Bilen Mujdaba – Product Designer

Project Background

In 2017, I led the transformation of Clydesdale Bank’s lending platform, moving from a cumbersome paper-based system to a streamlined mobile-first digital experience.

The bank faced a critical problem:

Customers were leaving for competitors due to an outdated loan process.
Applications required printing, mailing, and signing contracts physically.
New customers faced a slow and frustrating onboarding process.
Existing customers couldn’t even update personal details without calling the bank.

This project became more than a lending solution, it sparked the creation of the bank’s digital design system and transformed its broader digital strategy.

My Role

I worked within a cross-functional team composed of:

Project Manager
Business Analysts
UX Designer – myself
UI Designer
Development Team – provided by Clydesdale Bank

As the lead UX/UI designer, I had end-to-end responsibility across discovery, design, and delivery:

Defined the UX strategy and phased transformation roadmap.
Conducted guerrilla user testing using prototypes I hand-coded in HTML/CSS/JS.
Facilitated workshops with stakeholders to align business and user needs.
Designed wireframes, interactive prototypes, and production-ready flows.
Led a component audit, establishing the foundation for the bank’s first design system.
Created the handoff hub for developers and testers, which later became the bank’s standard.
Ensured compliance and security requirements were built into the UX.

This role gave me ownership of both the customer experience and the design legacy, positioning UX as a driver of digital transformation across the bank.

Strategic Approach

We used a phased approach rather than tackling everything at once:

Pilot Program – Test assumptions with a small group of pre-assessed customers.
Build the Foundation – Establish new design language and design system.
Scale the Solution – Roll out to all customers while addressing compliance and security.

Phase One: Pilot Program

We began by selecting pre-assessed customers based on account activity to simplify testing (no credit checks).

A key innovation was guerrilla user testing.

I built an unbranded HTML prototype of the loan calculator.
Testing sessions took place informally in the bank’s coffee shop during lunch breaks.
This method provided rapid feedback without breaching NDAs or requiring lengthy approvals.

Phase Two: Building the Foundation

The lending project revealed a bigger opportunity: the bank lacked a consistent design system.

I initiated a comprehensive component audit, categorising interface elements into:

Atoms
Molecules
Components

To support developers, I created a central hub with reusable design assets, code snippets, and documentation. This hub became the standard handoff process across the bank.

Phase Three: Scaling the Solution

With the foundation in place, we expanded to all customers (new and existing).

Key considerations included:

Security and compliance for sensitive financial transactions.
Maintaining the streamlined experience from the pilot.

Design Innovation

One of the most challenging areas was the loan calculator interface. Instead of traditional banking UIs, I took inspiration from modern financial apps, creating an intuitive sliding mechanism that allowed customers to instantly understand loan terms.

Beyond the Initial Scope

The success of the project expanded its scope into other critical banking functions:

Customer detail management – In-app updates without calling support.
Account opening redesign – Faster and easier onboarding for new customers.
Joint applications – Seamless multi-customer workflows.
GDPR compliance – Integrated privacy requirements into user journeys.

Project Impact

The transformation had major business and organisational impact:

Customers could now complete entire loan applications on mobile devices, eliminating paper-based workflows.
Customer satisfaction rose significantly thanks to the faster, more intuitive process.
The design system accelerated development cycles and reduced inconsistencies.
The project hit its annual lending target in just three weeks after launch, proving the massive demand for digital-first lending.

Lasting Legacy

This project laid the foundation for the bank’s digital transformation:

The design system became a core enabler for future products.
Standardised handoff processes streamlined collaboration between design and development.
It demonstrated the power of UX as a strategic driver, influencing not just a product, but the bank’s entire approach to digital services.

Key Takeaways

A phased, test-and-learn approach minimised risk while maximising insight.
Establishing a design system ensured scalability and long-term impact.
Immediate business success validated the importance of investing in UX.
The project proved how UX can be a catalyst for cultural change inside a traditional financial institution.

Digital Lending Transformation: From Paper to Digital-First