Product Design
TFN verification is a hard requirement at Postscript, without it, merchants can't launch popups, send campaigns, or even send a test message. Submissions were failing constantly. The core business problem was resubmission, so I focused on prevention. I partnered with Compliance, Product, and Engineering to understand why TFN requests failed and designed solutions that directly addressed those failure points.
1. Collecting the right information upfront
I redesigned the TFN verification flow to collect accurate business information from the start. The root cause turned out to be specific: Postscript was pre-filling address data pulled from Shopify, assuming it matched the legal address required for TFN verification. It often didn't. I introduced clearer business registration inputs supporting EINs, international identifiers, and a dedicated path for sole proprietors without EINs. I also reworked the information hierarchy to clearly explain what TFN verification is and how long it typically takes.
New TFN step during onboarding
2. Make status and failure reasons visible everywhere
TFN verification directly impacts access to core features, so I extended the experience beyond the onboarding step. I added contextual alerts across popups, campaigns, automations, and test message flows so merchants always understood they were blocked, why, and what to do next. I also surfaced common failure reasons proactively, letting merchants identify and fix issues before resubmitting.
Various points where TFN status and action is surfaced
3. Meeting Users Where They Are
I advocated for email notifications when TFN verification succeeded or failed. On success, the email nudged merchants to activate automations, send campaigns, and enable popups. On failure, it gave them immediate context to fix the issue and avoid delays. This ensured we reached merchants during a critical trust-building phase, even when they weren't in the product.
TFN success and failure emails
