Rightmove

With 83% market share of the UK property market, Rightmove expanded into financial services by launching a Mortgage in Principle (MIP) application. The initial release focused exclusively on first-time buyers. While strategically sound, adoption was limited, drop-off rates were high, and the experience did not support home movers or joint applicants, two high-value segments with more complex needs.

As Product Designer, I was responsible for expanding the proposition, improving completion rates, and strengthening trust in a high-stakes financial journey. The broader business goal was to establish credibility in financial services and generate revenue through accepted mortgage applications.

Research & Discovery

I led research across first-time buyers, home movers, and joint applicants using:

• User interviews and surveys

• Persona development and journey mapping

• Heuristic evaluation of the existing flow

• Competitor benchmarking to identify trust-building patterns

Key insights revealed:

• Users were uncertain about how long the process would take

• The dark T&Cs screen created unnecessary friction and visual heaviness

• Joint applicants lacked clarity around shared progress and documentation

• Home movers required clearer handling of equity and property sale scenarios

The primary issue was not just form length, it was trust and cognitive overload.

Design Strategy

1. Reframing the Proposition

Expanding beyond first-time buyers required rethinking the information architecture to accommodate varying financial scenarios without fragmenting the experience.

I designed modular flows that adapted to applicant type while maintaining a consistent UX framework.

2. Reducing Cognitive Load

• Reorganised onboarding and consent screens

• Improved information hierarchy across all stages

• Replaced the dark T&Cs background with a lighter, cleaner design

• Simplified financial input sections for clarity

The goal was to make the application feel guided rather than interrogative.

3. Supporting Complex Applicant Types

Home Movers
Introduced logic to address simultaneous sale and purchase, including equity handling and financial bridging scenarios.

Joint Applicants
Designed shared income assessment, documentation prompts, and collaborative progress tracking to reflect real-world application dynamics.

4. Building Trust Through Transparency

Because mortgage applications require high user confidence, I introduced:

• Clear indicators of time to complete

• Explicit lender information at critical points

• Transparent explanations of data usage

• Defined expectations at each step of the journey

Trust became a design principle, not a supporting detail.

Collaboration & Delivery

I worked closely with:

• 2 Product Designers

• 3 Front-End Developers

• 2 Back-End Developers

• 1 QA

• 1 Product Owner

• 1 Business Analyst

We navigated evolving lender API changes while maintaining UX consistency. Iterative testing and heuristic reviews were used to refine friction points and continuously reduce drop-off.

Business Goal
Diversification into Financial Services with a focus on Mortgages.
Average Processing Time, Accepted Applications, Retention Post Diversification 

User Needs
Users need a straightforward, reliable, and quick way to obtain a Mortgage in Principle.
Reduction in Application Time, User Satisfaction, Conversion Rates

Audience
Single and joint applicants applying for a new mortgage or porting an existing mortgage.
Onboarding & Retention 

Team
2 Product Designers
3 FE Developers
2 BE Developers
1 QA
1 PO
1 BA

Summary Insight

Expanding beyond First-Time Buyers required reframing the proposition for distinct applicant needs, resolving trust gaps at high-friction moments, and maintaining consistency amidst evolving technical constraints. The result was a more inclusive, credible, and higher-converting mortgage application experience.