Introduction
The Mortgage Warehouse team at Comerica Bank manages all mortgage-related tasks, from coordinating with Relationship Managers to processing payments. Effective communication across different roles and with clients is critical, yet the current system lacks an efficient way to facilitate this. Moreover, multiple outdated, complex, and user-unfriendly systems are used throughout the process, making the workflow even more challenging. The UX team’s goal is to streamline the workflow and offer recommendations to improve the usability of these systems.
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✨ In this case study, I showcase my ability to collaborate with a team to conduct comprehensive user research, gaining a deep understanding of the mortgage process, including key pain points and emotional experiences.
Mortgage Workflow Improvement
Comerica Bank Mortgage Systems
The Research
We conducted a series of user interviews with 18 participants representing various stakeholders, including customers, operations team, and business team, to gain a detailed understanding of the workflow. Each participant shared their responsibilities and experiences. Key findings include:​
Customers
While there are different types of customers, a common pain point is the system's lack of user-friendliness, which includes issues like unclear error messages and frequent timeouts when interacting with the Comerica Mortgage system.
Operations Team
The operations team, comprising business specialists, processors, compliance officers, and the shipping team, aims to ensure a smooth process and maintain clear communication with customers. However, the outdated system hinders their ability to review information and communicate effectively
Business Team
The Relationship Managers' goal is to provide the best possible experience for customers while delivering on their promises. Their challenge lies in the differences between Comerica's internal loan processes and those of other lenders, which can confuse customers.
Based on these insights, we created a journey map that captures all the roles, key steps, and emotions involved in the process. This comprehensive view allowed us to pinpoint areas for improvement and offer actionable recommendations to optimize the system.
Mortgage Warehouse Operation Journey Map
The Next Step
After understanding the wishlist and must-haves, our next step was to update the system with the necessary changes to create a workflow that aligns with user needs. Although I wasn’t involved in the system design phase, the insights gathered from the user research provided invaluable experience that I’m eager to share.