--- name: loan-application-experience type: experience journey: customer persona: Delivery driver (41), self-employed domain: Consumer credit technology: Responsive web, desktop and mobile core: "1.0" description: "Experience skill: Applying for a personal loan with an eligibility check first — the best-practice customer journey for a delivery driver (41), self-employed in Consumer credit on Responsive web, desktop and mobile. Use when designing, building, reviewing or writing copy for any step of this journey. Brand-agnostic: pair with any Celestial design skill for the look. Also use it for decks, research readouts, specs and documents about this journey. Outputs: PowerPoint / Keynote / Google Slides decks, Word and Google Docs documents, PDF reports, emails, social posts, charts and diagrams." --- # Applying for a personal loan with an eligibility check first A customer checks their chances of approval without affecting their credit score, then applies with a clear total cost and time to think. **Outcome** — At least 80% of full applications are approved because the soft check filtered out unsuitable ones, and every applicant sees the total amount repayable before agreeing. This skill says *what happens and in what order*. It never specifies colour, type or spacing: describe screens as compositions of Celestial core v1.0 components and patterns, and let the active design skill render them. --- ## Persona — Diego, Delivery driver (41), self-employed > “Don't mark my credit file just so I can see if I'd get it.” Wants £6,000 to replace his van's engine; income varies month to month. **Goals** - Find out if he's likely to be accepted before a hard search - Know the monthly payment and total cost - Get the money within days **Pains** - Rejections that dent his credit score - Forms that assume a salary - Small print about fees **Behaviours** - Compares offers across several lenders - Fills forms at home in the evening - Keeps bank statements as PDFs **Access needs** - Spanish is first language — prefers plain English - Colour vision deficiency (red-green) --- ## Domain — Consumer credit - Eligibility checks use a soft search that does not affect the credit score; say so before it runs - A full application uses a hard search — disclose it and get consent before submitting - Show representative APR, monthly payment, total repayable and fees before agreement (consumer credit disclosure) - Creditworthiness and affordability assessed on income and outgoings, not only credit score - Customer has a 14-day right to withdraw after signing; explain how Vocabulary to use: `eligibility check`, `APR`, `total repayable`, `term`, `soft search`, `hard search` ## Technology — Responsive web, desktop and mobile Inputs: Keyboard, Touch, File upload (bank statements) - Open banking connection optional, never required - Quote held for at least 30 days - E-signature with a downloadable copy --- ## Journey (5 steps) | # | Step | Goal | Compose with | Copy | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | **Loan calculator** | Choose amount and term and see the cost | `detail` | “£6,000 over 4 years: £151.20 a month, £7,257.60 in total.” | | 2 | **Check eligibility** | Give basic details for a soft check | `form` | “Check my chances — this won't affect your credit score” | | 3 | **Your result** | See a personal rate or why not | `feedback` | “You're likely to be accepted at 9.4% APR.” | | 4 | **Full application** | Add income proof and consent to a hard search | `form` | “I agree to a full credit search, which will show on my credit file.” | | 5 | **Agree and sign** | Read key terms and sign | `confirmation` | “Signed. £6,000 will reach your account by Wednesday 29 October. You can withdraw until Saturday 8 November.” | ### 1. Loan calculator - Monthly payment and total repayable update together - Representative APR next to the figures it applies to - **error:** Amount out of range — show the minimum and maximum ### 2. Check eligibility - State 'This won't affect your credit score' above the button - Income field allows 'varies' with an average - **loading:** Checking your eligibility ### 3. Your result - Show personal APR and likelihood band in words - If unlikely, give reasons and alternatives, not just 'declined' - **empty:** Not eligible: explain the main reason and free debt-advice routes ### 4. Full application - Choose open banking or upload statements - Separate, unticked consent for the hard search - **error:** Upload failed — say file type and size limits and keep other answers ### 5. Agree and sign - Total repayable, fees and 14-day withdrawal right on one screen - Download the agreement before and after signing - **loading:** Preparing your agreement --- ## Principles 1. Soft check before hard search, always stated 2. Total cost shown wherever the monthly payment is 3. Affordability over approval: the system can suggest borrowing less 4. Time to think: nothing pushes same-session signing 5. Rejections explain why and where to get free help ## Do / Don't **Do** - Show total repayable next to the monthly figure - Let self-employed people state variable income - Offer free debt-advice routes on every decline **Don't** - Pre-tick the credit search consent - Use countdowns or 'offer ends today' - Show only the monthly payment ## Accessibility - Meets WCAG 2.2 AA; likelihood bands use text labels, not red/green alone (1.4.1) - Calculator sliders have number inputs as an alternative (2.5.7) - Figures read in full by screen readers: 'six thousand pounds' - Error summary links to each field; focus moves to it on submit Core minimums always apply: 4.5:1 text, 3:1 UI and focus, visible focus on every control, 44px touch targets, no meaning by colour alone, reduced motion respected. ## Content and voice - Numbers first, then words: '£151.20 a month for 4 years' - Say 'won't affect your credit score' instead of 'soft footprint' - Declines are respectful and specific: 'Your outgoings are high compared with your income' ## AI interactions - AI reads uploaded bank statements to categorise income and outgoings; the customer reviews and corrects the summary before it is used - Final credit decisions are explainable, and the customer can ask for a human review ## Edge cases - Applicant shows signs of financial difficulty — offer support and do not upsell - Joint application where one person consents and the other has not yet — hold until both do - Rate on full application differs from the eligibility result — explain and allow walking away - Customer withdraws within 14 days — show the amount to repay and the date - Identity mismatch between application and bank statements — refer to a person --- ## Measures | Measure | Target | How | |---|---|---| | Approval rate after soft check | ≥ 80% | Full applications approved / submitted | | Total-cost comprehension | ≥ 90% | Applicants correctly stating total repayable in survey | | Application time | < 12 min median | Eligibility start → signed | | Arrears at 6 months | < 3% | Loans with a missed payment after 6 months | Research: Usability sessions with self-employed and variable-income applicants; Comprehension testing of APR and total cost wording; Review of decline reasons with debt advisers. --- When building this journey: follow the steps in order, compose each screen from core components and patterns only, keep the persona's access needs and the domain rules non-negotiable, and take every visual value from the active design skill. ## Using this journey in other outputs - **Deck or readout**: one slide for the persona (name, role, quote, goals, pains), one per step (goal, screen, the principle that matters most, its error state), then measures with targets. 16:9. - **Spec or document**: a section per step with goal, screen composition, copy, states and acceptance criteria; principles and accessibility rules as a checklist at the end. - **Look and feel**: this skill is brand-agnostic. If a design skill is named or installed (e.g. "in Mars"), take every colour, font and shape from it; otherwise use plain neutral styling and say which design skill would apply.