Implementing Photo ID Verification for Secure Registration
Client: Aviva
Role: Senior UX Designer
Focus: Secure onboarding, Photo IDV integration, cross-team collaboration
Role: Senior UX Designer
Focus: Secure onboarding, Photo IDV integration, cross-team collaboration
Background
As part of a broader effort to enhance the online registration experience for Aviva customers, the team aimed to implement Photo Identity Verification (IDV) on the web platform. The goal was to provide a more secure and user-friendly alternative to traditional security questions, especially for users accessing financial products.
The Challenge
The Photo IDV technology was provided by a third-party vendor that our web team had not previously integrated with, raising both technical and security concerns.
Implementation required approval from internal security stakeholders, with clear justification of data protection standards and risk management.
The registration flow needed redesigning to clearly define where, when, and for whom the Photo IDV step would appear—without disrupting existing journeys.
We aimed to deliver a consistent user experience across platforms, aligning our web and mobile-web journeys with the app team's existing IDV flow.
Approach
Leveraged existing user research and implementation insights from the app team to inform decision-making and reduce duplicated effort.
Collaborated closely with security and legal teams to map data flows and ensure compliance with internal protocols and regulatory requirements.
Conducted a comparative review of Photo IDV in high-trust systems (e.g., border control and banking) to evaluate best practices and inform UX strategy.
Reviewed and improved password creation and recovery flows, aligning them with guidelines and enhancing accessibility.
Designed and prototyped a flexible IDV module for web and mobile web, integrating it into the core registration journey.
Created a prototype for the facial recognition journey and conducted user research in a lab-based setting.
Key Learnings
This project deepened my understanding of identity verification, security UX, and the balance between friction and trust in financial product registration. I gained experience in working with cross-functional teams, including security, legal, product, and mobile, and applied best practices from government and banking ID systems to shape a trustworthy experience.
Results
Photo IDV was successfully implemented across web and mobile web, providing a secure, app-aligned user journey for customers accessing sensitive financial products.
The project was featured at the Aviva Summer Conference as a successful example of cross-platform collaboration and UX innovation in secure onboarding.
