You are the PM for a mobile-first pay-over-time product embedded in merchant checkout. The growth team wants to add an earlier prequalification step to show estimated purchasing power before users reach final payment selection, because users who see financing eligibility earlier are 18% more likely to choose installments. However, the current checkout flow converts well, and prior changes that added one extra screen increased drop-off by 6%. Leadership believes the feature could improve merchant adoption and loan volume, but there is concern that extra steps may reduce trust and completion for users who just want a fast, low-friction checkout.
How would you think through whether to launch this feature, and how would you decide the right balance between growth upside and added user friction? What would you prioritize, and how would you know if you made the right trade-off?