Onboarding Flows

Onboarding onto new services should be super easy.

But most product teams build long, complicated flows that drop new users.

I regularly coach founders on how to do this better.

Here are 5 tips to create onboarding flows that actually work:

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1/ Keep it short + set expectations

Clearly communicate how many steps are in your onboarding flow.

Target no more than 5 steps.

Common ways to show the number of steps in a flow include:

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2/ Show progress

Show people where they are in the flow.

How far have they come/How far do they have to go?

Keep it simple.

These should just orient people and keep them motivated to complete the onboarding.

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3/ Provide one clear way to proceed

Ask for only one action at a time.

Do not bury steps inside of steps.

Keep the ‘next’ button disabled until the action is complete.

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4/ Provide a consistent way to exit

Nobody wants to feel locked into an onboarding flow.

Front load the most important information.

Build a consistent ‘ejection seat’ for every step of the flow.

Common patterns are an X in the upper right corner or a “Skip” link.

Clearly communicate if onboarding is mandatory to interact with your product.

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5/ Be concise

Generally it’s easy to cut ~50% of text from the first versions of onboarding flows.

User attention and space are limited. Do not over-explain things like:

You can use things like hover states or “i” icons to help users understand trickier options.

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Caveat: If you aren’t sure if you need an onboarding flow, skip it.

You only need an onboarding flow if your product:

Is complex
Is a completely new paradigm
Requires specific selections before a user can meaningfully interact with your product e.g., Setting access controls for your health data, Choosing what language to learn in Duolingo.

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Your goal is to quickly set people up to use your app.

These 5 tips will help you design clear, concise onboarding flows that work:

For more content on design for founders, follow @elizlaraki

Elizabeth Laraki