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Onboarding

Best practice

Create compelling onboarding experiences by following these industry best practices.

Less is more

Just because you can onboard in-product doesn’t mean you should. Showing fewer features to a user means you can focus more on each one. Choose what to onboard based on data and insight - and use the decision tree - to build compelling in-product onboarding experiences.

Use multiple touchpoints

Use multiple onboarding touchpoints to help users get the best experience at appropriate times in their user journey.

Don't overload the experience

Be conscious not to overload the onboarding experience — Reserve onboarding for the most critical features.

Allow users to dismiss

Persistent prompts can annoy users. Dismissing an onboarding component should be seen as an acknowledgement.

Context is key

It can be tempting to show users everything right away. But it's important to let them explore and discover features naturally.

Let users discover things in context

Stagger features, so they're prompted/discovered in context.

Don't be overly intrusive

Avoid over-using intrusive methods like modals and banners. Users are less likely to engage with content if it's presented out of context or obstructs their journey.

Simplify and guide

Where possible, simplify visuals and copy down to the essentials. Give users actions or goals.

Use simple illustrations

Explain benefits and concepts through simple illustrations where possible.

Don't overcomplicate things

Avoid complex instructions. And write in plain language.

Keep track!

Document and monitor your onboarding experiences

It can be difficult to track multiple onboarding experiences. Keep documents up to date and reassess your onboarding with every launch. Track and monitor analytics to help future prioritisation.

Don't neglect existing users

It's important not to neglect your existing users. Instead, use onboarding throughout the product lifecycle to ensure they continue getting value from your product.

How to

This framework shows you how to onboard users with a simple three-step process.

Learn more about onboarding

How to

This framework shows you how to onboard users with a simple three-step process.