Overview
The importance of identity verification
Building trust starts with verifying identities securely. PayPal regularly updates its identity verification process to stay ahead of emerging fraud threats, and our engineering team had recently identified a security issue with how we ordered the verification steps.
My challenge was reversing the flow (moving from ID document scan first to face scan first) while keeping the user experience smooth and natural when applied across different security situations.
My contribution
Content strategy
Product design
The team
1 content designer
1 product manager
1 product designer
1 UX researcher
2 legal partners
Year
2025
Process
Leading with strategic principles
When stakeholders requested reversing the ID verification flow's steps, I recognized an opportunity to rethink the narrative experience.
I adapted insights from past in-house usability tests to develop specific design principles to guide decision-making. These principles helped drive consistency across the verification experience and inform future design choices.
Use a conversational approach
Security verification interrupts the user journey unexpectedly. I designed copy that uses natural, approachable language to feel like part of an ongoing conversation rather than a system demand.
Prevent errors before they happen
I identified common failure points in the flow and designed preemptive guidance to help users succeed on their first attempt.
Make meaningful accommodations for diverse needs
I designed adaptive vocal guidance that automatically activates when an OS detects accessibility mode or assistive tech, helping those with visual impairments receive appropriate support throughout the experience.
Outcomes and reflection
The original process required customers to scan their ID documents first, then complete a face scan. By switching to face scan first (the more secure step), we caught more fraudsters up front, saving money and improving platform security.
We launched the updated flow to over 400M users after two rounds of usability testing. Six months later, average task completion time dropped by 22%.
While we made meaningful accessibility improvements this iteration, there's still opportunity to make the scanning process more seamless for users with vision impairments.