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New user onboarding for consumers is among PayPal's most important flows. It is the primary driver of our critical Net New Active (NNA) key performance indicator, of which Wall Street takes note in our quarterly reports. Moreover, onboarding is where our users’ first impression is a satisfying experience that produces lifelong customers. I was called upon to lead two major redesigns of this flow to improve the user experience, utilize current technologies, and meet the changing needs and expectations of our customers. The result both times was a significant improvement in overall conversion and activation.
The first time I directed the redesign of onboarding, my team made numerous improvements including reducing the number of steps and required data entry, clearer messaging and a clean, simple design and clear calls to action at each step. The new flow increased conversion in some markets by as much as 2000 bps, and my team was given a performance award for our significant achievement.
The flow my team designed in 2007-8 performed well for many years. As the design became dated, I was asked to once again lead a major redesign of the flow. Among our priorities this time was to make the flow responsive, add intelligence to customize the flow based on the user's intent, and update the design with current patterns. The new flow, still live today, eventually improved conversion by up to 220 bps and provided an experimentation platform for testing various hypotheses.