We were facing a tight timeline as we had committed to a specific deadline with the regulator to implement KYB. At the same time, we hold high standards for the verification experience and success rate, as they directly impact the number of sellers Square serve.
Speed
Quality
To balance speed and quality, we rolled out our solution in multiple stages and launch-while-learning approach. We quickly built the MVP during the pre-alpha and alpha phases, then conducted user research and leveraged data insights from those releases to inform the design for the Beta and GA stages.
To quickly understand industry norms and get inspiration from the best practices, a competitive analysis was conducted.
We found that while companies collect similar types of information for verification, the specific details often vary. We also observed that companies provide supporting information to help users complete forms—even for fields that may seem straightforward.
To better understand how sellers perceive verification during onboarding and the challenges they face throughout the process, I collaborated with a UX research to interview 10 participants. These included both prospective and current sellers, representing a variety of business roles and structures.
Onboarding as a trust-building process
To sellers, the onboarding phase is more than just an initial setup; it’s their first interaction and experience with Square. This phase plays a key role in setting the tone for their relationship with us.
Desire to understand purpose behind data
Sellers consistently want to understand the rationale and why behind information requests. They’re seeking clarity on hwo their information will be used and why it’s needed.
"Hold my hand" vs. "savvy and proactive sellers"
Some sellers are in initial stages of their business journey and often seek guidance throughout the information sharing stage, while some with prior knowledge prefer a more streamlined approach.
Sellers have diverse backgrounds
Some requirements might be challenging for specific user segments (e.g. people to immigrate to US recently), there’s an appreciation for flexibility and alternatives in the verification process.
AlPHA RESULT
Closer analysis of the data revealed that the drop-off wasn't linear—there were noticeable spikes on certain screens, suggesting specific reasons behind seller drop-off
⬇️ 69% churn - The second retry screen
⬇️ 28% churn - Identity verification intro screen
⬇️ 34% churn - Beneficial ownership screen
While the reasons for drop-off on some screens were obvious—such as the retry screen, which clearly reflected sellers’ frustration—others were less clear. However, we did have a few assumptions.
Ideating
Drawing on user research findings and data insights from the previous two launches, I explored multiple directions to help sellers enter accurate information, streamline the verification experience, and minimize drop-offs.
🧠 Ensure accurate information input.
Idea 1 - Review before submitting
Idea 2 - Single-page form for easier review
Idea 3 - Verify through biz doc
🧠 Make retry easy.
Idea 1 - Support correction of single input from the review screen
Idea 2 - Provide alternative verification methods early
To validate our assumptions about the drop-off reasons and test the new designs, we conducted a second round of user interviews with 9 sellers.
1
All participants found the overall process easy and intuitive. 🥳
2
The cumulative weight of sharing information can overwhelm sellers during onboarding.
3
Sellers who prioritize speed are more inclined to choose document verification.
Assess seller's willingness and readiness in providing business documents for verification.
FINAL DESIGN
BETA
Empower sellers with more control and foster a sense of accomplishment
Added a progress tracker and process preview to clarify the onboarding journey, while allowing sellers to exit freely. Also improved transparency around data usage and offered extra details for privacy-conscious sellers.
Help sellers enter accurate information for verification.
Introduced improvements like clearer helper text and address format suggestions to reduce errors and prevent verification failures.
Introduce alternative verification methods earlier
Enabled sellers to choose an alternative verification method right after the first failed attempt, instead of requiring three failures before falling back to the other verification method.
GA
Eliminate confusion around the term beneficial owners.
Replaced financial jargon by clearly defining the two roles as business owner and executive manager , helping sellers more easily identify whose information to provide.
We also build the web experience!
GA IMPACT
