Re-Imagining Rocket's loan origination platform while shaping a product mindset
Role: Director of Design | Design Team: 1 Product Designer, 1 Design Manager
TL;DR: Mortgage bankers were frustrated with Rocket's loan origination platform - Rocket Logic. The experience forced them to answer sequential questions instead of conversing freely with clients and was riddled with confusing workflows and incorrect pattern usage.
I led the complete overhaul of the platform experience for bankers. By aligning stakeholders and establishing product vision, I elevated the user experience. This resulted in reducing initial call times from 20 to 5 minutes and saving 135,000 hours quarterly in banker productivity among other wins.
Before: Rocket Logic with multiple heuristic violations and an inefficient experience for bankers.
"It takes about 20-30 mins of struggling with the cards to give clients what they need. So instead I just write everything down on sticky notes and put it in the app after the call."
— Senior Mortgage Banker
Every successful mortgage starts with a conversation. But at Rocket, our bankers were forced to have that conversation constrained by a rigid system that required 57 sequential questions before they could even begin discussing mortgage options with clients.
Many resorted to taking notes during calls and entering data afterward. This doubled their workload and exposed Rocket to compliance risks. Others struggled through the system, sounding more like robots than trusted advisors.
Before: Product and design were an afterthought
While bankers needed flexibility, business needed accountability.
What initially appeared as a user interface challenge turned out to be a misalignment in how teams approached product development. Goals were fragmented, vision was unclear, and meaningful improvements were stifled by organizational friction.
I saw this as an opportunity to demonstrate the value of human-centered design and product thinking. We lead the discovery and design of a new experience that would align business goals with banker needs.
I ran workshops to dig deep into the banker's journey, the technology and business needs. This resulted in a shared understanding of problems and invited bankers into the development cycle.
A combination of alignment workshops and a design sprint yielded a shared vision
— Triple Crown Mortgage Banker
While the origination journey has 3 phases - initial call, product selection and application refinement, we learned that 80% of the banker pain was rooted in losing clients during the initial call. We focused the MVP on this phase and planned for the rest as a quick follow.
PRODUCT VISION & STRATEGY
Enable client certainty through a fast, simple and easy to use experience.
1
Automate Workflows
"I write it all down on sticky notes on the call and then put it in the system."
2
Simplify Navigation
"I get to credit, and then don't know how to go back. So I restart the whole application."
3
Enable Accountability
"Bankers often submit incomplete applications causing delays downstream to underwriting and processing."
4
Minimize Interaction Noise
"There is too much pointing and clicking, I just want to talk to the client."
First iterations focused on the core experience: capturing verbal data, enabling flexible navigation, and tracking milestones for accountability.
To test our strategy, we created interactive prototypes in Figma that allowed bankers to simulate client conversations.
We designed a script and posed as clients asking questions and challenging the banker while having them use the application.
First iteration: Augmenting data entry and note taking with AI
Key Insights from testing:
Single form afforded flexibility
AI extraction was welcome but with caution for accuracy
The layout and architecture needed improvement
We iterated several versions of the designs in a tight feedback loop with bankers.
We expanded Rocket's Design System to meet spacing, typography and component needs for enterprise use cases.
I led the creation of a sub system for enterprise products as part of the larger enterprise strategy. We created atoms, components and patterns designed for information density and new paradigms of interactions including AI.
Rocket Logic MVP
1
Modular Form With Keyboard Navigation
2
AI Powered Data Extraction and Notes
Automated data extraction enhanced banker-client relationships. This tool converted natural dialogue into structured data by leveraging AI, to eliminate hours spent taking and managing notes.
While the data was captured by AI, bankers controlled if and how it populates the application. We designed a human-in-the-loop system.
3
App Island Accountability and Guidance
Tracker displays missing data on hover and links to the field in the form
App island alerts on any loan level action triggered by updating application data
App island shows application status and loan level actions post application flow
Our influence extended beyond design to strategic planning.
Timeline of key milestones in the Rocket Logic transformation
Measurement systems ensured a continued focus on banker productivity and satisfaction.
I shaped the measurement strategy and the product's OKRs with cross functional leaders, championing the product vision of a fast, simple and easy to use experience. This cemented organizational focus on the banker experience and helped secure the investment needed for its success.
Laura
Senior Banker
I'm able to focus more on building a relationship and not focusing so much on the technology.
Mohammad
Triple Crown Banker
Personally I like the "X items needed to pull credit", "X needed for pricing". Saves me a lot of mental gymnastics.
Daniel
President's Club Banker
I've personally really been enjoying the new experience. Only good feedback here. MUCH faster, easier to use and gets to the importance of the call aka pricing screen. Love the buttons that tell you what you need to fill out before moving on.
Chelsea
President's Club Banker
No dead air while waiting for the cards to load!
Nick
Banker
You can have a genuine conversation while also digging deep and focusing on what the client needs. It's so much better.
The project's success catalyzed broader organizational changes.
We set up Slack channels, emails, and regular check-ins so all teams (engineering, product, banking, and design) stayed aligned on the Rocket Logic product experience. This real-time communication eliminated meeting bottlenecks and fostered shared ownership. Soon, we had champions across all departments extending our influence.
After: Product and design became strategic leaders at the table
"Awesome to see the intentional collaboration and iteration between product, UX, technology and our incredible banking force. This is how we build next-gen products. Proud of this team."
— Varun Krishna, CEO.
This work established a new model for how enterprise teams build software. It became a blueprint for enterprise product development, proving that putting human connection at the center can inspire organizations to change.
