Driva
Animating Driva's lender switch journey
- Motion Design
- Illustration
Overview
Driva's transition to the Equifax auto credit assessment system caused a drop in settlement rates for applicants who had their lenders switched. This project redesigned the lender switch journey to feel less like a bureaucratic hurdle and more like a guided, human experience.
Key Results
- 11%Conversion rate from referral leads
Role
Team
Delivery
CRAFT PROCESS
Designing within an existing system
Driva's brand identity — including typography, colour palette, and a defined personality (dynamic and relatable buyers advocate) with a passionate, straight-talking, down-to-earth tone of voice — had already been established by an external brand strategy agency. The challenge wasn't inventing a new visual or verbal language — it was making a new element (the progress stepper icons and motion) feel like it had always belonged to that brand.
Existing design system
Brand Personality
Icon exploration
- Ran a feedback loop with the PM, marketing team, and founders — to pressure-test the visual approach against the brand's personality and user base before committing to final production.
The team converged around a graphic-set style over straight, simplified finance icons — feedback favoured options that felt distinct and on-brand rather than generic, while flagging a real constraint: Driva's core user base isn't highly technical, so icons that leaned too abstract risked being unclear rather than clever. That trade-off — bespoke and brand-forward, but never at the cost of clarity — became the guiding principle for the final direction.
A feedback loop with stakeholders
- Sketched multiple icon directions ranging from literal to abstract — literal (referral sent, the last step, switching lenders etc.) and abstract (geometric shapes representing progress states).
I chose the final icon direction over the others because it explained the literal moments most clearly — the last step, and a swapped rate — through simpler graphics. Diagonal forms with tick and dimensional coin graphics also catch the eye more readily.
Sketching multiple icon directions from literal
- Tested icons for size, weight, and stroke consistency against Driva's existing UI components to ensure visual cohesion.
Testing icon against existing UI components
- Prioritised legibility on mobile and desktop, so icons read clearly within a compact stepper
Prioritising legibility on mobile and desktop
From static to motion
Static icons alone didn't solve the core problem — users still felt uncertain moving through a credit assessment process. Motion became the tool to communicate state, not just step:
- Used micro-animations to signal transitions between stages, reducing the feeling of an abrupt or unclear process
- Applied ease-in/ease-out timing to make transitions feel calm rather than mechanical — appropriate for a moment that's already financially stressful for users
- Used dynamic, celebratory animations strictly for important user actions.
Animated icon collection for Driva
Lender Switch Journey with Animated Icons
REFERRAL SERVICE
Referral service for declined users
Problem: No alternative services for declined users
Referral service in the app
Introduced the referral service as an alternative for declined users. This feature includes:
- Privacy assurance
- Partner brand information
- Highlighted benefits and incentives
Referral lead in the web application
GOOD NEWS MOMENT
From data to delight: animating the "Good News" moment
Problem: Transform a complex financial process into moment of engagement and delight
I used a separate celebratory animation for the 'good news' moment when someone gets a strong lender match. This feature turns a standard data screen into a positive, emotional experience for the user.
IMPLEMENTATION
Lottie-file JSON elevates experience efficiently
All animations were built using Lottie, optimised for web performance without sacrificing quality. This approach allowed Driva to elevate its product experience efficiently.
