Lenme App — Borrower Experience
My role
User Research
UX design: Wireframing, Prototyping
UI design+ Iterations
Project context
Build a peer-to-peer lending model, which disrupts traditional lending practices.
Defining The Problem
What is Lenme?
Lenme is a peer-to-peer lending app launched to meet the growing need for small loans in the U.S. It connects people who need quick, small-dollar loans with investors willing to lend to them. As the Product Designer for Lenme’s borrower experience, I was responsible for designing the end-to-end journey for borrowers – from onboarding and requesting a loan, to receiving offers, through repayment. I worked closely with a product manager and engineers to create a seamless, trustworthy, and efficient borrowing process.
Problem
Borrowers faced key challenges:
Long and confusing application processes
Lack of transparency about loan offers and fees
Exclusion of users with low or no credit history
Trust and security concerns when linking financial accounts
Solution
Design a borrower flow that is fast, user-friendly, inclusive, and transparent, helping users feel in control and confident throughout the loan process.
Design Process
To tackle these challenges, I followed a human-centered design process spanning research, ideation, design, and iterative testing. Below I outline the key steps and decisions:
Research & Insights
I began with user research to ground our design in real borrower needs. This included interviews with individuals who had taken out or considered small loans, a survey of ~50 potential users, and reviewing app store feedback on early Lenme versions and competitors. Some insights we gathered:
Speed is Critical: Users emphasized they often need money now. One interviewee said, “If I can’t get $200 by tomorrow, I’ll miss my rent.” This reinforced that our experience had to minimize friction at every step.
Simplicity and Clarity: Many respondents were not familiar with financial jargon. Terms like “APR” or “origination fee” confused them. We learned that clear, plain language and guidance would be essential.
Trust through Transparency: People were cautious about borrowing from individuals through an app. They wanted to know exactly what they’d owe and when, and to be assured there were no hidden catches. This pointed to designing transparent loan offers and an upfront disclosure of any fees.
Inclusivity Matters: Participants with poor credit were excited by the idea of Lenme (“No credit score required” is a big draw), but they feared it might be “too good to be true.” We realized the design should welcome users of all credit backgrounds and encourage them that they’re eligible (e.g. messaging like “All credit scores welcome” and showing how they can build their Lenme reputation over time).
These findings shaped our design principles: make it fast, make it clear, and make it friendly. We wanted the borrower to feel confident and cared for, not judged.
➔ We designed an ultra-fast loan flow with minimal friction.
➔ We used plain language and clean, easy forms.
➔ Clear offers, upfront disclosures, and trust-building UI elements.
➔ Designed messaging to emphasize "No credit score needed" clearly.
Lenme Borrower – User Journey Map
| Stage | User Action (Doing) | User Thought (Thinking) | Pain Points (Challenges) | Touchpoints |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔍Discover & Download | Searches for small loan apps, downloads Lenme | “I need money fast. Hope this app works.” | Skeptical about trust, worried about eligibility | App Store, Lenme Landing Page |
| 📝Onboarding & Verification | Signs up, connects bank account, verifies identity | “Is my data safe? Will this take forever?” | Trust issues, fear of sharing sensitive info | Signup screens, Plaid integration, Progress indicators |
| 💵Loan Request | Enters loan amount and repayment term | “Will I actually get offers? How much will it cost me?” | Fear of rejection, confusion over financial terms | Loan request form, Educational tooltips |
| 📋Offer Review | Reviews lender offers (rates, monthly payments) | “Which offer is best? Can I afford this?” | Difficulty comparing offers, hidden fees concern | Offer cards UI, Sorting/filter options |
| ✅Accept Offer & Confirmation | Accepts best offer, sees confirmation screen | “Nice, that was easy. When will I get the money?” | Anxiety about transfer speed, next steps unclear | Acceptance screen, Transaction status updates |
| 💳Repayment Journey | Makes scheduled payments through linked account | “Hope everything goes smoothly. What if I need more time?” | Fear of penalties, need for flexibility | Payment dashboard, Extension request option |
| 🎉Loan Completion | Successfully repays loan, sees improved Lenme Score | “I did it! Maybe I can borrow more next time.” | Confusion about how score improves or affects limits | Loan summary screen, Rewards/progress indicators |
User Flow Design
Next, I mapped out the user journey for a borrower. This journey included: onboarding (sign-up and verification), creating a loan request, getting competing offers from lenders, accepting an offer, and repayment. We diagrammed the ideal flow to achieve a loan in as few steps as possible
Created a streamlined loan request process:
Enter loan amount
Choose repayment term
Submit and receive offers
Simplified onboarding with step-by-step verification and Fiserv’s AllData® Aggregation integration API for secure bank connections.
Designed clear offer comparison screens showing interest rates, monthly payments, and total payback amounts.
Onboarding
Simple, step-by-step intro with clear expectations
Loan Request Form
Streamlined input with smart defaults and tooltips
Verification
Seamless identity and income verification powered by Plaid
Insights
Lenme Score and financial health insights to empower borrowers
Offer Matching
Responsive list of loan offers with visible key terms
Acceptance & Confirmation
Transparent decision-making with real-time updates
Lenme Score & Credit Relationship
Low Risk
Score: 70 - 100
Stable financial profile.
Medium Risk
Score: 60 - 69
Moderate financial caution.
High Risk
Score: 0 - 59
Higher risk, needs careful review.
Lenme uses its own Lenme Score to evaluate a borrower's creditworthiness. This score is based on the following factors:
- Debt-to-Income Ratio (DTI): The borrower's monthly debt payments divided by their monthly income.
- Credit Score: Uses VantageScore 4.0 provided by TransUnion.
- Lenme Usage History: History of borrowing and repayment through Lenme.
Enter loan amount
Click Process: In fact, our goal became enabling a loan request in just three taps. This mantra (“3-click loans”) guided us throughout. Tap 1: Enter amount, Tap 2: Enter duration, Tap 3: Submit request.
Request a Loan in One Form: We designed a single screen for the core loan request: the user enters the amount they need and selects a payback period (e.g. 3 months). No lengthy questionnaires – just those two inputs. This was a key design choice to reduce cognitive load. Based on research, we knew “two fields and go” would feel approachable.
Submit and receive offers
🚀 What Happens After the 3-Click Loan Request?
Submitting a loan request in Lenme was intentionally designed to be lightning-fast — just three taps and you're done.
But what happens behind the scenes once the user hits "Submit"? Let’s break it down:
1. The Hunt for Offers Begins
Within minutes, investors browsing Lenme start seeing the new loan request.
They can choose to submit offers with their proposed terms: amount, interest rate, repayment duration.
As offers start rolling in, borrowers receive real-time notifications like:
"You have 2 new offers!"
This keeps users engaged without requiring them to refresh or check back manually.
2. Reviewing Offers Like a Pro
Once offers are available, borrowers can view a side-by-side comparison:
Loan amount
Interest rate (APR)
Monthly payment
Total repayment cost
Time remaining before offer expires
We made sure this interface felt more like shopping than negotiating.
Clear, clean, no fine print traps.
📊 Offer Summary
3. Money on the Way
Once the offer is accepted:
Funds are securely transferred to the borrower's linked bank account
Usually within 24 business hours
Borrowers receive an update:
"Funds have been deposited into your account!"
Quick access to cash, just as promised.
4. Repayment Starts Smoothly
After funding, repayment begins according to the agreed schedule.
Borrowers can easily monitor:
Upcoming payment dates
Remaining balance
Payment history
Their growing Lenme Score (building trust for future loans)
Friendly reminders and flexible options (like extension requests) are built right into the experience.
✨ Final Outcomes & Impact
⚡ Faster Conversions
The 3-tap loan request flow boosted completion rates to 70% (up from 50%). Simplicity-first design reduced drop-offs significantly.
📈 User Growth
1M+ users and 40,000+ loans (~$18M) by 2024. Design cited in reviews (4.3★ on App Store) as “easy” and “fast.”
🤝 Inclusive Lending
Thousands with low credit gained access. Borrowers said, “Lenme gave me a chance when others wouldn’t.”
💬 User Feedback
Users praised features like auto-pay & loan extensions: “Got extra time easily when I needed it.”
💼 Business Success
Healthy liquidity cycle: easier borrowing attracted lenders. Repeat usage and volume confirmed satisfaction.