Redesigning branch onboarding for advisors and their customers.

A fragmented workflow that slowed every onboarding conversation.

Advisors navigated multiple disconnected systems to open a single account. The process was repetitive, compliance-heavy, and difficult to adapt to each customer's needs.

• Fragmented systems. Advisors switched between multiple tools to complete a single onboarding session, creating delays and inconsistencies.
• Repetitive data entry. The same customer information was entered multiple times across disconnected forms and screens.
• Onboarding took 1 to 2 hours. A lengthy, compliance-driven process that frustrated both advisors and customers.
• No shared flow across products. Savings, chequing, and credit each had separate onboarding paths with duplicated steps.
• Compliance workflows were clunky. Required disclosures and ID verification were scattered across the journey rather than integrated naturally.

Understanding the workflow before redesigning it.

We ran collaborative workshops with advisors and stakeholders to map the full onboarding journey, identifying friction points, repetitive steps, and opportunities to simplify.

Journey mapping workshops with advisors helped surface where the process was most repetitive and where conversations broke down.

New customer journey map (Lisa), tracing the experience from branch entry to account activation.

Existing customer journey map (Kareem), showing how onboarding differed for returning customers adding a new product.

One unified flow for all three products.

The redesign consolidated savings, chequing, and credit onboarding into a single adaptive flow that branches only where products genuinely differ, reducing duplicated steps across the advisor workflow.

From workflow sketches to interaction design.

Early wireframes focused on modular onboarding flows and dynamic product recommendations, validating structure and information architecture before visual design began.

Low-fidelity wireframe of the personal information step, showing the step indicator, grouped form fields, and navigation pattern used throughout the flow.

Walking through the redesigned onboarding flow.

Each step was designed to support the advisor-customer conversation by reducing manual effort, surfacing the right information at the right time, and guiding both parties through the process naturally.

Step 01 · Product Selection

Advisors select products upfront, before collecting any information.

Choosing products first means the subsequent flow adapts dynamically, only showing questions relevant to what was selected.

A

Advisors could select multiple financial products at once, and onboarding adapted to cover all chosen products in a single session.

B

A compliance question about third-party account use is surfaced here, before the flow continues, keeping it contextually relevant.

Step 02 · Customer Lookup

Returning customers are identified quickly, with no manual re-entry.

For existing Scotiabank customers, PIN validation pulls their profile directly, eliminating repetitive data entry for information already on file.

C

Returning customers could be identified in seconds via PinPad, reducing the need for advisors to manually enter existing profile data.

D

A clear success state confirms identity before the flow proceeds, reducing error risk at this compliance-critical step.

Step 03 · ID Verification

Centralized identity documents, with status visible at a glance.

All ID documents on file are surfaced in one place, with verification dates and status clearly visible. Advisors can confirm, update, or add documents without navigating away.

E

Centralized ID management improved compliance workflows, letting advisors see what was already verified versus what needed attention in one view.

F

Pre-filled document data from the customer profile reduced manual entry effort for existing customers.

Step 04 · Banking Habits & Needs

A short needs assessment, designed to guide the conversation.

Simple checkbox questions help advisors understand how the customer uses banking. Written in first-person language to feel conversational, not clinical.

G

Onboarding questions helped tailor product recommendations, since selecting habits feeds directly into the suggestion on the next screen.

H

First-person language ("I mostly use…") made the questions easier for advisors to read aloud and discuss naturally with customers.

Step 05 · Recommended Package

Contextual product recommendation, with room to explore.

Based on the habits selected, the most relevant package is surfaced automatically. Advisors can explain the recommendation, compare alternatives, and configure add-ons in one place.

I

Contextual cross-sell opportunities were embedded directly in onboarding, aligned with the customer's stated banking behaviours.

J

Product recommendations came with a "Show Why" disclosure, giving advisors language to explain the suggestion naturally.

Step 06 · Product Configuration

Modular setup patterns, with expandable sections to reduce visual overload.

Configuring a credit card within the package opens a focused modal, keeping the selection contained without sending the advisor down a separate path.

K

Modular setup patterns simplified product configuration, letting advisors manage complex product bundling without losing context.

L

Expandable accordion sections in the modal reduced visual overload by showing detail only when the advisor or customer needed it.

Step 07 · Personal Information

Pre-filled where possible, grouped logically for fast review.

Personal information arrives pre-filled from the customer profile. Fields are grouped by section, such as name, address, contact, and identity, making it easy to review and correct without missing anything.

M

Reusable form patterns improved consistency across the onboarding workflow, since the same components were used throughout the application.

N

Responsive layouts supported advisor-assisted onboarding on both desktop and tablet, so the same flow worked across branch environments.

Step 08 · Product Summary & Activation

Everything reviewed in one place, before the customer leaves.

The final screen shows all products from the session, including completed items, outstanding items, and next steps. The advisor can initiate digital banking activation and provide a summary document for the customer to sign.

O

Advisors could review onboarding progress in one place, with completed and outstanding items clearly differentiated by status.

P

Digital banking activation and summary document generation were available directly in the final screen, supporting handoff before the customer left the branch.

How I contributed beyond the screens.

My involvement went beyond visual design. I worked across teams to align the experience with business goals, compliance needs, and advisor workflows.

What this project reinforced.