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Fintech · Banking · UX Optimization

Simplifying KYC Re-verification

Role
Sr. Product Designer
Company
Leading Ukrainian Bank
Year
2024 - 2025
Scope
UX optimization, A/B testing
Reducing KYC Drop-off
Contents
Overview
Problem
Discovery
Solution
Validation
Results
Reflection

Overview

Users were required to periodically update their KYC information. During this process, they were always asked to upload photos of their identity document - even when they hadn't changed it. Support repeatedly reported that customers were abandoning the flow because they were unsure whether they actually needed to upload new documents.

Context
Mandatory periodic KYC data update for all bank customers
Problem
Document upload shown to everyone - users assumed new scans were mandatory
Insight
Most users were not changing their identity document at all
Solution
Progressive disclosure - upload appears only when the document actually changes
Validation
A/B experiment against the original flow in production
Outcome
Drop-off cut from 38% to 8%

The problem

Support tickets and completion analytics pointed to the same issue: users couldn't understand when a document upload was actually required. The interface displayed the upload section by default, making people assume new scans were mandatory. This created unnecessary friction and caused users to leave the flow before completion.

"Do I really need to re-upload my passport? Nothing changed." - recurring support ticket theme

Discovery

I interviewed support agents, reviewed customer feedback, and analyzed the KYC journey end to end. The key insight was surprisingly simple: most users were not changing their identity document at all. They only needed to confirm existing information - yet the interface forced everyone through the same upload step.

Hypothesis
If document upload is shown only when it's actually required, users will experience less cognitive load, complete the flow faster, and abandon it less frequently.

Solution

Instead of always displaying the upload area, I applied the Progressive Disclosure principle. The document upload section remained hidden by default and appeared only when the user changed something that legally requires re-verification - the document type, or their first or last name. This aligned the UI with the user's actual task and removed an unnecessary decision for the majority of users.

I applied the same principle to the document detail fields - record number, document number, issuing authority, and issue / expiry dates. Rather than showing this dense block to everyone, I collapsed it behind a "Document details" accordion that stays closed by default and expands automatically - together with the upload step - only when a change makes re-entering them mandatory. Users can also open it manually at any time if they simply want to review the data. Same goal: keep the default view calm and reduce cognitive load, surfacing information only when it's actually needed.

Before Document details and upload always visible - even when nothing changed.
Data Update ✕
Personal Information
Last Name
First Name
Document
Document details
Record No.
Document No.
Issuing Authority
Date of Issue
Valid Until
Tax ID Number 3322441155
Date of Birth 10/30/1987
Citizenship Ukraine
Upload photos of your ID document
Front side Drag file here or max. file size 8MB
Formats: PDF, PNG, JPEG, BMP, TIFF.
Back side Drag file here or max. file size 8MB
Formats: PDF, PNG, JPEG, BMP, TIFF.
After Try it - change the document, name or surname and watch the hidden steps appear.
Data Update ✕
Personal Information
Last Name
First Name
Document
Document details
Record No.
Document No.
Issuing Authority
Date of Issue
Valid Until
Tax ID Number 3322441155
Date of Birth 10/30/1987
Citizenship Ukraine
Before
  • Upload section and document details always visible
  • Users assumed everything was mandatory to re-enter
  • Dense form, high confusion and abandonment
After
  • Upload and document details appear automatically when the document, name or surname changes
  • Document details can also be opened manually anytime to review the data
  • Unchanged identity → nothing extra to fill in
  • Calmer default view, simpler and shorter for most users

Validation

We launched an A/B experiment comparing the original flow with the new Progressive Disclosure approach. We measured KYC completion rate, flow abandonment, and support contacts related to document upload.

Results

Drop-off Rate 38%→8%
Support tickets about upload Frequent→None Stopped surfacing in support after launch - we didn't track it as a number.
Rejection Rate 18%→8%
Online Completion Rate 48%→69% Noticeably fewer users went to offline branches to finish verification after this update.

What I learned

Small UX improvements can have an outsized business impact when they remove unnecessary complexity rather than adding new functionality.
Understanding when users don't need to do something can be more valuable than optimizing what they already do.
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