Building trust through transparency in the verification process
I led the product design process to introduce identity verification in a way that prioritized user trust and clarity around sensitive data. By staging friction intentionally rather than removing it, the redesigned flow achieved an 80% verification completion post-launch.
Role
Product Designer
Timeline
Q3 2025
Team
1 Co-Founder / PM
1 Product Designer
3 Engineer
Context
A shift from social authentication to identity verification
Fanspark is a social subscription content platform for athletes and sports creators. When business requirements changed, the platform needed to shift from social authentication to identity verification to improve creator authenticity and platform trust.
Business Problem
Creators are required to verify their identity to prevent fraud and maintain compliance
Identity verification introduced significantly more friction than social authentication, requiring creators to submit a government ID and take a selfie at a moment when trust in the platform was still forming.
Key Insight
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 asked to provide highly sensitive information.
This insight shifted from removing friction to staging friction intentionally.
Constraints
Four boundaries shaped the scope of the work
Third-party dependencies
Verification UI and flow were owned by Stripe Identity, constraining design changes to the entry point and surrounding experience.
Narrow scope
Scoped to the verification flow only, though testing suggested trust issues existed across the broader onboarding experience
Non-neogtiable requirements
Identity verification was a mandatory business requirement and could not be removed or bypassed.
Accelerated delievery timeline
A compressed timeline prioritized shipping an improved experience first, with measurement and iteration planned post-launch
The Solution
A redesigned creator verification experience to stage friction intentionally in order to build trust before requesting sensitive data
Design Decision
Re-ordering verification steps through progressive disclosure
Rather than immediately asking for government ID verification, I strategically restructured the experience so creators encountered low-commitment asks first before higher-stakes asks like identity and banking requirements.
Impact: Reduces early exposure to high-stakes asks, easing creators into the process
Design Decision
Increased transparency around sensitive information
Ambiguity increases perceived risk when users are asked to provide sensitive information. To address this, each step clearly explains what information is required and why it is needed.
Impact: Increased clarity and perceived legitimacy
Design Decision
Allow creators to skip steps and complete at their own pace
Instead of forcing a rigid linear flow, creators can now preview and complete requirements in the order they felt most comfortable with.
Impact: Adds transparency, reducing anxiety and unknown effort
Validation
Two rounds of testing, pre and post launch
To evaluate the effectiveness of the redesigned verification experience, we conducted 2 rounds of testing pre and post launch.
Pre-Launch
participants completed verification in beta testing
Post-Launch
80%
conversion rate
Key Learning
Creators who dropped off during verification rarely returned to complete the process
The 80% completion rate was a strong outcome, but post-launch data revealed that drop-off was permanent. Creators who didn't complete verification weren't returning to the platform.
Next Steps
A/B test a 3-phased verification experience
To address permanent drop-offs, I proposed a more flexible verification flow that allows creators to complete requirements progressively over time rather than upfront during onboarding. This updated flow is planned to be validated through A/B testing in a future release.