Simon Andrews UI/UX portfolio Email Verification

Email Verification

Previously, Belong allowed customers to purchase and activate SIM cards without verifying their email address. This left a gap that enabled fraudulent sign-ups — exposing the business to security risks and allowing bad actors to exploit services anonymously.

Email verification was essential not just for better communication, but as a frontline defence against fraud. By confirming the legitimacy of an email before activation, we could ensure only genuine customers progressed through onboarding — strengthening account security and protecting the integrity of our network.

Mobile & App

Desktop

What I did

Mapped key customer journeys to pinpoint where identity verification was most critical and high risk.
Collaborated with product, legal, and fraud stakeholders to define verification triggers and supported methods (e.g. SMS codes, photo ID uploads).
Audited competitors to understand best practices for communicating identity requirements clearly and accessibly.
Designed and tested progressive disclosure flows to reduce friction while guiding customers through verification with the right information at the right time.
Developed reusable UI components and content patterns to ensure consistency, scalability, and a cohesive experience across platforms.
Ran customer interviews and usability tests to understand reactions to identity checks and expectations around online security.
Synthesized feedback from support tickets and call logs to identify common confusion points.
Prioritized mobile-first design to reflect the majority of customer interactions on mobile devices.
Ensured accessibility compliance (e.g., screen reader labels, keyboard navigation) across all verification steps.

Impact & Results

Introducing email verification early in the activation flow has already started to shift how we manage risk. By requiring customers to verify their email before proceeding, we've closed a loophole that previously allowed unverified identities to onboard. This change strengthens our fraud prevention measures and provides greater confidence in the legitimacy of our customer base. Early observations indicate a drop in suspicious sign-ups and improved traceability of accounts, particularly in cases where misuse was previously harder to investigate. Additionally, the verification step has added minimal friction, thanks to thoughtful UX design and clear instructions. As full results from the release continue to come in, we're expecting to see:

A measurable reduction in fraudulent SIM activations
Increased activation success rates due to fewer issues with unreachable or invalid emails
Stronger foundations for future security enhancements (e.g. multi-factor authentication, improved recovery flows)