onboarding

Start by defining your activation event, the action most correlated with retention, then map the funnel from signup to that event. Remove steps before first value, use a 3-7 item checklist ordered by impact, and measure drop-off at each step to focus fixes.

An onboarding checklist should contain 3-7 items ordered by value, starting with a quick win to build momentum. Include a progress indicator, celebrate completions, and always allow users to dismiss it so they never feel trapped.

Tooltips suit contextual feature discovery, product tours work for guided walkthroughs of complex UI, and setup wizards ensure required configuration steps complete. Keep tours to 3-5 steps, make everything dismissable, and test combinations rather than picking one.

Treat empty states as onboarding opportunities rather than dead ends. Explain what the area is for, show what it looks like with data or offer sample content, and provide one clear primary action to add the first item.

Define stalled criteria such as days inactive or incomplete setup, then trigger behavior-based emails reminding users of value and addressing blockers. Combine with in-app welcome-back experiences that resume progress, and use personal outreach for high-value accounts.

Use signup optimization for problems before account creation, such as form field reduction and registration flow design. Onboarding covers everything after signup: activation, first-run experience, checklists, and early retention.