Improving Your Mortgage On the Go

At Quicken Loans, we take extreme pride in having industry-leading online tools. So when we had the opportunity to take an already-awesome MyQL, a loan status/process application and make it even better, we rolled up our sleeves, got a few cases of Red Bull and got to work.

My Role

In 2014, I was part of the design team and responsible for the improved experience, strategy and design of the MyQL application. I worked alongside a mobile app designer, who focused on the Android/iOS app. Together we led the UX work, producing all major deliverables and presenting these to the team leaders and product managers.

Starting on the Same Page

Meeting with current clients, mortgage bankers and product managers helped us understand users and business challenges. Together we identified risks and aligned on expectations and constructed a shared vision for the enhanced features. Following this, we crafted an experience strategy outlining our iterative approach and direction for the application.

A Collaboration with Lean UX

Working with our UX researchers, we started the project with rapid sketching, prototyping, user feedback and design mockups. This sparked tons of great ideas and created an early team‐wide alignment.

Designing for What Users Want to Know, Do and Need

We revamped MyQL’s homepage to give clients only the most relevant information right when they sign in. Clients could access their profile at any time to change notifications preferences (email, SMS or phone calls). Loan Tracker provided a quick loan update throughout the entire process, and finally a message board allows clients to post and track questions.

The Refinement

To ensure the test was realistic, we used a real build of the application. We tested real users both internally and externally. We also interviewed and shadowed client relationship specialists, underwriters and mortgage bankers who interact with clients using MyQL daily, to help define tasks, establish objectives and evaluate the application.