№ 001 · HOUSECALL PRO · FINTECH · B2B · MOBILE

Optimizing Check Deposits:
A Housecall Pro Case Study

Within the first month of launching Mobile Check Deposit, users completed 2,500 deposits worth $500,000 in GMV. This feature significantly enhanced user efficiency and satisfaction.

FintechB2BSenior Product DesignerMobileFintech Unicorn

Due to my non-disclosure agreement, I have removed or hidden any confidential information from this case study. The information presented here is based on my own experience and does not represent the views of Housecall Pro.

Key outcomes

2,500

DEPOSITS IN MONTH ONE

$500K

GMV IN MONTH ONE

$600K+

AVG GMV FOLLOWING MONTHS

$100K

BIGGEST SINGLE CHECK

The 18-second version

The whole case study, before you read it.

The problem, the process, the product and the result, as a short silent reel. The full story and the decisions behind it follow below.

Introduction

Context and Background

About Housecall Pro

Housecall Pro is a comprehensive service management software for home service professionals, including plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, and cleaning services.

What does it do?

Automates tasks like scheduling, dispatching, and communication.
Provides a mobile app for efficient on-site work and online booking tools.
Offers valuable insights with real-time reporting and analytics to optimize the business.

My Role

As Senior Product Designer, I led design phases and monitored task progression, keeping stakeholders and team members informed.

Planning & Scope Definition

Defined the project scope and planned the design phases to ensure alignment with business goals.

Design Execution & Validation

Led the design process, executed design solutions, and validated them through user testing and feedback.

Customer Insights & Ideation

Gathered customer insights and led ideation sessions to generate innovative solutions based on user needs.

Leading Team Workshops

Conducted workshops to foster collaboration, generate ideas, and solve problems collectively.

Stakeholder Communication

Maintained regular communication with stakeholders to align project goals, provide updates, and incorporate their feedback.

Leadership

Provided leadership and direction to the squad, ensuring consistent progress and high-quality outcomes.

Why Mobile Check Deposit Matters

Mobile Check Deposit addresses widespread check use in the U.S., simplifying how home service professionals get paid. By integrating deposits into Housecall Pro, we save technicians time and align with the platform’s all-in-one vision.

Market relevance: Checks remain popular in the U.S., with 11 billion processed annually. Within Housecall Pro, checks account for 30% of transactions.
User demand: Users frequently receive check payments; instant deposits within the app address this pain point.
Efficiency: Technicians save time by eliminating bank visits.
Strategic alignment: Supports Housecall Pro’s goal of being a comprehensive tool for business needs, including financial transactions.

The task

Prioritizing Post-MVP Enhancements

After the MVP shipped, I worked with the team to identify and rank the issues holding back a wider rollout. We split them into two lists - the general feature-level challenges, and the post-MVP prioritization challenges.

General Mobile Check Deposit challenges

Customer trust: Customers may hesitate to trust Housecall Pro for financial transactions.
Security and compliance: Managing fraud risks and meeting regulatory needs is crucial while keeping costs manageable.
Usability: Smooth check image capture needs a user-friendly design to avoid frustration.
Processing time: Customers expect quick, predictable processing times to feel confident using the feature.

Post-MVP challenges

Feedback prioritization: Analyzing and prioritizing user feedback to address critical issues first.
Usability improvements: Enhancing the UI based on user pain points.
Feature expansion: Developing additional features suggested by users.
Technical performance: Addressing app stability, compatibility, and processing speed.

Problem statement validation

Validating the challenges & direction

Gathering Feedback from Alpha Users

I combined follow-up calls, emails, direct alpha user feedback, usage analytics, and user interviews to gather comprehensive input. Consolidating all data in one place allowed me to identify recurring pain points and prioritize critical issues.

Key findings

“When I attempted a deposit, I wasn’t sure how close I was to my limit. The app didn’t show real-time usage, and I ended up getting an unexpected rejection.”

Unclear limit visibility - users didn’t know how close they were to their limit in real time, leading to unexpected rejections.

“Once I hit my limit, I had no idea when it would reset. This uncertainty made planning my deposits really challenging.”

Ambiguous reset timing - when the limit was hit, users had no idea when it would reset.

High frequency of near-limit deposits. Usage analytics revealed that nearly 50% of deposit attempts occur when users have reached 70–90% of their limit, indicating a critical need for better real-time limit visibility.

“Exceeding the limit disrupts my workflow. I need clear guidance on what happens next, whether I should wait for a reset, contact support, or try a different approach.”

Frustration over process interruptions - users needed clear next steps when a deposit was rejected.

Aligning with Roadmap and Choosing Direction

Roadmap alignment: Reviewed prioritized feedback in the context of our product roadmap.
Beta release preparation: Identified the beta release as the next key milestone.
Stakeholder discussions: Collaborated with fintech stakeholders to identify critical blockers.

New direction: Transaction Limits

Problem statement: Unclear transaction limit indicators cause user anxiety and workflow disruptions. Unexpected rejections compromise security and compliance (impacting Stripe’s check validation) and fail to adapt to the varied needs of small and large businesses, preventing the broader rollout of this feature.

Starting new project

Moving from Alpha to Beta Version

Kick-off meeting for Transaction Limits

We started with a kick-off workshop involving our cross-functional team - product designer, product manager, engineering lead. After the workshop, I shared the file with stakeholders for asynchronous review.

Planning the Design Process

As the Lead Product Designer, I tailored the design process for implementing transaction limits for the Mobile Check Deposit feature. This included selecting appropriate tools and methods to address project needs and ensure a seamless transition to the beta version.

Building understanding

Team Alignment and Problem Understanding

Understanding the problem

In the “Understanding” phase, we focused on mapping “Jobs to be Done” and pain points using data from user interviews and MVP feedback I’d gathered earlier.

Competitors Analysis

I analyzed competitors’ interactions from pre-MVP research. I efficiently used a Slack request to gather application screenshots. This analysis guided our MVP design and fostered cross-functional teamwork and project ownership.

Transparent limit display: Competitors often provide a clear, real-time display of remaining limits on the main transaction screen, helping users avoid unexpected rejections.
User education & onboarding: Many competitors incorporate tooltips, tutorials, or FAQs during setup, ensuring first-time users understand how limits work and how they can be managed.
Multi-channel notifications: Competitors may notify users via email, SMS, or push notifications when they approach or exceed their limits, ensuring timely awareness.
Clear recovery paths: Competitors provided explicit instructions when a limit was reached - wait times, contact routes, alternative actions.

Defining and developing

From Scope to Stakeholders Review

Defining Project Scope

I conducted two workshops in the ideation phase: a “How Might We” session and an ideation session focused on solutions for the challenges. Ultimately, I used an Impact-Effort Matrix workshop to select the most viable solutions.

Scope of the project

Clear limit information

Display current transaction limits and usage directly within the app to keep users informed at all times.

Immediate alerts

Implement real-time notifications to alert users as they approach or exceed their transaction limits.

Guidance messages

Provide clear instructions and next steps when users reach their limits.

Simplified interface adjustments

Minor UI tweaks to streamline the deposit process and reduce user confusion without major overhauls.

Design Explorations

I started the project with mid-fidelity designs using our existing design system. Focusing on insights from earlier stages, I aimed to align with user needs and project goals.

Product Design Review

I used asynchronous Product Design Reviews, enabling designers to provide feedback at their convenience. Additionally, I presented designs in bi-weekly meetings for real-time discussions and immediate feedback.

Stakeholders Review

After refining designs with feedback from the triad and designers, I created a detailed presentation for stakeholders at our weekly meeting, highlighting the design journey, key UI elements, and our choices.

Usability testing

Validating Design

Planning and Conducting Usability Tests

We validated design assumptions with real users via prototype usability tests. I invited MVP testers and new users and conducted 7 tests for feedback. The Product Manager helped by taking notes and asking follow-up questions.

Insights and Actionable Feedback

After usability tests, I compiled the findings into a presentation with recommended changes. It summarized results, key insights, pain points, and improvement areas, backed by data and user feedback. I presented it to stakeholders, sharing insights and a plan to enhance the product.

INSIGHT 01

Visibility of limits

Four users didn’t want technicians to see the remaining limits. We decided to hide limits until role-based permissions were implemented, allowing only managers to view them.

INSIGHT 02

Guidance messages

The app’s clear instructions were well-received. Users liked having step-by-step guidance when reaching limits.

INSIGHT 03

Real-time notifications

Users appreciated real-time notifications for transaction limits, finding them effective in keeping informed and avoiding surprises.

INSIGHT 04

Detailed transaction history

Users wanted detailed transaction history showing past deposits, limits reached, and actions taken for a comprehensive overview.

Final design & product analytics

Implementing user feedback and polishing the designs

Working on Hi-Fi Designs

In this phase, I refined the UI with stakeholder feedback, aligning it with our design system. This included adjusting components, fonts, colors, and spacing. Collaborating with marketing, we crafted copy to enhance the design. I produced high-fidelity designs as the final outcome.

Creating a Measurement Plan

I led the creation of our analytics plan, defining key metrics and measurement strategies. Collaborating with the Product Manager and analytics team, we ensured comprehensive integration.

Results

Outcomes and Learnings

Transaction Limits: Key Outcomes

By introducing clear, adaptable deposit limits, we addressed users’ concerns about security, compliance, and workflow interruptions.

Reduced deposit rejections

Unexpected deposit rejections dropped significantly post-implementation, indicating more predictable and smoother transactions.

Enhanced compliance & trust

100% adherence to industry regulations was achieved, with Stripe validation processes streamlined to reinforce user trust.

Streamlined onboarding & support

Support tickets related to deposit limits decreased by around 80%, reflecting enhanced clarity and user confidence.

Foundation for future iterations

The successful rollout created a scalable framework for potential feature expansions, including more granular user permissions or custom limit tiers.

Usage Metrics and Impact

After launching the Mobile Check Deposit feature for all users (general availability), we tracked significant engagement and success.

2,500

Deposits in Month 1

$500,000 GMV

$600K+

Avg Monthly GMV

Subsequent months

$100K

Largest Single Check

Reliability proven

Checks accounted for 30% of payments our clients received. Mobile Check Deposit closed that loop directly inside Housecall Pro, validating the fintech strategy and meaningfully reducing the friction of getting paid.

Client Experiences and Insights

Through consistent updates and user testing, we created an effective, user-friendly Mobile Check Deposit feature that meets client expectations and integrates seamlessly into workflows. It’s easy to implement, time-saving, and reliable, allowing users to focus on their work rather than financial logistics.

“Mobile Check Deposit has been a game-changer for us. It’s so easy to use, and we can deposit checks instantly without any hassle. No more trips to the bank!”John D. · Plumber · Colorado

“The time saved is incredible. I used to worry about losing checks or having to find time to go to the bank. Now, I just take a picture and it’s done.”Emily R. · HVAC company · California

“Getting paid faster has made a big difference for my business. I can focus more on my work and less on financial logistics.”Mike S. · HVAC technician · Ohio

Reflections: Key Learnings and Insights

Continuous sharing and communication: Regularly sharing progress and results with the team and key stakeholders proved invaluable.
Centralized user feedback: Sharing results and analysis asynchronously allowed team members to review and ask questions at their convenience, with scheduled live meetings for in-depth discussions when needed.
Hypothesis-driven design: Helped in forming a validation and measurement plan for evaluating the effectiveness of proposed solutions.
Flexibility and adaptability: The importance of remaining flexible and adapting plans based on real-time feedback and changing circumstances.

Product in action

Feature Promo Video

Watch the official Housecall Pro promo for Mobile Check Deposit - the finished experience, from check capture to confirmation, as it shipped to users.

Mobile Check Deposit - Housecall Pro promo video thumbnail

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