onboarding-flows skill

---
name: Onboarding Flows
description: Comprehensive guide to designing and writing effective user onboarding experiences that drive activation and retention
---

# Onboarding Flows

## Why Onboarding Matters

**Goal:** Get users to "aha moment" as quickly as possible

### Without Good Onboarding
```
User signs up → Confused → Abandons → Never returns
```

### With Good Onboarding
```
User signs up → Guided setup → Achieves first success → Becomes active user
```

---

## Onboarding Goals

### 1. Show Value Quickly
```
Don't: 10-step setup before user sees product
Do: Show core value in first 30 seconds
```

### 2. Reduce Time to First Success
```
Measure: Time from signup to first "aha moment"
Goal: Minimize this time
```

### 3. Build Habit
```
Get user to complete key action 3 times in first week
```

---

## Types of Onboarding

### Welcome Tour
```
Step 1: "Welcome to [Product]!"
Step 2: "This is your dashboard"
Step 3: "Create your first project here"
```

### Progressive Disclosure
```
Show features as user needs them
Don't overwhelm with everything at once
```

### Empty State Onboarding
```
"No projects yet"
"Create your first project to get started"
[Create Project]
```

### Checklist Onboarding
```
Getting Started:
☐ Create your profile
☐ Invite team members
☐ Create your first project
☑ Complete setup
```

---

## Onboarding Flow Structure

### 1. Welcome Screen
```
"Welcome to [Product]!"

"[Product] helps you [core value proposition]"

[Get Started]
```

### 2. Account Setup (Minimal)
```
"Create your account"

Email: ___________
Password: ___________

[Create Account]

Already have an account? [Log in]
```

### 3. Personalization (Optional)
```
"Tell us about yourself"

What's your role?
○ Designer
○ Developer
○ Product Manager
○ Other

[Continue]
```

### 4. Quick Wins
```
"Let's create your first project"

Project name: ___________

[Create Project]
```

### 5. Success State
```
"You're all set! 🎉"

"Your project is ready. Start adding tasks."

[Go to Dashboard]
```

---

## Writing Onboarding Copy

### Welcome Message
```
Bad:  "Welcome to our platform"
Good: "Welcome to Acme! Let's get you set up."

Bad:  "Please complete the following steps"
Good: "We'll have you up and running in 2 minutes"
```

### Progress Indicators
```
"Step 1 of 3"
"Almost there! One more step"
"You're 50% done"
```

### Instructions
```
Bad:  "Enter your information below"
Good: "Tell us a bit about yourself so we can personalize your experience"

Bad:  "Click next to continue"
Good: "Ready? Let's create your first project"
```

### Success Messages
```
"Great! Your account is ready"
"Perfect! You've created your first project"
"You're all set! Start exploring"
```

---

## Onboarding Best Practices

### 1. Keep It Short
```
Bad:  10 steps
Good: 3-5 steps maximum
```

### 2. Show Progress
```
"Step 2 of 4"
Progress bar: ▓▓▓▓░░░░ 50%
```

### 3. Allow Skipping
```
[Skip for now]
[I'll do this later]
```

### 4. Provide Context
```
"Why we need this:"
"We use your email to send order updates"
```

### 5. Celebrate Wins
```
"🎉 You did it!"
"Great job! Your first project is live"
```

---

## Onboarding Patterns

### Blank Slate
```
[Illustration of empty state]

"No projects yet"

"Projects help you organize your work. Create your first one to get started."

[Create Your First Project]
```

### Tooltips
```
[Highlight button]
"Click here to create a new project"

[Next] [Skip Tour]
```

### Modal Walkthrough
```
[Modal overlay]
"This is your dashboard"
"Here you'll see all your projects and recent activity"

[Next] [Skip] [1 of 5]
```

### Checklist
```
Getting Started (2/5 complete)
☑ Create account
☑ Set up profile
☐ Invite team members
☐ Create first project
☐ Complete first task
```

### Video Tutorial
```
"Watch a quick 2-minute intro"
[▶ Play Video]

[Skip and explore on my own]
```

---

## Personalization

### Ask About Role
```
"What's your role?"
○ Designer
○ Developer
○ Product Manager
○ Marketing
○ Other

[Continue]
```

### Ask About Goals
```
"What do you want to accomplish?"
☐ Manage projects
☐ Track time
☐ Collaborate with team
☐ Generate reports

[Continue]
```

### Ask About Team Size
```
"How big is your team?"
○ Just me
○ 2-10 people
○ 11-50 people
○ 50+ people

[Continue]
```

---

## Activation Metrics

### Track Key Actions
```
- Account created
- Profile completed
- First project created
- First task added
- First team member invited
- First report generated
```

### Measure Time to Value
```
Time from signup to:
- First project created
- First task completed
- First collaboration
```

### Monitor Drop-off
```
Where do users abandon?
- Step 1: 100 users
- Step 2: 80 users (20% drop-off)
- Step 3: 60 users (25% drop-off)
- Completed: 50 users (17% drop-off)
```

---

## Email Onboarding

### Welcome Email
```
Subject: Welcome to [Product]! 🎉

Hi [Name],

Thanks for signing up! We're excited to have you.

Here's what to do next:
1. Complete your profile
2. Create your first project
3. Invite your team

Need help? Reply to this email.

[Get Started]
```

### Activation Email (Day 2)
```
Subject: Quick question about [Product]

Hi [Name],

I noticed you haven't created a project yet. Is there anything I can help with?

Here's a quick guide to get started: [Link]

[Create Your First Project]
```

### Tips Email (Day 7)
```
Subject: 3 tips to get the most out of [Product]

Hi [Name],

Here are 3 things most users find helpful:

1. Use templates to save time
2. Invite your team for collaboration
3. Set up integrations with your tools

[Learn More]
```

---

## In-App Messaging

### Contextual Tips
```
[User hovers over button]
Tooltip: "Create a new project here"
```

### Hotspots
```
[Pulsing dot on feature]
"New! Try our AI assistant"
[Learn More] [Dismiss]
```

### Banners
```
"👋 Welcome! Complete your profile to get personalized recommendations"
[Complete Profile] [Dismiss]
```

---

## Onboarding for Different User Types

### New Users
```
Full onboarding flow
Show all features
Provide tutorials
```

### Returning Users
```
Skip basic setup
Highlight what's new
Quick refresher
```

### Power Users
```
Skip onboarding
Provide advanced tips
Keyboard shortcuts
```

---

## Testing Onboarding

### A/B Test
```
Test A: 5-step onboarding
Test B: 3-step onboarding

Measure:
- Completion rate
- Time to complete
- Activation rate
```

### User Testing
```
Ask users:
- Was onboarding clear?
- Did you understand what to do?
- What was confusing?
- What would you change?
```

### Analytics
```
Track:
- Drop-off by step
- Time per step
- Completion rate
- Activation rate
```

---

## Common Mistakes

### ❌ Too Long
```
10+ steps before user sees value
```

### ❌ Too Much Information
```
Explaining every feature upfront
```

### ❌ Forced Linear Flow
```
Can't skip steps
Can't go back
```

### ❌ No Progress Indicator
```
User doesn't know how many steps left
```

### ❌ No Value Shown
```
Setup without showing what they'll get
```

---

## Onboarding Checklist

```
☐ Shows value quickly (< 30 seconds)
☐ Minimal steps (3-5 max)
☐ Progress indicator shown
☐ Can skip steps
☐ Personalized to user
☐ Celebrates wins
☐ Provides help/support
☐ Tested with users
☐ Tracked with analytics
☐ Optimized based on data
```

---

## Examples

### Slack
```
1. Create workspace
2. Invite team members
3. Create first channel
4. Send first message

Quick, focused on core action (messaging)
```

### Duolingo
```
1. Choose language
2. Set daily goal
3. Take placement test
4. Start first lesson

Personalized, shows value immediately
```

### Notion
```
1. Choose template
2. Customize workspace
3. Invite team

Flexible, lets users explore
```

---

## Summary

**Onboarding Goal:** Get users to "aha moment" quickly

**Structure:**
1. Welcome
2. Minimal setup
3. Personalization (optional)
4. Quick win
5. Success state

**Best Practices:**
- Keep it short (3-5 steps)
- Show progress
- Allow skipping
- Provide context
- Celebrate wins

**Types:**
- Welcome tour
- Progressive disclosure
- Empty state
- Checklist
- Video tutorial

**Measure:**
- Completion rate
- Time to value
- Activation rate
- Drop-off points

**Avoid:**
- Too long
- Too much info
- Forced flow
- No progress indicator
- No value shown