Empowering developers to seamlessly navigate Onfido’s identity verification solutions
Project Overview
As a Product Designer at Onfido, I was entrusted with leading the conception and redesign of the Developer Hub—a centralized platform built to streamline developer workflows and boost overall productivity. Over a six-month period, I collaborated closely with a cross-functional team that included a Product Manager, a Technical Writer, a Front-End Engineer, and a Back-End Engineer.
Our primary goal was to craft a seamless, intuitive environment for developers to manage tasks and collaborate efficiently. By the end of the project, task completion rates had surged by 30%, validating the Hub’s impact on developer efficiency and satisfaction.
Problem Statement
High-Level Goal
Enable developers to quickly discover, understand, and integrate Onfido’s identity solutions—ensuring smooth orchestration and verification experiences from start to finish.
Market Context
Much like Onfido’s products that unify hardware and software elegantly, the identity verification market craved a cohesive source of truth. Developers were grappling with scattered documentation and unclear integration paths, leading to confusion and stalled innovation. We saw an opportunity to introduce a single, developer-friendly platform that respects their time and speaks their language.
User Pain Points
Prior to our redesign, the Developer Hub was dense and disjointed:
Flat hierarchies and redundant link lists caused frustration and cognitive overload.
Developers struggled to locate the right guide or API reference, eroding trust and slowing them down.
By capturing user sentiment through conceptual sketches and metaphors, we realized that solving for clarity would become our north star—resembling the hallmark of any Onfido experience: simple, coherent, and focused on the user’s needs.
Research & Discovery
Solution Statement
We reimagined the Developer Hub as an intuitive, goal-oriented platform. Beyond reorganizing documentation, we created a framework that guides developers throughout their entire journey—from initial setup to advanced orchestration patterns—providing a tangible sense of progression, understanding, and mastery.
Feature Examples
Goal-Centric Navigation: Instead of sorting by product lines, we categorized content by real-world developer objectives (e.g., “Get Started,” “Explore APIs,” “Customize SDKs,” “Learn Best Practices”).
Long-Term Scalability: Modular content blocks and responsive layouts that allow new products and features to integrate seamlessly, upholding a clutter-free experience.
Contextual Search & Filters: Predictive search and intelligent filters provide frictionless access to specific endpoints, code snippets, or tutorials.
Research Process
Initial Insights
We conducted structured interviews with 15 developers who integrate Onfido’s APIs regularly. One developer shared: “It took me 20 minutes to sift through multiple pages just to find the endpoint details I needed.”
Three months post-launch, analytics revealed the time to locate key documentation dropped from an average of 20 minutes to just 8—a 60% improvement.
A survey of 50 frequent users showed a 30% rise in self-reported confidence scores and a 25-point boost in the Developer Hub’s Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Journey Mapping
We employed whiteboard sessions, persona creation, and scenario mapping to chart the developer journey. This helped pinpoint moments of uncertainty—during onboarding, while comparing SDK integrations, and especially when troubleshooting more complex use cases.
Key Findings
Users were exerting high effort with uncertain returns. Notably, offering quick “wins”—such as immediately finding the relevant API call—significantly boosted their sense of control and satisfaction. This led us to emphasize clarity, immediate feedback, and clear pathways to essential content.
Design Process
Deep Dive into Motivation
Developers don’t just want documentation; they’re forming a mental model of how a product (like Onfido’s services) integrates into their own ecosystem. By recognizing their appreciation for efficiency, reliability, and credibility—paralleling Onfido’s core design —we prioritized solutions that garnered trust, saved time, and made each step feel intuitive rather than tedious.
Behavioral Change Framework
Drawing inspiration from research on habit formation and identity-building, we positioned the Developer Hub as a dynamic companion rather than a static library. Our goal was to ensure developers felt like active participants in the Onfido ecosystem—empowered integrators rather than occasional visitors.
Prototypes & Iterations
Onboarding Redesign
Early prototypes showcased a guided onboarding flow: brief, contextual welcome screens introduced how the Hub was structured and how to navigate it effectively. Transparent explanations minimized hidden surprises, building trust from the very first screen.
New Features
“Journey” Tab: We shifted from fragmented, week-by-week attempts to a holistic growth journey. This view celebrated milestones and provided insights on emerging patterns, helping developers feel supported as they scaled their integration.
We tested wireframes, high-fidelity prototypes, and interaction flows in iterative cycles, refining not just the look and feel, but also the emotional impact of each feature.
Delivery & Validation
Agile Implementation
We rolled out features in phases, each informed by user feedback and usage analytics. This agile approach allowed us to make real-time course corrections and iterative enhancements—critical when balancing user needs against technical constraints.
User Feedback
Post-launch, the response from developers was overwhelmingly positive:
They applauded the improved clarity and contextual guidance.
Qualitative research revealed that the Hub felt more like a thoughtful guide than an overwhelming encyclopedia of links.
Insights from surveys prompted small but impactful tweaks, like prioritizing top-requested code samples and adopting language more in line with developers’ everyday vocabulary.
Behavioural Insights
We incorporated subtle coaching moments—such as related tutorials, best-practice prompts, and suggested next steps—to continuously foster skill development. Over time, metrics indicated fewer support tickets, higher engagement, and a rise in self-reported confidence.
Results
Metrics or Outcomes
Time to find key documentation dropped from 20 minutes to 8 minutes.
User satisfaction rose by 30% in internal surveys.
The Developer Hub’s NPS jumped by 25 points overall.
Behavioural Impact
Beyond immediate improvements, we witnessed a transformative shift in how developers approached Onfido’s ecosystem. Instead of sporadically dipping in with uncertainty, they grew to rely on the Hub as a trusted companion for deepening integration. This ongoing engagement fueled more advanced use cases and stronger relationships over the long term.
Reflection & Key Takeways
Learnings
This project underscored the power of an evidence-based, user-centered approach—an deeply aligned with Onfido’s design philosophy. By immersing ourselves in developer psychology, tailoring the information architecture to their mental models, and continuously validating decisions, we delivered an experience that feels both effortless and meaningful.
Future Opportunities
Building on this momentum, there are several avenues for continued growth:
Personalized Recommendations based on past searches and usage patterns.
Smarter Search that anticipates user intent and suggests relevant resources even before they type.
Community-Driven Knowledge, fostering richer collaboration and knowledge exchange within the platform.
Key Techniques
Storytelling: We framed each feature around real developer narratives to maintain emotional resonance.
Visual-First Approach: Wireframes, journey maps, and diagrams helped translate abstract insights into concrete design solutions.
Evidence-Based Design: Every choice was backed by user research, usability testing, and data analytics.
Actionable UX Principles: We constantly asked, “Is this clear?” “Does this reduce friction?” “Does this inspire confidence?”
Impact-Oriented: By tying outcomes directly to user and business benefits, we ensured that our solutions remained both delightful and strategically valuable.
In the end, the redesigned Developer Hub became a beacon of clarity in a crowded market. By championing the developer’s perspective, anchoring decisions in rigorous research, and striving for simplicity and coherence, we delivered an experience that embodies the core values of premium, user-focused product design—hallmarks that resonate with Onfido’s design DNA.