Document verification was one of the highest-cost steps in Motorway's seller journey: failures were common, guidance was unclear, and sellers blamed Motorway when documents were rejected. With no PM or backend support, I led a fast, content-led sprint that reframed it as a guided, confidence-building experience.

1. Led a zero-PM, zero-backend design sprint end to end
2. Redesigned photo guidance from a blocking modal to an always-visible reference
3. Developed a scalable document guidance framework with the content designer
4. Created a contextual support tile from the most frequent seller concerns, which was later adopted across the product

Analysing submitted photos and failure reasons identified recurring patterns:

1. Sellers were hiding sensitive data, making verification impossible
2. Low-quality, cropped, dark photos and missing pages led to frequent rejections
3. Mismatched details (e.g. names not aligning with records)

I framed the work around one question: What are the smallest, most impactful changes we can make to improve the upload experience?

I saw an opportunity to drive quick improvements through content-led solutions. This approach allowed us to refine clarity, guidance, and usability with minimal FE engineering effort. I looped in our UX content designer and together, addressed the user needs.

Sellers were being forced to dismiss a persistent modal every time they added a photo — up to four times for core documents alone. I replaced this with a tile that stayed visible as a reference point. On mobile, I used a bottom sheet that appeared only on the first upload. The result: sellers could cross-reference guidance at any point rather than relying on memory, and help was surfaced when needed rather than blocking the flow.

Working with a content designer, I developed a scalable guidance framework that clarified what document was needed, why it was required, and what specifics to look out for — including things like expiration date rules. The pattern was adopted by other product teams, ensuring consistent guidance across the product, help centre, and support.

Informed by seller feedback and support logs, I replaced generic contact links with a support tile surfacing the three most frequent seller concerns, paired with relevant help centre articles. I also added a lock icon to the submission button to address anxiety around document privacy.

1. Improved first-time approval rates by 7%: Sellers submitted better photos first time, reducing rejection loops
2. Reduced average verification time by 3 hours: Clearer guidance meant fewer back-and-forth support interactions
3. UI pattern adopted across the product: The document guidance framework was picked up by other teams, proving lightweight content-led solutions could scale