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DocuSign

As part of my studies at King's College London, I worked on a real-life project for DocuSign and collaborated with classmates. I naturally took on a leadership role, guiding the team to solve a user problem by developing strategies informed by product management frameworks and validated through user research. I ensured Agile practices were adhered to, contributing to a solution now under consideration by DocuSign. The project earned a distinction.

Overview

The US market has seen a decline in the use of knowledge-based authentication (KBA), particularly in the financial sector, driven by poor user experience, security concerns, and regulatory pressures. After conducting extensive market, user, and competitor analyses, our team identified key pain points in end-user behaviour and proposed a solution to reduce KBA churn and enhance adoption.

Project stages

Market, Competitors
& Users

KBA remains common in the US financial sector for AML and KYC compliance but faces challenges from regulations, security concerns, and poor user experiences. The growing ID verification market, driven by AI and biometrics, highlights opportunities for innovation. Some competitors are modernising, while others are still trying to address KBA issues. User research revealed that while DocuSign meets business needs, end-users face friction and frustration with KBA, presenting an opportunity for DocuSign to lead in user-centric solutions.

Product Ideation

Verification failures in KBA disrupt processes, increase costs for DocuSign’s customers, and damage user trust. To address these issues, our solution focuses on improving user engagement, a key KPI linked to satisfaction and retention. Through ideation workshops and assumption testing, we identified quick wins, such as allowing end-users to choose between KBA and alternative authentication methods. This reduces failures and frustration, aligning with DocuSign’s goals to enhance the user experience and manage KBA’s gradual phase-out.

Product Validation

We conducted two user-testing experiments—a survey and a prototype—to gather data-driven insights on improving KBA. The survey explored user attitudes toward KBA and offering an alternative authentication method, informed by an empathy map to address user pain points. The prototype, built with Axure, tested usability and user preferences when presented with a choice. Results showed 60% of users want an alternative if KBA fails, and 100% prefer having a choice. While 37.5% opted for bank verification, the findings confirm that offering options enhances satisfaction and reduces KBA friction.

Recommendations

To address declining KBA usage, DocuSign should prioritise offering end-users a choice between KBA and alternatives to enhance satisfaction and reduce frustration. Further A/B testing is recommended to validate assumptions and gather insights into authentication preferences. With KBA likely becoming redundant due to regulatory changes, DocuSign should develop a gradual exit strategy, allowing customers to manage the transition while minimising disruption. Empowering users and enabling controlled change will help DocuSign adapt smoothly to market shifts.

Hypothesis
&
Solution

Hypothesis

"We believe that authentication will fail less if end-users are given a choice between KBA and an alternative, such as Authentify. And that, by offering this choice, fewer authentication failures will occur, resulting in greater customer satisfaction and reduced churn."

Solution

Our solution offers end-users the option to choose between KBA and an alternative verification method, such as Authentify, to reduce failure rates and improve the experience. By empowering users with choice and enabling customers to monitor usage against risk, this approach supports a gradual transition away from KBA while minimising strain and maintaining trust.

Frameworks

Leadership and uncovered skills

Based on feedback from my team members (see below), my organisational, leadership, and strategic skills were pivotal in helping us achieve distinctions in our assignments. I naturally assumed a leadership role, fostering close connections within the team, which aligned our ideas, created a safe environment, and enabled strong collaboration. The assignment's results speak for themselves Additionally, I utilised my creative skills to design a team logo and edit videos for our assignment submissions.

Results

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Team's feedback

"You were an exceptional team member, demonstrating enthusiasm, creativity, and strong organisational skills throughout the project. You had a clear vision for the work and inspired and motivated everyone around you. Your use research skills are fantastic and your analysis of the user journey was the inspiration for the idea we took forward. Without your focus we may have struggled to align.
Your work ethic was also exemplary and set the standard for the team and you fostered a collaborative and supportive atmosphere.
We occasionally found ourselves in constructive disagreement, but I believe these moments served to develop our critical thinking and overall strengthened the project. Ultimately, your openness to different perspectives and your willingness to challenge ideas really helped to refine our work.
In your feedback you mentioned we were partners in crime. It really did feel like that at times. Big picture focused with an eye on the detail, we worked well together and achieved something that I am very proud and I hope you are too." Ann-Marie