CredAble · Fintech, B2B lending platform · 2025
CREDABLE · FINTECH, B2B · 2025
Redesigning Loan Origination Setup for Scale
TIMELINE
8 Weeks
8 Weeks
PLATFORM
Desktop, BaaS
Desktop, BaaS
TEAM
Design Manager (me)
1 Junior Designer
2 Product Managers
1 Developer
Design Manager (me)
1 Junior Designer
2 Product Managers
1 Developer
SUMMARY
CredAble's Loan Origination System serves multiple B2B lending clients, each with their own loan products, business rules, and branding. Setting up a new client took 4 to 8 weeks, and every implementation needed manual work from design, product, and engineering, even for small changes. I redesigned the system from a custom-built product into a configurable platform, so internal teams could assemble a program instead of rebuilding one. Client configuration is now down to 2 to 3 weeks
4–8 weeks → 2–3 weeks
Client configuration reduced from typically 4–8 weeks to approximately 2–3 weeks during subsequent implementations.
CredAble's Loan Origination System serves multiple B2B lending clients, each with their own loan products, business rules, and branding. Setting up a new client took 4 to 8 weeks, and every implementation needed manual work from design, product, and engineering, even for small changes. I redesigned the system from a custom-built product into a configurable platform, so internal teams could assemble a program instead of rebuilding one. Client configuration is now down to 2 to 3 week
4–8 weeks → 2–3 weeks
Client configuration reduced from typically 4–8 weeks to approximately 2–3 weeks during subsequent implementations.
PROBLEM
Every new client was becoming another project
CredAble's Loan Origination System is the platform its B2B lending clients use to stand up their own programs. Each client can have different:
Loan Products
Business rules
Modules
Fields
Workflows
Branding
The existing system could technically support all that variation, but managing it required too much manual work. Even when a new client needed something very close to an existing one, teams still repeated most of the same steps: understand the requirement, prepare the setup, make design changes, have engineering configure or build, test, correct, repeat.
That loop is why a new client took 4 to 8 weeks to onboard, no matter how similar their requirements were to a client we'd already built for.
CredAble's Loan Origination System is the platform its B2B lending clients use to stand up their own programs. Each client can have different:
Loan Products
Business rules
Modules
Fields
Workflows
Branding
The existing system could technically support all that variation, but managing it required too much manual work. Even when a new client needed something very close to an existing one, teams still repeated most of the same steps: understand the requirement, prepare the setup, make design changes, have engineering configure or build, test, correct, repeat.
That loop is why a new client took 4 to 8 weeks to onboard, no matter how similar their requirements were to a client we'd already built for.
RESEARCH
Talking to the people who'd actually use this
Before touching a screen, I sat with the teams closest to the pain - the internal ops staff who configure programs today, and the engineers who get pulled in every time a "config" turns out to need code.
Before touching a screen, I sat with the teams closest to the pain - the internal ops staff who configure programs today, and the engineers who get pulled in every time a "config" turns out to need code.
"It's hard to find the setting I need without clicking through multiple screens."
— Implementation & ops team member
"It's hard to find the setting I need without clicking through multiple screens."
— Implementation & ops team member
"Ninety percent of what we ship for a new client is a copy of the last one with different colors and field labels."
— Engineering lead
"Ninety percent of what we ship for a new client is a copy of the last one with different colors and field labels."
— Engineering lead
Configuration was hidden behind engineering
Operations teams knew what each client needed, but they couldn't make changes themselves. They had to depend on engineers because the settings weren't available in the interface.
Operations teams knew what each client needed, but they couldn't make changes themselves. They had to depend on engineers because the settings weren't available in the interface.
Branding took too much repetitive work
Every new client needed the same branding updates done manually. It took time, added little value, and repeated the same work for every implementation.
Every new client needed the same branding updates done manually. It took time, added little value, and repeated the same work for every implementation.
People were afraid of making mistakes
The configuration screens were complex and form-heavy. Operations teams worried that one wrong change could affect a live client, so they preferred simpler, more visual interactions that felt safer and easier to undo.
People were afraid of making mistakes
The configuration screens were complex and form-heavy. Operations teams worried that one wrong change could affect a live client, so they preferred simpler, more visual interactions that felt safer and easier to undo.
Where CredAble's LOS sits in the market
I looked at how comparable origination and lending platforms handle the same configuration problem, to understand what "good" looks like and where a low-code layer could genuinely differentiate CredAble.
I looked at how comparable origination and lending platforms handle the same configuration problem, to understand what "good" looks like and where a low-code layer could genuinely differentiate CredAble.
PLATFORM
CONFIGURATION MODEL
WHERE IT FALL SHORT FOR INTERNAL TEAMS
nCino
Deep workflow configuration, but built on Salesforce
Customization typically needs Salesforce expertise, raising cost and slowing internal changes
Mambu
API-first product configuration engine
Strong for engineers building integrations, less built for ops staff assembling a program directly
Loan Pro
API-first, full lifecycle flexibility
Flexibility is code-level; a business user still needs technical support to act on it
CredAble LOS
Assembly-style UI over a modular config layer
Positioned deliberately narrower — optimized for internal teams configuring, not for open-ended custom builds
The pattern across the category: configurability and ease-of-use for non-technical teams tend to trade off against each other. Most platforms solve for engineers extending the system, not for ops staff operating it day to day. That gap became the actual design opportunity.
The pattern across the category: configurability and ease-of-use for non-technical teams tend to trade off against each other. Most platforms solve for engineers extending the system, not for ops staff operating it day to day. That gap became the actual design opportunity.
PLATFORM
nCino
Mambu
Loan Pro
CredAble LOS
CONFIGURATION MODEL
Deep workflow configuration,
but built on Salesforce
API-first product configuration engine
API-first, full lifecycle flexibility
Assembly-style UI over
a modular config layer
WHERE IT FALL SHORT FOR INTERNAL TEAMS
Customization typically needs Salesforce expertise,
raising cost and slowing internal changes
Strong for engineers building integrations,
less built for ops staff assembling a program directly
Flexibility is code-level; a business user
still needs technical support to act on it
Positioned deliberately narrower, optimized for internal
teams configuring, not for open-ended custom builds
GOAL
Every design decision had to earn its place against both what internal teams needed to do their jobs, and what the business needed to grow without adding headcount.
Every design decision had to earn its place against both what internal teams needed to do their jobs, and what the business needed to grow without adding headcount.
USER GOAL
Configure a new client without waiting on a developer
BUSINESS GOAL
Cut onboarding time and engineering hours per client
USER GOAL
Configure a new client without waiting on a developer
BUSINESS GOAL
Cut onboarding time and engineering hours per client
USER GOAL
Set up client branding without design suppor
BUSINESS GOAL
Scale white-label deployments without adding headcount
USER GOAL
Set up client branding without design suppor
BUSINESS GOAL
Scale white-label deployments without adding headcount
USER GOAL
Manage programs without relearning the system each time
BUSINESS GOAL
Build one repeatable platform, not repeated projects
USER GOAL
Manage programs without relearning the system each time
BUSINESS GOAL
Build one repeatable platform, not repeated projects
DESIGN PROCESS
Working from the structural change down to the screens it made possible.
Working from the structural change down to the screens it made possible.
Building It Ourselves, Then Choosing Not To
PROBLEM
Configuring a loan program needed conditional logic and flexible form sections, but nothing off-the-shelf fully matched how CredAble’s programs worked.
Configuring a loan program needed conditional logic and flexible form sections, but nothing off-the-shelf fully matched how CredAble’s programs worked.
WHAT I DESIGNED
I first designed a custom module generator built around conditional forms. After reviewing it with the team, we made the harder call: building our own would add complexity and maintenance cost without enough product value.
I first designed a custom module generator built around conditional forms. After reviewing it with the team, we made the harder call: building our own would add complexity and maintenance cost without enough product value.
A Centralised Layer For Loan Programs
PROBLEM
Every client’s loan program was being hardcoded as a one-off flow, with no shared structure or reuse across clients.
Every client’s loan program was being hardcoded as a one-off flow, with no shared structure or reuse across clients.
WHAT I DESIGNED
designed a Master Configuration layer where programs could be assembled from reusable components and structured settings instead of custom builds. Selecting a loan program surfaced its full settings, so internal teams could manage variation without starting a new design sprint each time.
designed a Master Configuration layer where programs could be assembled from reusable components and structured settings instead of custom builds. Selecting a loan program surfaced its full settings, so internal teams could manage variation without starting a new design sprint each time.
Faster Program Management
PROBLEM
The existing program management interface was too rigid for daily ops work like scanning data, editing programs, and finding the right columns quickly.
The existing program management interface was too rigid for daily ops work like scanning data, editing programs, and finding the right columns quickly.
WHAT I DESIGNED
I designed a dedicated program management page with customisable, reorderable table columns and faster edit access, so teams could shape the interface around how they worked.
I designed a dedicated program management page with customisable, reorderable table columns and faster edit access, so teams could shape the interface around how they worked.
Scalable Theme System
PROBLEM
White-labelled deployments meant manually adjusting visuals for every client. My first theme system was detailed, but too complex for daily use.
White-labelled deployments meant manually adjusting visuals for every client. My first theme system was detailed, but too complex for daily use.
WHAT I DESIGNED
I simplified it into a single-colour system: one primary colour generates the full tonal palette and applies it across all UI components.
I simplified it into a single-colour system: one primary colour generates the full tonal palette and applies it across all UI components.
Module Selection - From Configuration To Assembly
PROBLEM
Selecting modules for a new program meant moving through static configuration screens, which made setup slower than it needed to be.
Selecting modules for a new program meant moving through static configuration screens, which made setup slower than it needed to be.
WHAT I DESIGNED
I designed a drag-and-drop model where users could add, remove, and organise modules directly, with quick actions to create a new module when needed.
I designed a drag-and-drop model where users could add, remove, and organise modules directly, with quick actions to create a new module when needed.
One Entry Experience For Every Deployment
PROBLEM
Sign-in and sign-up had to support borrowers, internal teams, and partners without becoming three separate experiences.
WHAT I DESIGNED
I redesigned auth as one unified system across all user types. We chose a centre-aligned layout because it adapts better across client brands and leaves a clean foundation for a future AI chatbot.
I redesigned auth as one unified system across all user types. We chose a centre-aligned layout because it adapts better across client brands and leaves a clean foundation for a future AI chatbot.
IMPACT
Client configuration time dropped from 4–8 weeks to 2–3 weeks
That number comes directly from our product team's delivery data across implementations, comparing typical timelines before the redesign to what teams are seeing now on subsequent client setups.
Beyond the timeline, the shift was structural. Engineering no longer gets pulled in for changes ops teams can now make themselves. Branding is a colour pick instead of a manual rebuild. And design effort moved from repeating the same client work to improving the system itself.
That number comes directly from our product team's delivery data across implementations, comparing typical timelines before the redesign to what teams are seeing now on subsequent client setups.
Beyond the timeline, the shift was structural. Engineering no longer gets pulled in for changes ops teams can now make themselves. Branding is a colour pick instead of a manual rebuild. And design effort moved from repeating the same client work to improving the system itself.
REFLECTION
Scalability in UX isn’t about designing more screens. It’s about building systems that reduce repetition.
The biggest decisions on this project were structural: what to simplify, what to avoid, and where to invest effort so it creates long-term value.
Scalability in UX isn’t about designing more screens. It’s about building systems that reduce repetition.
The biggest decisions on this project were structural: what to simplify, what to avoid, and where to invest effort so it creates long-term value.
Killing my own work was the right call.
The custom module generator was good work, but it added maintenance without much product value. Choosing a simpler, centralised approach was harder than building it, and ultimately more valuable.
Killing my own work was the right call.
The custom module generator was good work, but it added maintenance without much product value. Choosing a simpler, centralised approach was harder than building it, and ultimately more valuable.
