What caused the sudden spike in failed notarization attempts for Notarize's real estate closing service last week?

Introduction

The sudden spike in failed notarization attempts for Notarize's real estate closing service last week presents a critical issue that demands immediate attention and thorough analysis. As we delve into this problem, we'll employ a systematic approach to identify, validate, and address the root cause while considering both short-term fixes and long-term strategic implications.

Our analysis will follow a structured framework, beginning with clarifying questions to establish context, ruling out external factors, understanding the product and user journey, breaking down the metric, gathering and prioritizing data, forming hypotheses, conducting root cause analysis, and finally proposing validation methods and next steps.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the timing, I'm thinking this could be related to a recent product update. Has there been any significant change to the notarization process or platform in the past week?

Why it matters: Recent changes often correlate with sudden metric shifts. Expected answer: Yes, we rolled out a new UI for document uploading. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd focus on the new UI's impact on user behavior.

• Considering the specificity of "real estate closing," I'm wondering if this is isolated to a particular region or type of property. Can you provide any geographic or property-type breakdown of these failed attempts?

Why it matters: Helps identify if the issue is systemic or localized. Expected answer: The spike is consistent across regions but more pronounced in residential properties. Impact on approach: We'd investigate factors specific to residential closings if confirmed.

• Given the nature of notarization, I'm curious about any recent regulatory changes. Have there been any new laws or compliance requirements implemented recently that might affect the notarization process?

Why it matters: Regulatory changes can significantly impact legal processes like notarization. Expected answer: No recent regulatory changes directly affecting our process. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd shift focus from external compliance issues to internal factors.

• Considering the critical role of notaries in this process, I'm wondering about any changes in notary availability or behavior. Have we seen any unusual patterns in notary engagement or performance metrics?

Why it matters: Notary-related issues could directly impact successful notarizations. Expected answer: Notary availability has remained stable, but there's been a slight increase in session duration. Impact on approach: We'd investigate factors causing longer sessions and their potential impact on failure rates.