Flow onboarding

Onboarding & First-Run Flows

Overview

Onboarding exists to get the user to their first moment of real value (activation) as fast as possible — everything that doesn't shorten time-to-value is a tax. Teach by doing inside the real product, not by telling in a tour.

When to Use

• Building the screens between account creation and first meaningful use
• Adding a personalization quiz, setup wizard, or getting-started checklist
• Reviewing why activation rate is low or first-session churn is high
• Deciding what to ask upfront vs. defer (progressive profiling)
• Choosing between a product tour, contextual hints, or seeded content
• NOT for: returning-user login (see flow-auth) or feature announcements to existing users (changelog/tooltip territory)
• NOT for: zero-setup apps where first use IS the product (a calculator) — ship straight to the working screen

The Proven Flow

1. Define the activation moment first. One sentence, before any screen: "Activated = user has ___ once."
   • Slack: sent a message. Duolingo: completed lesson 1. Linear: created and assigned an issue. Notion: edited a page.
   • Every subsequent screen either advances toward that moment or gets cut.
2. Signup (minimal). Email or SSO only.
   • No name, company, phone, or role yet — each extra field measurably costs conversion.
   • One field + one button (Slack: email → magic code; Notion: Google/Apple/email).
3. Value-first inversion (use whenever feasible). If the product can demonstrate value without an account, let users experience it BEFORE signup, then gate save/sync/continue behind account creation.
   • Duolingo runs the full placement quiz and first lesson pre-signup; signup converts because value is already proven.
   • Figma and Canva let you touch the canvas before registering.
   • This is the strongest known onboarding pattern — check feasibility before defaulting to signup-first.
4. Value-framing screen (optional, max 1). One sentence of what happens next.
   • Skip entirely if the next step is self-explanatory.
   • Never 3–5 swipeable marketing slides — users swipe blindly and retain nothing.
5. Personalization quiz (only if answers change the product).
   • 2–4 questions max, one question per screen, tap-to-advance on single-select.
   • Large tappable option cards, progress indicator, "Skip" visible on every step.
   • Each answer must visibly alter the experience: Duolingo (language + daily goal + level → lesson path), Headspace (goal → content plan), Linear (team size → workspace shape).
   • If answers only feed your CRM or segmentation, cut the quiz — users feel surveyed, not served.
   • Frame as the user's benefit ("What do you want to achieve?"), not your research. "How did you hear about us?" goes last and skippable, if at all.
6. Templated / pre-filled first workspace. Never land on empty.
   • Seed real, editable example content: Notion starter pages, Linear sample issues in a demo project, Trello example board, Airtable template gallery.
   • Sample content doubles as documentation — users learn structure by editing it.
   • Make cleanup one action ("Clear examples") so samples never pollute real data.
7. Guided first key action. One contextual prompt pointing at the single action that produces the activation moment.
   • A highlighted composer ("Send your first message"), a pulsing "+ New issue", a pre-focused input.
   • In-product, interactive, dismissible — not a modal tour of 8 features.
   • Teach ONE thing now; everything else is discoverable later or lives in the checklist.
8. Getting-started checklist (persistent, dismissible).
   • 3–5 items, verb-first ("Invite a teammate", "Connect your calendar").
   • First item pre-checked ("Create account ✓") — the endowed-progress effect measurably lifts completion.
   • Progress bar; collapses to a corner pill (web) or home card (mobile).
   • Each item deep-links to the exact UI location, never to a docs page.
   • Proven by Duolingo goals, Loom, Superhuman-style concierge lists, Notion's "Getting started".
9. Deferred asks, triggered contextually after first value:
   • Team invite → after the inviter has personally hit activation (B2B rule: never ask someone to vouch for a product they haven't used).
   • Notification permission → at a moment of demonstrated need (see flow-permissions).
   • Profile photo/name → first time it's visible to someone else.
   • Plan selection/paywall → after value, unless trial mechanics force it earlier.
10. Persist onboarding state server-side. Quiz answers, checklist progress, dismissed hints — a reinstall or second device must never restart onboarding.

Which components does this product need?

Not every product needs every step. Pick by product shape:

Product shape	Include	Skip
Consumer habit app (fitness, learning)	Value-first demo, quiz (goal + level), streak seed, reminder prime	Workspace templates, team invite
B2B collaboration tool	Seeded workspace, guided key action, checklist, deferred invite	Long quiz — infer from email domain
Pro creative/dev tool	Sample project + "edit this" prompt	Quiz, carousel, tour
Content/feed app	1-screen interest picker (this IS the product config)	Wizard, checklist
Utility (single-purpose)	Nothing — open on the working screen	All of it

Sequencing rules

• Value before investment: every ask (fields, permissions, invites) sits AFTER the value it unlocks, never before.
• Cheapest ask first when multiple asks are unavoidable; the OS-permission ask is the most expensive (see flow-permissions).
• Personalization before workspace seeding — quiz answers should shape the seeded content.
• Checklist appears only after the first key action, not as the landing screen.

Layout & Structure

• One question / one decision per screen. Multi-question quiz screens tank completion.
• 3–5 steps max for any wizard; show a step indicator (dots or "2 of 4").
  • More than 5 required steps means the product needs redesign, not a longer wizard.
• Primary CTA: bottom of screen on mobile (thumb zone), full-width, ≥44pt (iOS) / 48dp (Android) tall; one primary button per screen.
• Skip: text link, top-right or directly below the CTA, lower visual weight.
  • Present on every quiz/personalization step; absent only on legally required steps.
  • Same tap-target size as the primary despite lighter styling.
• Quiz options: cards ≥56pt tall; max 6 options visible without scrolling.
  • Single-select advances on tap (no separate "Next"); multi-select gets an explicit "Continue".
• Checklist: docked bottom-right (web) or home-screen card (mobile).
  • Each row = checkbox state + verb label + chevron.
  • Completed rows stay visible (strikethrough/check) until full completion, then one celebration and auto-dismiss.
• Progress & navigation: any flow ≥3 steps shows progress; back navigation on every wizard step; answers persist through back/forward; state survives backgrounding and refresh.
• Illustration/visual: optional, ≤~40% of screen height; never push the CTA below the fold on a 667pt-class viewport.
• Hints: max 1 contextual hint visible at a time; dismiss-once, persisted.
• Accessibility: wizard steps announce position ("Step 2 of 4") to screen readers; quiz cards are real buttons with visible focus states; auto-advance on selection must also announce the transition; checklist progress exposed via aria-valuenow; skip links reachable by keyboard before the option grid; respect prefers-reduced-motion on step transitions and celebrations.

Copy patterns

Instead of	Write
"Configure notification preferences"	"Where should we send your daily reminder?"
"Welcome to Acme! Acme is a platform for…"	"Create your first project"
"Complete your profile"	"Add a photo so teammates recognize you"
"Step 3: Integrations"	"Connect Slack — get updates where you work"
"Tutorial" / "Take the tour"	"Try it: drag this card to Done"

• Headings ≤12 words, second person, benefit-first. Body ≤2 lines per screen.

Quick Reference

Situation	Pattern
Can demo value without an account	Value-first: use it now, gate save/sync behind signup (Duolingo, Figma)
Product needs config to be useful	2–4 question quiz, one per screen, skippable, answers alter the product
First screen would be empty	Seed templates/sample data (Notion, Linear, Trello)
Many features to teach	Teach ONE activation action now; checklist covers the rest
Need company/role/team-size data	Progressive profiling — ask later in context, or infer from email domain
Multi-step setup unavoidable	Wizard ≤5 steps, progress indicator, server-persisted state
User skipped onboarding	Checklist stays available; one contextual hint per area on first visit
B2B team product	Invite ask only after the inviter personally reaches activation
Consumer habit product	Daily-goal commitment question + streak seed (Duolingo)
Complex pro tool	Sample project + interactive "edit this" prompt, no tour
Returning user, new device	Restore state; zero onboarding screens
Measuring success	Activation rate + time-to-value; never tour completion

Anti-Patterns

Anti-pattern	Why it breaks	Fix
3–5 swipeable feature-tour slides before use	Users swipe blindly; retention ≈ zero	Delete; teach in-context at moment of relevance
Long signup form (name, company, phone, role)	Every field costs conversion before value exists	Email/SSO only; progressive profiling later
Modal tour with 6+ tooltips on first load	Blocks UI; dismissed unread; nobody acts on 6 things	One contextual prompt for the single key action
Quiz whose answers change nothing	Users feel surveyed; trust drops	Cut it, or wire every answer to a visible change
Landing on an empty workspace	"Now what?" → bounce	Templates, sample data, or creation-prompt empty state
Permission dialogs on first launch	Reflexive denial; permanent on iOS	Defer + prime contextually (see flow-permissions)
Mandatory video or unskippable steps	Hostage-taking; abandonment	Everything optional except legal requirements
Checklist with 10+ items	Reads as work, not progress	Cap at 5; reveal advanced tasks after basics
Celebrating account creation as "done"	User hasn't received value yet	Done = activation action completed once
Onboarding restarts on reinstall/second device	Forces quiz repeat; feels broken	Persist onboarding state server-side
"How did you hear about us?" as question 1	Serves you, not them; sets a survey tone	Last position, skippable, or use attribution analytics
Invite-teammates before the inviter used the product	Asks users to vouch for unknown value	Move invite behind the inviter's own activation
Hints that reappear every session	Trains users to ignore all hints	Dismiss-once, persisted; one hint at a time
Full-screen confetti/celebration on trivial steps	Devalues real milestones	Celebrate once, at activation or checklist completion
Quiz answers ignored by the product	Broken promise; kills trust in future asks	Wire answers to visible defaults, or remove the question
Onboarding built as a separate mini-app	Diverges from real UI; teaches the wrong interface	Onboard inside the production screens with overlays/seeds

Measure activation rate and time-to-value weekly; A/B any step removal — the winning variant is usually the shorter one.