User On-boarding

Before I download an app on Google playstore, I go through the screenshots provided on the listing to have an idea of what the app is about and the design. If this is a go ahead, I check the reviews just to have an idea of what to look out for.

This might not be considered part of the onboarding process, but for me it is. If the communication is not concise or the screenshots aren’t appealing then I might not go ahead and download the app.

Once I download the application and install it, it’s time for me to get the value I was promised ??. So I scan through the on boarding screens if any and do the necessary signup and account creation.

If I easily navigate through the app and accomplish my desired tasks without a hassle, then that app is keeper else, it’s a goner, R.I.P! ??. Statistically, I’m not alone.

This shows that user onboarding can break or make your application. Once a user lands on your app, either through referral or a link you shared on your social media, how are they ‘initiated’ and kept.

User onboarding is the process of introducing and keeping a new user in an application. This covers what the application is all about, it’s core value, some of the tasks they can accomplish and how they can actually accomplish them. This happens in three stages:

Before: This happens during the signup process when the new user lands on your platform. How friendly is your form? Is it well organised or is it too long and annoying?

During: (the well-known on boarding stage), this is where you introduce the core value of application to the user through the different ways of on boarding.(Keep reading we will cover them below).

After: This covers the lifecycle of the customer in the application. From when they signed up to when they leave, what kind of support have you offered them incase of changes and improvements. This is done through customer support and release notes.

Release Notes: Are your release notes too technical?

Turn Product Updates into something your users swear bymedium.com

Users vary, there are users who want to be hand held and shown the way around the application and there others who want to explore on their own. This means that what works for one user might not work for another. You have to consider this as you come up with a user on boarding flow that caters for these two parties.

This involves lots of user research, experimenting and testing for optimization. You can try out the following ways of on boarding depending on your medium and target users;

1. Function-focused: mentions core functions of the application and how you can use them
2. Benefit-focused: explores the core benefits users get from the application and how they can get them.
3. Account-focused: focuses on creating accounts and profile. Finding friends and sharing. This is most suited for social platforms
4. Doing-focused: mentions the first or most common actions that other users perform on the application/site.
5. All: some applications and sites might be complex and might require you to use all the above

There’s no set path of user on boarding hence the risk of making multiple mistakes in the process.

Common Mistakes:

• Some applications have poor wording on the onboard which makes it difficult to understand what they actually mean.
• Others are poorly designed and not appealing to look at which puts off the users before they even get to the application.
• Some are too wordy with so much text that it becomes an essay(this is an overstatement) forgive me for that, but you get my point.

Afraid of making these mistakes? Worry not, we got you. Here are some recommendations.

Recommendations:

Make it visual — use images and icons that are easy to understand as well as appealing to look at.

Ensure the communication is precise and your choice of words should be intentional and well structured.

Keep it short and on-point.

Use the available tools to ease your on boarding.

Some of these Tools are:

1. Whatfix — Allows attachment and embedding of guides(flows) on an application to reduce user queries and smoothen user on boarding.

2. Tour my App — This is an in-app messaging platform. It allows you to “create in-application tutorials that guide your users as they use your web application”

3. AppCues — Allows you to create personalised user on-boarding flows that allows your users to delve deeper into the platform.

4. Intercom — Allows you to see who your customers are and what they do on your platform. You can easily communicate with them on the platform or via mail.

5. Walkme — Allows you to add on screen tutorials on your application; this way, users step-by-step instructions on how to accomplish tasks.

There are more tools out there, these are the few I could cover.

So why is User on boarding important you ask?

• It increases user retention — When your users are on boarded properly, there’s higher probability that they will keep using the application as long as it provides the desired value.

The more happy customers, the more money you make.

Aim to please ??

Watch out for our follow-up post; covering our best on-boarded apps.