Web forms have a lot to do with User eXperience (UX). UX is part of client onboarding and that is a key part of Know Your Customer (KYC) and KYC is all to do with regulatory compliance. See the relationship?

1. This is Part 1 of our series of articles in:
“Digital Client Onboarding for Financial Services: Move Fast,
Ask Less”.
So, what does User eXperience (UX) have to do with
compliance? Well, when we break it down to the nitty gritty, your
new client will probably have their first interaction with you while
researching your company or the service(s) it provides via your
website. After they have surveyed your website and built some
trust, they then make the decision to contact you. This is when
they will inevitably end up at a web form.
Web forms have a lot to do with UX and UX is part of client
onboarding and that is closely related to Know Your
Customer (KYC) and KYC is all to do with
regulatory compliance. With web forms being the most common
way to perform digital client onboarding…. the initial user
experience with your company has a lot to do with compliance.
But get it wrong and you might not have to worry about KYC, you
might not even get the client.
Link.
This is a web form. A nice one.
+852 8203 2066 | info@hifromlink.com | www.hifromlink.com
How are User Experience (UX) and Compliance related?
1

2. Link.
+852 8203 2066 | info@hifromlink.com | www.hifromlink.com
How are User Experience (UX) and Compliance related?
2
I’m sure not long ago it would have seemed odd to mention ‘UX’
and ‘regulatory compliance’ in the same sentence, but times have
moved on, fast. Every company, from the biggest on the planet to
the smallest garage upstart is trying to enhance their digital
experiences and the way they connect with their customers.
The world’s biggest retail banks are now feeling the pressure
from mobile-first startups that create apps with fantastic user
experiences to try and draw customers to their platform.
See Number26 and Monese as some prime examples.
Monese Banking App

3. Link.
+852 8203 2066 | info@hifromlink.com | www.hifromlink.com
3
So why is it so difficult to create a great, digital client onboarding
experience and what’s been wrong with the approach until now?
From our experience working with clients, we have come across
all kinds of forms. Depending on if they are regulated and which
regulatory body they are licensed under, whether they’re
onboarding an individual or a corporation or simply down to how
they handle their KYC and compliance internally. Most commonly,
we work with clients that have forms with between 60 – 200 fields
to complete. So, what’s a field?
How are User Experience (UX) and Compliance related?
Example of a bad web form. Particularly if you
need to enter a lot of information.

4. Link.
+852 8203 2066 | info@hifromlink.com | www.hifromlink.com
4
Our example has 9 fields. You can imagine having to complete a form like this with 60 – 200 fields to handover your information. It
presents a number of challenges when trying to digitize forms and processes. We’ve listed the 4 main ones we’ve come across:
Flow or Logic Missing
Asking someone to enter information at the wrong time and
out of context is a real issue. The constant need to flick
between pages or endless scrolling makes for a bad user
experience. ‘If you selected Yes, go to Section 5’.
The Paper Mentality
If you’re just taking your current paper form and putting it
online, you’re going to run into problems. The digital
experience needs to be a lot different and more familiar for
someone who uses Phones, Tablets, Laptops etc. everyday.
You’ll run into at least 2 out of 3 of the above issues. And
more.
Form Fatigue
Ever gone to complete a long form and needed to take
numerous breaks from it? Not only for your sanity but also
because you may not have the information or document
required at the time. Or worse still, you’re half-way through a
form online and it loses all your work when you try to come
back to it?
Repetition
We found the client’s who were being onboarded were getting
asked for the same information up to 2 – 3 times on the same
form. Even when converted to digital! ‘Didn’t you just ask me
that?’.
How are User Experience (UX) and Compliance related?

5. Link.
+852 8203 2066 | info@hifromlink.com | www.hifromlink.com
5
As you can see, a web form actually has a lot to do with compliance and is
integral to a successful digital client onboarding programme. Getting this
wrong will get you bad results and a bad first impression and maybe even a
lost client. This is where UX comes in and it can turn a bad experience into
a delightful first interaction for your clients. As Steve says: You have to start
with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology.
This is Part 1 in our series “Digital Client Onboarding: Move Fast, Ask
Less”. In the next installment we’ll look at “Form Data: Can data be used
to hone a better digital client onboarding experience?” If you would to
receive our updates, please head to our website and connect with us.
www.hifromlink.com
Link.
Digital & Automated Client Onboarding
How are User Experience (UX) and Compliance related?