Skip, Pause, Play: Onboarding That Bends, Not Breaks

Digital financial services rely on interconnected and interdependent systems. While some parts are robust, others are still evolving and more fragile. This constantly shifting landscape of digital and physical public infrastructure drives innovation, but these dependencies can also disrupt the user experience. Despite these complexities, onboarding is designed to be short, straightforward, and efficient.

In the pursuit of efficiency and speed, processes often become rigid and unforgiving. As a result, when customers aren’t ready—which is often the case—they hit a dead end with no reward for the time and effort they've already invested. How can these processes be designed to still provide value, ensuring that users receive meaningful outputs for their time?

A non-linear, modular onboarding process would offer flexibility to users, last-mile agents, and others assisting them. It could prevent the process from coming to halt by allowing users to pause, skip steps, revisit them later, and complete onboarding in a non-sequential way. This approach helps users navigate roadblocks or failures without being penalised for factors beyond their control.

Scenario 1.1

Skip and Continue

A last-mile agent can complete as many steps as possible during the customer’s visit, skip any that cannot be completed, and pause onboarding until the customer returns—making the visit worthwhile while ensuring the customer knows the next steps to resolve any issues.

Scenario 1.2

Do-It-Yourself Steps

In a socio-culturally restricted setting, a woman can complete steps like face or phone number verification at home, surrounded by familiar and trusted people—avoiding the discomfort of male-dominated public spaces like an agent centre.

Scenario 1.3

Conditional / Partial Access

When certain issues cannot be immediately resolved, a last-mile agent can pause the onboarding while keeping it valid, allowing the customer conditional or partial access to download and use the DFS app with limited features.

Scenario 1.3

Dependencies Women, Money, and Digital

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