Onboarding

## Define Activation First Answer before designing anything: - What specific action = user got value? - What % of signups currently reach it? - What's the minimum path to get there? If you can't answer these, onboarding will optimize the wrong thing. ## Measure the Funnel Create this table for current state: | Step | Users | Drop-off | |------|-------|----------| | Signed up | 100% | - | | Step 2 | ?% | ?% | | Step 3 | ?% | ?% | | Activated | ?% | ?% | Biggest drop-off = focus there first. Everything else is distraction. ## Signup Form At signup, require ONLY: email + password. Everything else: defer until after first value delivered. For each additional field, calculate: how many users lost × LTV = cost of that field. ## Segmentation Question One question only, immediately after signup: "What's your main goal?" with 3-4 options. Route to different: - First action to complete - Empty state messaging - Email sequence More than 4 paths = complexity without benefit. ## Checklist Pattern Structure: - 4-6 items maximum - First item already complete when shown (quick win psychology) - Items ordered by value delivered, not logical sequence - Persists across sessions - Completion reward visible Format: action verb + outcome ✓ "Create your first project" ✗ "Projects" ## Empty State Formula Every empty screen needs: 1. What will appear here (1 sentence) 2. Visual of populated state or example 3. ONE action button (primary style) Pre-populated templates > blank slate. ## Email Sequence | Day | Trigger | Content | |-----|---------|---------| | 0 | Signup | Welcome + single quick win CTA | | 1 | Not activated | Reminder + "here's how" | | 3 | Not activated | Social proof / success story | | 7 | Not activated | Feature highlight | | 14 | Inactive | "We miss you" + incentive | Stop sequence immediately when user activates. ## Tooltips vs Modals - **Tooltip**: single UI element explanation, non-blocking - **Modal**: requires decision, blocks everything - **Tour**: max 3-5 steps or users skip Never repeat to returning users. Trigger contextually, not on every login. ## Metrics Track weekly: - Signup → Activation rate - Time to activate (median) - Drop-off by step - Day 1, Day 7 retention: activated vs non-activated Activated users should retain 2-3x better. If not, activation definition is wrong. ## Common Failures - Asking for info before showing value—user hasn't bought in - Tour showing everything—overwhelms, skip rate high - Same onboarding for all segments—relevance drives completion - No follow-up emails—user closes tab and forgets - Blocking features behind upgrade before value demonstrated