onboarding process.

Product Strategy

The strategy focused on improving activation by reducing friction while preserving compliance and trust.

Design Principles

Reduce perceived effort during onboarding
Make system status visible at all times
Reinforce trust during financial interactions
Balance usability with KYC/compliance requirements

Key Product Decisions

1. Reduced onboarding from 7 → 4 steps

Why: Users abandoned onboarding after step 4 due to fatigue and uncertainty.
Impact: Increased completion rates by making the process feel faster and more achievable.

2. Introduced progress indicators

Why: Users needed clarity on how long onboarding would take.
Impact: Reduced anxiety and improved task completion.

3. Simplified verification flow

Why: Redundant inputs increased friction and slowed onboarding.
Impact: Faster completion and reduced cognitive load.

4. Added real-time system feedback

Why: Lack of feedback reduced trust in financial actions.
Impact: Improved user confidence during wallet setup.

Trade-Offs & Constraints

Designing within a fintech-telecom environment required balancing usability with regulatory and technical constraints.

Reducing steps had to retain mandatory KYC requirements
Simplifying flows required alignment with backend verification systems
Faster onboarding needed to maintain security and compliance standards

This meant optimising, not removing, critical verification steps.

Information Architecture Redesign

Simplified onboarding architecture showing reduced steps and improved flow

The onboarding architecture was restructured to reduce unnecessary steps while maintaining required verification processes.

Design Exploration

Multiple onboarding flows were explored through low-fidelity prototypes to test:

Step reduction strategies
Progress visibility patterns
Verification feedback models

Wireframes exploring simplified onboarding flows

Early explorations focused on reducing onboarding complexity while maintaining clarity and compliance before moving to high-fidelity designs.

Final Solution

The final onboarding experience delivered a faster, clearer, and more trustworthy wallet setup flow.

Key improvements included:

Streamlined 4-step onboarding flow
Visible progress indicators
Clear, real-time feedback
Simplified interaction patterns
Biometric authentication
Progressive KYC (Tier system)
Real-time validation
Auto-fill capabilities

Final onboarding UI with simplified flow and progress indicators

The final experience reduced friction and increased clarity, enabling users to complete onboarding with confidence.

Outcome

The redesigned onboarding flow significantly improved both user experience and product performance.

Onboarding completion increased by 35%
Drop-offs reduced by 28%
Wallet setup time improved by 20%

More importantly, this directly improved activation rates, increasing the number of users entering the payment ecosystem and supporting long-term transaction growth.

This positioned the wallet as a viable financial product within the telecom ecosystem.

Key Learnings

Designing financial products within non-financial platforms requires building trust as early as possible.
Reducing friction is not just about removing steps, it’s about removing uncertainty.
Balancing usability with compliance is critical in fintech, where simplifying experiences must not compromise security.