Digital Pitch

Lower.com • Jan–Feb 2024 • Lead product designer + UX researcher

Project Overview

Lower.com • Jan–Feb 2024 • Lead product designer + UX researcher

pROBLEM SPACE

Lower.com is a fintech mortgage lender that historically relied on outbound sales calls after collecting preliminary borrower information. Low contact rates and borrower reluctance to speak with sales associates before seeing real loan details caused a significant drop-off early in the sales funnel.

This project introduced Digital Pitch, an automated, personalized loan estimate experience that delivers financial clarity earlier in the funnel while preserving the downstream impact of human sales conversations.

 OUTCOMES

+14% Contact Rate Increase

Borrowers who viewed Digital Pitch were more likely to engage with a sales associate compared to the previous call-first flow.

2.5× Increase in Disclosure Conversion

Digital Pitch users were nearly 2.5× more likely to progress to the disclosure phase than non-users.

Skip to Final Designs

Context

USER CHALLENGE

Reluctance to Engage with Sales Teams

After submitting basic financial information, borrowers were contacted by sales associates before receiving a loan estimate. This created friction because:

Borrowers wanted financial clarity before committing to a conversation
Sales calls felt premature without pricing context
Users deferred or ignored outreach in favor of competitors with digital estimates

Business Challenge

Poor Qualified Lead Conversion Rates

Lower.com was losing qualified borrowers early in the funnel due to low contact rates and delayed engagement. While sales conversations significantly improved conversion, users needed a reason to opt into those conversations rather than avoid them.

DESIGN CHALLENGE

How might Lower.com motivate qualified potential borrowers to engage with sales associates during their lender selection process?

Defining the Borrower Landscape

user research • MACHINE LEARNING • USER PERSONAS

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

I conducted 20 in-depth interviews with consumers who had purchased or refinanced a home in the prior two years from competitors in the lending space.

Using categorical interview responses, I applied k-means clustering in Python to identify statistically meaningful borrower segments based on motivations, decision drivers, and engagement preferences.

“When you went online, everything was laid out for you. fees, costs, pricing. That clarity made all the difference.”

- Angie, 44, Ohio

Borrower personas

Based on clustering data, I identified 3 personas for home purchases and 3 for HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) and refinance. Of these personas, Lower.com’s highest acquisition likelihood was with the Digital Opportunist, Bottomline Refi, and Mortgage Enthusiast personas due to their openness to a digital experience and preference for quick, opportunistic transactions.

key findings

The three highest opportunity segments prioritized the following elements in their lender selection process:

Personalized assistance
Ease of application
Financial transparency

Providing users with transparent loan information while they were already engaged with the website would increase their likelihood of making contact with sales teams and provide them with the confidence to move forward with the process during sales conversations.

CORE PRODUCT CHALLENGE

Borrowers preferred a low-touch experience, however those who engaged in sales conversations were 2x more likely to convert. This meant the product needed to increase borrower confidence by providing transparency and ease of application while capitalizing on the desire for personalized assistance to initiate successful contact with sales associates.

Final Designs

The Product

Digital Pitch is an automated, personalized loan estimate that provides a transparent loan overview to qualified borrowers. The product balances the need for financial clarity and personalization with the ease of a digital experience to give potential borrowers clarity about the lending process to increase their confidence before engaging with sales associates.

Personalize loan estimates to build trust and showcase Lower.com’s transparency
Position sales as a support feature rather than the gatekeepers of loan details
Demystify the mortgage process by providing clarity and clear next steps

Design Principles

In the six weeks following launch:

Contact rates increased by 14%
Digital Pitch users were nearly 2.5× more likely to convert to disclosure
Borrower engagement shifted from passive avoidance to proactive follow-up

Results

This research served as the foundation for Lower.com’s digital lending product, highlighting opportunities to use the digital platform to support the existing sales funnel and unlock efficiency for lenders and prospective borrowers.