Case Study: Increased loan repayment rates by 1%+ - Affirm Notification Center Design

Challenge

Affirm customers were missing loan payment deadlines, leading to late fees, customer frustration, and increased support contacts. The existing notification system was fragmented across email and SMS with no unified experience.

Solution

Designed and launched a comprehensive in-app notification center that provided personalized payment reminders, account updates, and helpful financial guidance in a single, easy-to-access location.

Impact

1%+ increase in on-time loan repayments, representing millions in reduced operational costs and improved customer experience.

Process Deep Dive

Research & Discovery

I started by understanding the root causes of payment issues and the current notification landscape.

Analyzed customer support tickets to identify common payment-related issues
Conducted user interviews with customers who had missed payments
Audited existing notification touchpoints across email, SMS, and app
Competitive analysis of notification patterns in fintech apps

Key Insights

Customers wanted proactive guidance, not just reminders
Fragmented notifications across channels created confusion
Users needed different types of information at different times in their loan lifecycle

Design Strategy

Based on the research insights, I developed a comprehensive strategy for the notification system.

Centralized all loan-related notifications in a single hub
Created personalized messaging based on loan status and user behavior
Designed progressive disclosure to avoid overwhelming users
Integrated actionable CTAs for immediate problem resolution

Implementation

Working closely with engineering and product teams to bring the solution to life.

Collaborated with engineering on real-time notification delivery system
A/B tested different messaging strategies and timing
Iterated on visual hierarchy based on user engagement data
Coordinated with customer support to align messaging

Results & Learnings

Quantified Impact

1%+

Increase in on-time loan repayments

Reduced

Customer support tickets related to payment confusion

Improved

Customer satisfaction scores for payment experience

Key Learnings

Behavioral nudges work better than aggressive reminders
Timing of notifications is as important as content
Unified experience reduces cognitive load and improves outcomes

Increased loan repayment rates by 1%+