Korthdirect Mortgage Inc.
Full redesign of a B2B platform for mortgage investors in the United States · 2024
~100
Active investors on the platform
9 months
Project duration
3 flows
Critical flows redesigned after usability testing
+30%
Sales growth target defined with the client
My role in the project
UX Research
Information Architecture
Wireframing & Prototyping
Usability Testing
UI Design
I was the sole UX/UI designer on the project, owning the entire process from research through final design delivery. I worked within a three-person team alongside a frontend and a backend developer. Every design and user experience decision was mine.
The Problem
KDM Financial is a mid-market commercial mortgage lender providing financing for US commercial real estate, including multi-family, office, industrial, and self-storage properties.
The existing platform featured an outdated, cluttered interface that hindered the daily workflow of ~100 external investors. Confusing navigation, a lack of information hierarchy, and high-friction flows for login, registration, and property management stalled productivity. The business required a complete redesign to remain competitive and scale effectively.
"Investors lose track of their current status and progress. We want to increase sales by 30% and ensure investors achieve their goals as quickly and easily as possible."
— Client brief · KDM Financial
Design Process
Competitive analysis
Context analysis
Research hypotheses
Brief
POV
HMW
FODA / SWOT
Structured Ideation
Information architecture
Conceptual map
Interactive prototype
Usability Test Findings & Design Decisions
Finding 01 · Login and Registration
Access flows were inadequate and confusing.
Users did not understand what information was required or where they were in the process. Several abandoned the registration flow before completion. Error feedback was generic and failed to guide the user toward a fix.
Decision: I redesigned the login and registration flows into a step-by-step process with clear progress indicators, contextual error messages, and real-time validation. I documented the resulting wireflow for technical approval prior to implementation.
Finding 02 · Property Table
Data management was cumbersome and inefficient.
The original table presented excessive data without hierarchy. Users struggled to identify clickable areas to access property details, and process statuses (Under Review, Approved, Funded) were not visually distinct.
Decision: I reorganized the table by prioritizing high-value data, introduced visual status indicators using color-coded labels, and added a one-click detail view accessible from any row.
Finding 03 · Property Data Flow
Navigation within specific properties caused constant friction.
When managing financial data for a specific property, users became lost between sections, struggled to return to previous states, and performed redundant steps.
Decision: I redesigned the internal navigation architecture for property views using consistent breadcrumbs, a Button Group for the three primary property scenarios, and category filters using chips.
Before vs. After
Before
Legacy Platform
Cluttered interface lacking hierarchy
Confusing navigation between sections
Invisible or unclear property statuses
Unguided login and registration
No responsive design
After
Redesigned Platform
Clean design with clear visual hierarchy
Clear information architecture
Statuses differentiated by color and label
Step-by-step guided access flows
Consistent responsive design
Results
At the close of the project, the platform’s ~100 active investors met the redesign with direct positive feedback to the client. By correcting the three critical flows identified in usability testing before implementation, I eliminated the most frequently reported friction points. The client expressed high satisfaction, and the development team implemented the components without further iterations thanks to the comprehensive design system documentation.
The business goal defined in the brief—a 30% increase in sales—was established as the primary tracking metric for the post-launch phase.
Takeaways
This project reinforced that usability testing is never a mere formality: the three most significant design breakthroughs did not emerge during initial analysis; they only surfaced when I put the prototype in front of real users. I also strengthened my focus on documentation—a robust design system was the key factor that allowed a three-person team to deliver on schedule.