Internal product review · 17 October 2026
HERCRED onboarding review
A step-by-step comparison of the current HERCRED eligibility wizard and YouthCred’s self-employed signup and subsequent loan journey.
The password gap is real
HERCRED does not ask applicants to create a password or collect an email or phone number. Its application state lives in the browser’s current React session. Refreshing the page loses the journey. YouthCred’s self-employed signup collects a password, hashes it on the server, and carries the saved credentials into an approved user account.
Scope: this compares repository code, not a live production deployment. HERCRED is labeled as an interactive prototype in its README.
Process, one step at a time
1. Entry and pathway
HERCRED today
The visitor starts an eligibility check and may select an earning pathway on the home page. The wizard itself begins with a welcome screen.
YouthCred self-employed
The visitor selects Youth Entrepreneur, then chooses to apply through YouthCred or ALAT. The YouthCred choice opens the self-employed signup form.
Review finding: HERCRED frames the journey as eligibility, not account registration.
2. Identity
HERCRED today
The visitor selects BVN or NIN and enters a number. The Continue button accepts six or more characters. A timer then displays a successful verification or a male redirect using demo data.
YouthCred self-employed
The applicant enters email and phone, captures a photo, then enters an 11-digit BVN for a lookup. NIN is also required. A provider outage can leave the application pending.
Review finding: HERCRED does not collect contact details, a photo, or both identity numbers; its verification is simulated.
3. Account and password
HERCRED today
There is no email, phone, password, confirmation, login, or account creation step anywhere in the eligibility wizard.
YouthCred self-employed
After BVN verification, the applicant sets and confirms a password. The form checks length, letter case, a number, and a special character. The server hashes the password before saving the application.
Review finding: Critical gap: a HERCRED applicant has no way to create credentials, sign back in, or resume the journey after a reload.
4. Profile and consent
HERCRED today
The Credit Index survey comes next. The financial form asks for either salary and employer details or business inflow and expenses, plus a single bureau and data-processing checkbox.
YouthCred self-employed
Signup collects name, date of birth, email, phone, BVN, NIN, photo, and agreement to Terms and Privacy. Self-employed business information is requested later during bank setup.
Review finding: The two products collect different information at different points. HERCRED needs a deliberate account and consent design before production use.
5. Review and decision
HERCRED today
The wizard calculates an illustrative affordability limit, asks for a loan purpose, then runs a timed assessment and displays an offer.
YouthCred self-employed
Signup submits an application to an API. Identity verification and approval may be automatic or remain pending for admin review. An approved account can then enter the dashboard.
Review finding: HERCRED currently shows an immediate decision without a saved application or review state.
6. Offer and aftercare
HERCRED today
The visitor changes amount and tenor, clicks Accept My Offer, sees a timed partner match and disbursement, then opens a simulated dashboard.
YouthCred self-employed
After approval, the user signs in, completes bank and personal information, and follows a separate loan application flow with offer, verification, and repayment setup.
Review finding: HERCRED combines signup and lending into one demonstration. Its offer, match, disbursement, and dashboard are not connected to a lender or user account.
Recommended decisions before implementation
- 01Add an account and contact step before the Credit Index: email or phone, password, confirm password, and a clear return-to-application route.
- 02Decide whether BVN or NIN alone is sufficient for HERCRED, then implement real validation and verification. The current six-character gate and timed result are demo behavior.
- 03Save an application before showing a decision; distinguish submitted, pending verification, approved, and declined states.
- 04Keep the Credit Index and financial questions, but review the order and consent wording with the HERCRED programme and privacy owners.
- 05Make the loan offer, partner decision, and disbursement conditional on actual backend and PFI responses before presenting them as real outcomes.
Code reviewed
HERCRED: src/features/wizard.tsx, src/components/app-shell.tsx, src/components/pages.tsx, and README.md. YouthCred: src/components/auth/SignupForm.tsx, src/components/auth/EntrepreneurForm.tsx, src/app/api/entrepreneur/verify/route.ts, and src/app/api/admin/self-employed/[id]/approve/route.ts.