Situation

When sellers signed up for Square Checking, they could access banking features to manage finances, move money, and spend their Square balance.

We noticed a significant drop off when sellers reached the debit card ordering step. Funnel data showed that 31% of sellers who signed up for Checking during the onboarding flow skipped card ordering, which completed their Square Checking application. They had finished signup without ordering a physical card, but the experience did not reflect that completion or give them a clear path to start spending.

The initial assumption was technical: if a seller skipped card ordering, should we simply create their Checking account anyway? Through research and funnel analysis, we uncovered a deeper issue. Some sellers were not skipping because they did not want Square Checking. They were skipping because they did not want a physical debit card.

Our activation experience had connected banking access to a physical card. Square Checking activation felt tied to ordering a Square Debit Card, which created friction for sellers who preferred digital wallets, did not carry physical cards, wanted immediate access before receiving a mailed card, or were unsure whether skipping the card meant losing access to their account.

The experience was optimized around card fulfillment instead of seller intent.

Task

Advocate for seller choice instead of a required debit card order.

Many sellers expected a modern banking experience where they could access funds immediately, use a virtual card, add their card to a digital wallet, and decide later if they wanted a physical card. The opportunity was not just removing a step. It was provisioning Checking with instant virtual card access and letting sellers choose their spending path.

Success meant increasing Square Checking completion, reducing abandonment at card ordering, improving confidence in virtual card access, and helping sellers start spending sooner without forcing a physical card order.

Action

From funnel analysis to a reframed activation model.

Exploration

What sellers expected from modern banking activation.

Exploration focused on four expectations that the card first model did not meet:

• Access funds immediately without waiting for delivery
• Use a virtual card as a complete spending path
• Add a card to Apple Pay or another digital wallet
• Order a physical card later if it fit their workflow

This reframing shifted design conversations from "how do we get sellers through card ordering" to "how do we help sellers choose how they want to spend."

Design

Move Checking account creation ahead of optional card ordering.

Before · Checking account created after card ordering

Sellers moved through account creation, banking signup, and identity verification before reaching debit card personalization and shipping. The Checking account was not created until the end of that flow. If a seller dropped during card ordering, they left without an account, a virtual card, or access to banking features.

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Before · Dropped into balance without a path back

When sellers abandoned debit card ordering, they landed in the traditional Balance experience. The screen looked like a completed banking setup: available balance, transfer, and recent activity. Nothing indicated they had not finished signing up for Square Checking, and there was no way to resume the flow and finalize their account. Sellers who dropped off were effectively stuck.

Before · Card details treated wallet setup as secondary

The previous card management design listed Add to Apple Wallet as a row item alongside billing address and card controls. For sellers who wanted to spend through a digital wallet, that buried the action they cared about most. I brought this gap to the team and advocated elevating Add to Apple Wallet to a primary action on the card detail screen, an opportunity to improve how we surfaced wallet setup at the moment sellers expected it.

After · Checking account created before optional card ordering

In the updated flow, the Checking account is provisioned during banking signup and identity verification, before sellers reach debit card ordering. At that point, physical card ordering becomes optional. Sellers can skip it, access a virtual debit card, and use banking features immediately, or order a physical card when they want one.

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After · Checking home with virtual card ready to spend

When sellers skip physical card ordering, they still receive a Square Checking account and an instant virtual debit card. The updated Banking home surfaces that virtual card with a clear Add to Apple Wallet call to action, encouraging sellers to add their card and start spending right away instead of waiting for mail delivery.

After · Card details with wallet as primary and physical card optional

The redesigned card detail screen elevates Add to Apple Wallet to a primary action, matching how sellers expect to set up a digital wallet. It also introduces Order a physical card as a secondary entry point with clear value messaging, so sellers who skipped ordering during signup can still see why a physical card matters and opt in when it fits their workflow.

Card details · Before and after

Scroll inside each device to view the full screen.

Key design decisions

• Remove debit card ordering as a signup requirement. Based on research insight, I advocated provisioning Checking with a virtual card instead of gating the account on physical card fulfillment.
• Give sellers choice in how they spend. Virtual card, digital wallet, and optional physical card ordering became parallel paths, not a single required step.
• Introduce virtual card access at activation. Sellers could start spending immediately without waiting for mail delivery.
• Elevate Add to Apple Wallet to a primary action. I identified that the previous card detail screen buried wallet setup in a list and advocated making it a top-level action on the redesigned screen.
• Keep physical card ordering available with clear value. Sellers who skip during signup can still order a physical card later from card details, with messaging that explains ATM access and in-person spending.

System Impact

Established a more flexible activation model across Banking.

• Decoupled Checking activation from physical card fulfillment across onboarding flows
• Virtual card and digital wallet patterns reusable in card issuance experiences
• Shared language around seller intent and access to money applied beyond debit card ordering
• Cross team alignment on activation metrics that reflected completion, not just card orders

Results

Sellers completed activation and started spending sooner.

The redesigned experience increased Square Checking activation, reduced drop off at the debit card step, grew virtual card adoption, and shortened time to first spend. Sellers who previously abandoned at card ordering could complete setup, receive a virtual debit card, and choose whether to order a physical card later.

Reflection

Activation issues are often symptoms of a product assumption.

The challenge was not that sellers did not want Square Checking. The challenge was that requiring debit card ordering defined access too narrowly. Advocating for seller choice, instant virtual card provisioning, and optional physical card ordering created a more flexible experience that helped sellers start using their money sooner.

This work also reinforced how follow on initiatives benefit from prior context. After improving how sellers understood Checking value, the next barrier was clearer: the card step was filtering out sellers who were ready to bank digitally. Fixing that required owning the card experience, not just optimizing a funnel step.