PorchPass
Revolutionizing Mobile Home Financing: Digital Transformation for PorchPass
Creative Director, Senior Product Designer
Services
Creative Direction
Product Design
Design Management
Customer Experience Strategy
Design Systems
Brand Development
Copywriting
Website Design
Marketing Design
Art Direction
The Client
PorchPass is a San Antonio-based fintech company revolutionizing manufactured home financing. Founded in 2020 by the team behind Braustin Homes, PorchPass addresses critical pain points in the manufactured housing market by offering a digital-first approach to financing. The platform promises instant pre-qualifications, automated applications, reduced approval flows, and a modern underwriting process—all designed to make manufactured homeownership more accessible. With their innovative cash-backed offers, PorchPass enables buyers to close on properties up to 60 days faster than traditional financing methods, giving manufactured home buyers the same leverage as conventional homebuyers.
The Challenge
The manufactured home financing landscape was plagued by outdated processes, lengthy approval timelines, and high rejection rates. Both buyers and dealers faced significant friction: buyers struggled with complex paperwork and long waiting periods, while dealers lost sales due to financing complications. The existing systems created unnecessary barriers for qualified buyers and required excessive manual intervention from dealers. PorchPass needed a seamless digital experience that could serve both audiences effectively—simplifying the application process for homebuyers while giving dealers powerful tools to manage and accelerate financing deals.
The Solution
As a small team, we designed a comprehensive dual-platform solution that transformed the manufactured home financing experience from end to end. For homebuyers, we created an intuitive mobile-first application that streamlined the qualification and document submission process. For dealers, we developed a robust management system that provided real-time visibility into deal status and automated many previously manual tasks. This integrated approach dramatically reduced financing timelines, increased approval rates, and created a transparent, stress-reduced experience for all stakeholders.
Reimagining the Homebuyer Journey
Taking customer feedback as our foundation, we crafted a mobile-friendly application flow that eliminated traditional financing frustrations. The redesigned experience guided users through simple, conversational questions about their personal information, employment, income, and potential co-applicants. We replaced intimidating financial forms with straightforward language and progressive disclosure, revealing only the information needed at each step.
Key innovations included a digital signature process that required only a social security number and name, along with an interactive financing slider that allowed pre-qualified applicants to visualize and adjust their loan amount. For applicants not immediately qualifying, we designed supportive guidance pathways that provided transparent next steps rather than an opaque rejection.
The post-qualification experience received equal attention with a gamified condition-clearing system. We transformed tedious documentation requirements into manageable task cards with clear status indicators ("To Do," "In Review," "Approved"). The system incorporated native device integration for document uploads, eliminating the need for separate scanning apps or faxing—a significant pain point in traditional financing.
Empowering Dealers with Real-Time Insights
The dealer-facing platform transformed how manufactured home retailers managed financing. We designed distinct experiences for both managers and employees, with dashboards that offered immediate visibility into deal status across multiple stages: in progress, approved, funded, closed, or denied.
Each applicant was represented through an actionable card interface, with prominent "Action Needed" indicators to highlight deals requiring immediate attention. The detailed view provided comprehensive applicant information and direct communication channels, allowing dealers to proactively assist customers through potential roadblocks.
For dealership managers, we added team management capabilities that enabled deal assignment and performance tracking across sales representatives. This hierarchical approach balanced individual accountability with team oversight, creating a system that could scale with PorchPass's growing dealer network.
Building Brand Presence Through Strategic Design
Beyond the core application experiences, we contributed significantly to PorchPass's brand development and marketing strategy. We crafted executive presentation decks that articulated the company's value proposition for potential investors—critical for a growing fintech startup seeking additional funding.
The brand's physical presence was enhanced through attention-grabbing designs for promotional materials, including custom Cybertruck wraps showcased at industry events. We also redesigned the PorchPass website to more effectively communicate the platform's benefits to both homebuyers and dealers, with clear messaging tailored to each audience segment.
To demonstrate the seamless connection between home selection and financing, we art-directed a compelling sizzle reel showing the customer journey from Braustin Homes to PorchPass financing—visually illustrating how the integrated approach removed traditional friction points.
Unifying the Experience Through Design Systems
To ensure consistency across platforms while enabling rapid iteration, we developed a comprehensive design system that standardized interaction patterns, visual elements, and terminology. This system supported both consumer-facing and dealer interfaces while allowing for appropriate customization based on user needs.
The component library included specialized elements for financial applications, such as secure input fields, progress indicators, and validation states. By creating reusable patterns for complex processes like document verification, we established a foundation that could evolve as PorchPass expanded its service offerings and market reach.
Conclusion
Our comprehensive design solution for PorchPass transformed the manufactured home financing experience through thoughtful digital experiences for both homebuyers and dealers. By reimagining every touchpoint in the financing journey—from initial application to final approval—we helped PorchPass deliver on its promise of faster, more accessible manufactured home financing. The platform not only streamlined operations for dealers but fundamentally changed how consumers perceive and experience manufactured home financing, bringing this underserved market into the modern digital era and helping more Americans achieve affordable homeownership.
During a period of organizational growth, I also helped establish a sustainable design practice by assisting in the hiring process for my successor. This included developing job descriptions, creating interview frameworks, and evaluating portfolio submissions to ensure PorchPass would continue to benefit from strong design leadership after my departure. By establishing comprehensive documentation and participating in knowledge transfer sessions, I ensured the design systems and processes we created would continue to evolve with the company's expansion.
