Tldr: The problem and solution

The Upcoming Bills feature at ClearScore provides users with timely insights about bills due in the next 7 days that may affect their credit score. This feature displays this information on an insights page, allowing users to view upcoming bill details and prompting them to reconnect their linked accounts when necessary.

I designed a feature alongside my team and tested the impact of showing these insights to users, which led to an 8.77% increase in OB re-authentication and 17.3% higher engagement with the bill insights. The insight has since gone on to be one of the most viewed insights on ClearScore.

Understanding the users

To understand the pain points more clearly, 9 semi-structured, moderated interviews were conducted with ClearScore users on Dscout from a variety of backgrounds and financial situations. 4 users also use CreditKarma, 6 use Experian and 1 uses CheckMyFile. This research was essential in understanding pain points surrounding everyday bill management behaviours.

The main question here was, "Do users understand the impact of bills on their credit health?"

Insights from the user interviews

The interviews spanned over a week and getting to talk to the users was significant. The key insights they revealed were:

◆ The initial hypothesis that users paying via Direct Debit (DD) wouldn’t find bill insights valuable was disproven. While DD users may have automatic payments set up, many still struggle with tracking payments due to inconsistent bank reminders.

◆ Many users, especially those with lower credit scores, struggled to track which bills impacted their score. There was significant confusion about whether certain bills, such as Netflix or mobile phone contracts, would affect their credit scores.

◆ Many users relied heavily on reminders, especially for bills not on Direct Debit, such as quarterly payments or variable payments. Some used Apple Calendar or set multiple phone reminders.

What is the product opportunity?

We recognized an opportunity to help users understand and manage their bills more effectively, providing them with the tools to avoid missed payments and, ultimately, improve their credit health.

While ideating, I focused on making the accounts authentication process streamlined to minimize user drop-offs. The connection experience was designed to be frictionless and familiar, ensuring visual consistency with ClearScore's design language. It also considers WCAG standards for accessibility.

This project had one limitation - the implementation stack! As of the time we were scoping this work, the implementation stack was being updated from Dynamic Form Systems to Server-driven UI architecture. The prompt design had to be as minimal as possible for easy implementation.

I created different design variants which I reviewed with the software engineers during implementation mapping. Some options were not feasible for the timeline of the project, but we settled on one that would deliver results.

For Users:

We aimed to create a feature that made it easy for users to stay informed about bills that could impact their credit scores. The goal was to empower users with actionable insights so they could manage their finances more proactively.

While ideating, I focused on making the accounts authentication process streamlined to minimize user drop-offs. The connection experience was designed to be frictionless and familiar, ensuring visual consistency with ClearScore's design language. It also considers WCAG standards for accessibility.

This project had one limitation - the implementation stack! As of the time we were scoping this work, the implementation stack was being updated from Dynamic Form Systems to Server-driven UI architecture. The prompt design had to be as minimal as possible for easy implementation.

I created different design variants which I reviewed with the software engineers during implementation mapping. Some options were not feasible for the timeline of the project, but we settled on one that would deliver results.

For ClearScore:

The aim was to increase OB engagement and help users keep their accounts active. By linking the Upcoming Bills feature to OB data, we could keep users engaged with the platform, giving them personalized financial insights that encouraged long-term use.

While ideating, I focused on making the accounts authentication process streamlined to minimize user drop-offs. The connection experience was designed to be frictionless and familiar, ensuring visual consistency with ClearScore's design language. It also considers WCAG standards for accessibility.

This project had one limitation - the implementation stack! As of the time we were scoping this work, the implementation stack was being updated from Dynamic Form Systems to Server-driven UI architecture. The prompt design had to be as minimal as possible for easy implementation.

I created different design variants which I reviewed with the software engineers during implementation mapping. Some options were not feasible for the timeline of the project, but we settled on one that would deliver results.

The key features designed

The Upcoming Bills feature was designed to give users personalised reminders about bills due in the next 7 days, specifically highlighting those that could affect their credit scores.

There was a strong need for clear communication about which bills directly affected credit scores, and the importance of timely payments

Personalized insights

In the product, the Upcoming Bills screen featured a prominent section showing bills that are likely to affect the user’s credit score. I prioritised the bills data users would find helpful i.e. the bills provider, the amount and the due date. The bills section was split into two categories:

  • Bills that may impact credit score: These bills are reported to credit reference agencies (e.g., utilities, car payments, loans).

  • Bills unlikely to impact credit score: These bills may not have a big impact on credit score because their repayment is not reported to credit reference agencies (e.g., subscriptions)

Video education on credit

Based on user confusion around which bills affect credit scores, educational content was added to clarify the difference between payments that impact credit scores and those that don’t. This video provides context around missed payments.

Provide feedback card

To ensure users are able to report whether a bill on their report is accurate or not, I designed a card to capture feedback. The feedback submitted is passed into a data bank which can be accessed to see what users are saying.

Relink account prompt

Users whose linked accounts were nearing expiration (within 30 days) were prompted with a “Relink” CTA. This encouraged users to reconnect their accounts to maintain seamless access to their financial data.

Designing for mobile

The mobile design was prioritized throughout the development process to ensure that users on smartphones had an equally smooth experience as those using desktops. By considering mobile-first principles, we ensured that users could manage their upcoming bills on the go, making it easier for them to stay on top of their financial obligations from anywhere.

The mobile version had to be responsive to a range of screen sizes and orientations. We ensured that all elements, from the bill lists to the feedback components, were optimized for mobile screens, maintaining readability and usability across different devices.

A/B experiment approach

Before fully launching the feature, we tested it with 1% segment of users to validate our hypotheses.

We hypothesized that showing users personalized insights into bills due in the next 7 days would:

  • Increase OB re-authentication rates

  • Encourage users to manage bills more effectively

  • Improve understanding of the bills impacting their credit score

The experiment involved A/B testing different user segments, tracking the primary metric of OB re-authentication and secondary metrics of engagement with the upcoming bills insights.

Results and impact

When we launched the Upcoming Bills feature, we were eager to see how it would resonate with users and whether it would drive the kind of engagement we hoped for. The results not only met but exceeded our expectations, creating a ripple effect across the user experience.

Engagement from the Home Screen

35.8%

Users who clicked on the Upcoming Bills insights card from the ClearScore home screen.

Higher Engagement with Bill Insights

17.3%

The feature also drove 17.3% of users to click through and explore more details about the bills displayed.

Increased OB Re-authentication

8.77%

Users who interacted with the Upcoming Bills insights reconnected their bank accounts.

What did we learn?

The Upcoming Bills feature helped bridge a major gap in ClearScore’s user experience by providing timely, personalised insights into bills that could impact credit scores. This feature not only increased OB re-authentication rates and engagement but also educated users about the importance of managing their bills effectively.

We discovered that while some users appreciated frequent reminders, others felt overwhelmed by notifications. Going forward, we plan to allow users to customise how often they receive reminders, ensuring a tailored experience.

Through continuous iteration and user feedback, we plan to further enhance the feature, making it even more valuable and relevant to users seeking to take control of their financial health.

Next project

Next project