Building trust through transparency in the verification process
Redesigning the verification experience to achieve a 80% completion rate
Overview
Fanspark is a social subscription content platform for athletes and sports creators. When business requirements shifted verification from social media authentication to identity verification via Stripe, the stakes shifted. Creators were now being asked for government IDs at a moment when trust in the platform was still forming.
Following a shift in business strategy, creator verification requirements shifted from social media authentication to identity verification powered by Stripe. The goal was to introduce identity verification in a way that supports business and compliance needs without negatively impacting completion rates.
I led the product design process, working with a team of product managers and developers to mitigate trust and friction risks while also meeting technical and compliance requirements. Rather than removing friction, the goal was to stage it intentionally. The result: an 80% verification completion rate post-launch.
Challenge
Identity verification introduced significantly more friction than social authentication, requiring creators to submit government IDs at a moment when trust in the platform was still forming. The challenge was to introduce this change in a way that supports business and compliance requirements without negatively impacting completion rates.
Constraints
Due to timelines and dependencies, the team focused on designing and shipping an improved experience while planning to measure impact and iterate post-launch.
Evaluating the current verification process
Creator verification is a 4-step process.
Creators are asked to verify after sign-up and onboarding when trust is still being formed
This timing plays a big role in the level of trust users have in the platform. Creators are brand new, trust is being formed, and now they're about to be asked for a higher level of sensitive information than social authentication.
At this stage, creators would be cautious about sharing sensitive identity information, making drop-off the biggest risk.
Auditing the current experience and researching Stripe Identity integration revealed that this was not a simple swap of verification methods. Unlike social authentication, identity verification requires creators to share sensitive personal information (government IDs, banking details) at a moment when they have just signed up and trust in the platform is still forming.
This reframing changed how I approached the problem. Rather than optimizing the verification step in isolation, I reassessed the full flow.
This led to two design questions: "how might we introduce identity verification while maintaining momentum and friction" and "how might we introduce identity verification in a way that feels safe to users?"
Risk assessment: Where creators might hesitate or drop off
Because this was a new high-friction, trust-sensitive step, I proactively identified potential risks in the experience and focused on mitigating them through design.
Early drop-off due to increased friction
Requests for government IDs and sensitive information could discourage users from completing verification
Reduced trust from sensitive data requests
Creators may hesitate if they don't understand why information is required or how it will be used
Loss of momentum from forced completion
Requiring Creators to complete verification is a defined order could increase abandonment
Key Design Decisions
These risks informed three key design decisions aimed at building trust and reducing friction.
KEY DESIGN DECISION #1
Sequencing verification steps by sensitivity
I strategically restructured requirements to start with low-commitment, less sensitive actions and then introduce high-stakes identity and banking requirements.
Impact: Reduces early exposure to high-stakes asks, easing creators into the process
KEY DESIGN DECISION #2
Increased transparency to reduce hesitation and strengthen trust
Because uncertainty adds friction, especially when sensitive information is involved, explaining what we need and why we need such sensitive information was crucial.
Impact: Increased clarity and perceived legitimacy, strengthened trust in the platform
KEY DESIGN DECISION #3
Increased sense of control and flexibility
Creators can now preview requirements and complete requirements in the order they feel comfortable with
Impact: Builds trust through transparency of process, reducing anxiety and unknown effort
