Company Overview

OwnUp, an Experian company, helps home shoppers navigate the mortgage process by connecting them with a network of lenders. I worked on an AI-powered chatbot designed to replicate key parts of the mortgage advisor experience, helping shoppers understand their options, explore rates, and connect with lenders.

The Problem

Mortgage shopping is complex, especially for first-time buyers. The existing chatbot relied heavily on users providing information before receiving meaningful value, while many shoppers still had basic questions about rates, loan types, and the process.

How might we create an AI experience that gives shoppers useful guidance earlier, builds trust, and helps them confidently connect with a lender?

Research and Discovery

I analyzed mortgage advisor calls and customer FAQs to understand what people needed from the experience. Three themes emerged:

Key insight: The advisor wasn't just matching people with lenders. They were first helping people understand what they needed.

Opportunity: Rethinking Rates

The rate experience was a major point of friction. Rates could appear late, require too much information, or feel unclear and unreliable.

Hypothesis

People aren't dropping because they see rates. They're dropping because rates come too late, feel unreliable, and are followed by pressure to take the next step.

This led me to explore a more conversational approach where shoppers could learn and explore before being asked to commit.

Solution

We analyzed drop-off points and focused on reducing friction while giving shoppers more value upfront.

• Simplified flow: Combined multiple questions into a single, streamlined form.

• Built trust: Introduced a savings value proposition upfront to communicate the benefit of OwnUp.

• Supported exploration: Added “See common questions” so shoppers could access mortgage information without disrupting the lender connection flow.

This kept the primary journey focused while giving shoppers more confidence and control.

Designs

Results & Impact

Summary

I redesigned OwnUp’s AI-powered mortgage chatbot to reduce friction, build trust, and help shoppers get value earlier in the lender connection process. By simplifying information gathering, introducing a savings-focused value proposition, and adding an always-accessible common questions experience, we created a more supportive path from exploration to lender connection. The redesign contributed to an estimated 18% increase in completed lender referrals compared with the original chatbot.

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