Design by Lizz | Rocket Mortgage

My role:

Senior UX Designer - Growth

My team:

Two cross-functional agile teams

Timeframe:

2020 - 2024

My Challenge:

Within Rocket Mortage’s umberella are specialized lead forms with the goal of getting a user to their mortgage’s "finish line” as quickly and easily as possible. These lead forms are managed by my team at Core Digital Media (a Rocket Mortgage subsidiary) where I was tasked to grow them to new heights. This included increasing conversion rate, mortgage application starts, and overall revenue.

Research & understanding

Uncovering why conversion and loan applications were dwindling.

Deep consumer research revealed Rocket Mortgage's core challenge: their user base consisted primarily of mature, experienced refinancers—a demographic that no longer reflected the diverse mortgage marketplace.

The millennial opportunity: Rocket Mortgage was missing the growing Millennial home buying market.

Digital-first preferences: Millennials preferred online loan applications over traditional banker phone calls.

Language barriers: Industry jargon in disclaimers, rates, and general information confused first-time owners.

Revenue impact: This younger demographic typically secured higher loan amounts than Rocket Mortgage's historical users, representing significant untapped revenue potential.

Design trust issues: Dated lead form design, poor information hierarchy, and cognitive overload created an untrustworthy impression, discouraging application completion even after banker connection.

This research illuminated that Rocket Mortgage had fallen into the same trap as their other brands—serving an aging user base while ignoring marketplace evolution.

Caption: Historical cohort, Jeffrey

Caption: Underserved cohort, Claudia

Iterative AB testing in action

Modernizing forms for trust and revenue.

While Rocket Mortgage's historical lead forms provided a solid foundation, user feedback consistently labeled the brand as "out of date," undermining trust and raising security concerns among potential customers. Redesigning the primary lead form delivered immediate results:

KPI Result Primary:

+17% applications started

Secondary Result:

+10% conversion lift

Secondary Result:

$300K additional revenue

Caption: Legacy form before testing

Caption: Winning refreshed design

“Thank You” page opportunties tapped.

Research revealed two critical universal needs: users wanted clarity about post-submission processes and online application options beyond traditional banker calls.

KPI Primary Result:

+14% applications started

Secondary Result:

$100K additional revenue

Introducing Refily: Market-Aligned Brand Strategy

With target demographics now aligned to mortgage market data, we needed an experience that resonated with this audience. The solution: Refily—a refinance matching platform connecting users to Rocket Mortgage and partner lenders when direct options weren't available.

Immediate success: Featuring modern UX, digestible data visualization, and transparent communication that prepared users for lender interactions, Refily achieved profitability within one month of launch—validating our market-focused approach.

In conclusion

A unified and modern brand experience is most profitable.

Monetization optimization often prioritizes quick lifts over brand consistency, which created long-term blind spots for Rocket Mortgage. By testing a unified brand experience from lead form through lender handoff, we significantly increased consumer trust and comfort.

Listening to Users Pays Off User-centered improvements generated millions in additional revenue within months of implementation. This project reinforced a fundamental truth: data consistently reveals improvement opportunities when we prioritize authentic user needs over short-term conversion tactics.

My role:

Senior UX Designer - Growth

My team:

Two cross-functional agile teams

Timeframe:

2020 - 2024

My Challenge:

Within Rocket Mortage’s umberella are specialized lead forms with the goal of getting a user to their mortgage’s "finish line” as quickly and easily as possible. These lead forms are managed by my team at Core Digital Media (a Rocket Mortgage subsidiary) where I was tasked to grow them to new heights. This included increasing conversion rate, mortgage application starts, and overall revenue.

Research & understanding

Uncovering why conversion and loan applications were dwindling.

Deep consumer research revealed Rocket Mortgage's core challenge: their user base consisted primarily of mature, experienced refinancers—a demographic that no longer reflected the diverse mortgage marketplace.

The millennial opportunity: Rocket Mortgage was missing the growing Millennial home buying market.

Digital-first preferences: Millennials preferred online loan applications over traditional banker phone calls.

Language barriers: Industry jargon in disclaimers, rates, and general information confused first-time owners.

Revenue impact: This younger demographic typically secured higher loan amounts than Rocket Mortgage's historical users, representing significant untapped revenue potential.

Design trust issues: Dated lead form design, poor information hierarchy, and cognitive overload created an untrustworthy impression, discouraging application completion even after banker connection.

This research illuminated that Rocket Mortgage had fallen into the same trap as their other brands—serving an aging user base while ignoring marketplace evolution.

Caption: Historical cohort, Jeffrey

Caption: Underserved cohort, Claudia

Iterative AB testing in action

Modernizing forms for trust and revenue.

While Rocket Mortgage's historical lead forms provided a solid foundation, user feedback consistently labeled the brand as "out of date," undermining trust and raising security concerns among potential customers. Redesigning the primary lead form delivered immediate results:

KPI Result Primary:

+17% applications started

Secondary Result:

+10% conversion lift

Secondary Result:

$300K additional revenue

Caption: Legacy form before testing

Caption: Winning refreshed design

“Thank You” page opportunties tapped.

Research revealed two critical universal needs: users wanted clarity about post-submission processes and online application options beyond traditional banker calls.

KPI Primary Result:

+14% applications started

Secondary Result:

$100K additional revenue

A new market-aligned sandbox for Rocket Mortgage: Refily

With target demographics now aligned to mortgage market data, we needed an experience that resonated with this audience. The solution: Refily—a refinance matching platform connecting users to Rocket Mortgage and partner lenders when direct options weren't available.

Immediate success: Featuring modern UX, digestible data visualization, and transparent communication that prepared users for lender interactions, Refily achieved profitability within one month of launch—validating our market-focused approach.

In conclusion

A unified and modern brand experience is most profitable.

Monetization optimization often prioritizes quick lifts over brand consistency, which created long-term blind spots for Rocket Mortgage. By testing a unified brand experience from lead form through lender handoff, we significantly increased consumer trust and comfort.

Listening to Users Pays Off User-centered improvements generated millions in additional revenue within months of implementation. This project reinforced a fundamental truth: data consistently reveals improvement opportunities when we prioritize authentic user needs over short-term conversion tactics.

Case Studies

Past Work

Creative Art

Recommendations

My role:

Senior UX Designer - Growth

My team:

Two cross-functional agile teams

Timeframe:

2020 - 2024

My Challenge:

I was tasked with growing Rocket Mortgage’s specialized lead forms with the goal of getting a user to their mortgage’s "finish line” as quickly and seamlessly as possible. This included increasing conversion rate, mortgage application starts, and overall revenue.

Research & understanding

Uncovering why conversion and loan applications were dwindling.

Deep consumer research revealed Rocket Mortgage's core challenge: their user base consisted primarily of mature, experienced refinancers—a demographic that no longer reflected the diverse mortgage marketplace.

The millennial opportunity: Rocket Mortgage was missing the growing Millennial home buying market.

Digital-first preferences: Millennials preferred online loan applications over traditional banker phone calls.

Language barriers: Industry jargon in disclaimers, rates, and general information confused first-time owners.

Revenue impact: This younger demographic typically secured higher loan amounts than Rocket Mortgage's historical users, representing significant untapped revenue potential.

Design trust issues: Dated lead form design, poor information hierarchy, and cognitive overload created an untrustworthy impression, discouraging application completion even after banker connection.

This research illuminated that Rocket Mortgage had fallen into the same trap as their other brands—serving an aging user base while ignoring marketplace evolution.

Caption: Historical cohort, Jeffrey

Caption: Underserved cohort, Claudia

Iterative AB testing in action

Modernizing forms for trust and revenue.

While Rocket Mortgage's historical lead forms provided a solid foundation, user feedback consistently labeled the brand as "out of date," undermining trust and raising security concerns among potential customers. Redesigning the primary lead form delivered immediate results:

KPI Primary Result:

+17% applications started

Secondary Result:

+10% conversion lift

Third Result:

$300K additional revenue

Caption: Legacy form before testing

Caption: Winning refreshed design

“Thank You” page opportunities tapped.

Research revealed two critical universal needs: users wanted clarity about post-submission processes and online application options beyond traditional banker calls. In 2 weeks time these tests yielded:

KPI Primary Result:

+14% applications started

Secondary Result:

$100K additional revenue

A new market-aligned sandbox for Rocket Mortgage: Refily

With target demographics now aligned to mortgage market data, we needed an experience that resonated with this audience. The solution: Refily—a refinance matching platform connecting users to Rocket Mortgage and partner lenders when direct options weren't available.

Immediate success: Featuring modern UX, digestible data visualization, and transparent communication that prepared users for lender interactions, Refily achieved profitability within one month of launch—validating our market-focused approach.

In conclusion

A unified and modern brand experience is most profitable.

Monetization optimization often prioritizes quick lifts over brand consistency, which created long-term blind spots for Rocket Mortgage. By testing a unified brand experience from lead form through lender handoff, we significantly increased consumer trust and comfort.

Listening to Users Pays Off User-centered improvements generated millions in additional revenue within months of implementation. This project reinforced a fundamental truth: data consistently reveals improvement opportunities when we prioritize authentic user needs over short-term conversion tactics.