Onboarding observations while building a product
Important reminders, that stood out to me. Maybe it's helpful for you, too!
In the last couple of weeks, I've spent an obscene amount of time thinking about onboarding for a SaaS product (pssst, because we're building our own product! — but that's for another email)
I've observed all sorts of people download a desktop app, create an account… and then proceed to do the weirdest things one could imagine.
Here are my observations:
1️⃣ People won't read anything
But… they will click on any button, icon, or menu you give them. They badly want to try things out for themselves. Make it easy for them to play around, rather than follow your instructions.
2️⃣ Visual design matters a lot
In those first few minutes, they don't understand yet how the product works. In fact, learning a new product is a headache. Did they really make the right choice to even try?
Crucially, at this moment they cannot judge yet whether the product will even work for them. In those early minutes — before finding any product value — visual design is pretty much the only thing they can judge you by. An interface that looks clean and slick is incredibly important.
3️⃣ Icons are confusing
To keep your interface clean, you decide to use icons instead of text labels. You use a little arrow, instead of "send". You use a small kanban board icon, instead of saying "kanban view".
For early users, all these icons are confusing. Make sure you at least use tooltips that trigger almost immediately (we've been using a 150ms delay), to tell people what each icon is for.
4️⃣ They want early wins
Before writing a note, they just want to type two lines of text and change the first one into a header. They want to get a feel for the product before they really commit to anything.
5️⃣ They want to create their own beauty
People crave making everything uniquely their own. Whether it's a new apartment or a new tool at work… it's important that there is room to make things unique. Let people set their own colors, create their own layout, rename their folders, etc. Customisation matters.
6️⃣ Watch them
There really is no substitute for watching people install an app, and use it. You'll learn a TON. Most importantly, you'll be humbled by how confusing the first few minutes are.
You will commit to slowly chipping away at all the confusion. This will make your product better not only for the newest users but for everyone.
— — —
Are those the only things I've learned?
No, of course not. It's only scratching the surface.
But they are important reminders, that stood out to me. Maybe it's helpful for you, too!
Curious to explore the topic of onboarding a little further?
Here are some resources you might like:
Growth.design has amazing case study stories on onboarding (and other UX design things)
UX Archive has screen-by-screen onboarding from loads of well-known apps
Onboarding Study offers great insights for various elements of onboarding design
Watch my younger self (!!) explain onboarding in the broader context of retention — for free!
Enjoy!
— Pieter