Product design

Digital fraud claims

When card fraud strikes, speed and clarity matter most. I led the design for U.S. Bank’s first digital experience for initiating credit card fraud claims, transforming what had been a fully manual, phone-only process into a guided online journey that empowered customers to act quickly and confidently.

Impact

The new experience reduced call center volume during peak fraud periods and helped customers resolve issues faster, bringing relief to users and efficiency to internal operations.

Note: Due to NDA restrictions, specific metrics and proprietary insights are omitted. This case study focuses on process, methodology, and design impact.

The challenge

Before this initiative, customers could only report fraud by calling support. Long hold times during large-scale fraud events created frustration and stress for customers who were already dealing with potential financial loss.

The goal

Design a simple, trustworthy, and inclusive digital flow that allowed customers to initiate a fraud claim directly from the web or mobile app without waiting on hold, while still meeting strict compliance and regulatory requirements.

Duration

October 2018 – September 2019

Team

  • 2 Experience Designers
  • Content Designer
  • A11Y Consultant
  • UX Researcher
  • Product Manager
  • Engineers (Frontend and Backend)
  • QA testers

My role

As the lead product designer, I:

  • Guided the design process from initial sprint through multiple product iterations
  • Led alignment with stakeholders across risk, accessibility (A11Y), and business lines
  • Partnered with the UX researcher to observe usability testing sessions, capturing user behaviors and feedback that informed design refinements
  • Partnered closely with engineers during build and QA to ensure design fidelity

Design approach

1. Discovery and Sprint

We began with a design sprint to quickly frame the opportunity. Through “How might we” exercises, Crazy 8s sketching, and storyboarding, we identified a vision for a digital fraud claim experience that felt calm, human, and reassuring.

After the sprint, I mapped the existing call-center workflows to uncover dependencies and friction points. These insights informed a simplified, user-centered digital process focused on reducing cognitive load during stressful moments.

2. MVP: Reducing Stress and Call Volume

For the first release, we prioritized impact over complexity. The MVP guided users to the correct fraud assistance path and reduced misrouted calls, shortening hold times and easing pressure on support teams during fraud surges.

This lean approach allowed the team to validate assumptions, learn from real-world feedback, and build a foundation for the next phase of the experience.

Transaction fraud digital flow diagram

Simplified flow mapping the user journey for initiating a fraud claim, balancing compliance requirements with a streamlined user path.

3. Iteration: Guided Digital Claims

In the second phase, we introduced a guided digital claim form designed to feel more conversational than procedural. The questions used natural, empathetic language that tested positively in usability studies. Customers described the tone as comforting and clear during a stressful experience.

I collaborated closely with accessibility and risk partners to ensure the experience remained inclusive, compliant, and aligned with internal policy requirements.

Desktop web view of the guided fraud interview, designed with a conversational tone to reduce user stress during claim submission.

4. Testing and Refinement

I observed moderated usability sessions conducted by our UX researcher. During these sessions, I noted participant behaviors, confusion points, and moments of friction. These observations directly informed refinements to content, layout, and information hierarchy, helping the flow feel smoother and more reassuring to users.

Results

  • First digital fraud claim capability launched across U.S. Bank digital channels
  • Steady reduction in call center volume as users adopted the self-service option
  • Positive feedback from customers and internal teams for tone, clarity, and accessibility
Fraud interview screens

Key screens from the fraud initiation experience, including transaction identification, guided questions, and confirmation steps designed for clarity and empathy.

Next steps

We planned to expand support for debit cards, modernize the UI with the latest corporate design system, and explore secure document exchange APIs to make the claims process even more seamless and efficient.

Would you like to learn more? Contact me and we can have a chat.