Since 1995, Impac Mortgage Corp. has been a national leader in B2B wholesale lending within the mortgage and real-estate landscape. Due to Impac’s exponential growth within the last year and hiring becoming a key focus, Impac created the initiative to remodel their broker on-boarding process. One component of the on-boarding process is the Broker Portal Guide, a directory that introduces prospective brokers to the operations of Impac and the procedure of processing a loan from submission to closing. The challenge is to redesign the Broker Portal Guide to be a more concise, engaging, and accessible document for new brokers.
Approach
To create the most effective guide for brokers, I had to first understand the loan submission process myself. Before starting the design process, I placed myself in the shoes of a new broker; I went through the process of submitting an artificial loan to familiarize myself with the broker portal and mindset of the user. From this research, I not only gained a better understanding of the broker portal, but also how to improve upon the previous guide. Along this process, I took note of what information was critical, what steps were overlooked, and what goes on in the mind of the user as they were following the steps. From this, I was able to achieve a design that was engaging, intuitive, and user-friendly.
Color
Typography
To be frank, when I first looked through the guide on how to submit a loan, the information was very dense and dry; if I were a new employee, I would not want to read through a 50+ page manual. When redesigning the new broker guide, I wanted the information to be easily accessible, comprehensive, and engaging. I divided the loan submission process into 6 main steps and included a timeline on each page so brokers can keep track of their process as well as shift through information more efficiently when looking for a specific step. I also designed a grid system that emphasized the screenshot images to break up the monotony of text as well as provide a visual guide for readers.
Book Design
Before & After
After
After
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