Sallie Mae // Application Experience

Design doesn’t always happen when you want it to, but when the opportunity arises, moving quickly makes all the difference. After a long delayed replatform (1.5 years behind schedule), I was able to lead an immediate optimization of Sallie Mae’s core loan application, AXP.

Qualitative research (and our own eyes) told us that the landing page was cluttered and confusing. Analytics told us 64% of visitors left as soon as they saw it.

I led a 4-week project from concepts through development to simplify and clarify the landing experience–leveraging progressive disclosure to reduce cognitive friction and encourage applying.

Our new designs were well-received and led to a 22% improvement in performance and contributed $34M in incremental monthly revenue.

Legacy Page. Highlights the impact of design by committee (and compliance).

Redesigned Page. Featuring a persistent call-to-action, subtle animation, and modern interactions.