Scotia Bank
The BIO Agency / Design Director
December 2018 - June 2019
Designing Canada’s First Online Mortgage Application Tool
Scotiabank partnered with BIO to design one of Canada’s first fully online mortgage application tools - a complex, high-trust product operating within strict financial and regulatory constraints.
The programme began with a six-month discovery phase, combining internal stakeholder research with deep user research to understand the realities of mortgage applications across both customers and business operations.
As Design Director, I defined the design direction for the product and oversaw its execution across the programme lifecycle.
Designing within an existing system
Scotiabank had recently launched a new design system. Rather than building from scratch, our approach was to assess how the existing system could support a complex, multi-step financial journey.
I led a structured audit of their component library and live implementations, identifying where existing patterns were sufficient and where new interaction models were required.
Using a combination of system foundations, feature requirements and design principles, we defined and introduced the additional components necessary to support a fully digital mortgage flow — ensuring alignment rather than fragmentation.
Stakeholder alignment was critical. Recommendations were supported with comparative research and concrete examples, helping secure approval for new patterns within a regulated environment.
Designing for clarity in complex journeys
Mortgage applications are inherently detailed and high-friction. The challenge was to make a multi-step, information-heavy process feel clear and manageable.
We designed structured flows, progressive disclosure patterns and validation states to guide users confidently through the journey - balancing legal requirements with usability.
Motion prototypes were used to communicate transitions and interaction states in weekly stakeholder reviews, accelerating sign-off and reducing ambiguity.
Critical acclaim
The tool launched successfully as one of the first digital mortgage applications in the Canadian market.
It extended Scotiabank’s design system to support complex financial workflows, strengthened alignment between product and brand, and delivered a clearer, more accessible mortgage experience for customers.
The product received strong industry and customer feedback following launch.