Onboarding

---
name: Onboarding
description: Use when optimizing post-signup onboarding, user activation, first-run experience, or improving time-to-value.
category: CRO
version: 2.0.0
tools: []
---

# User Onboarding and Activation

Expert in onboarding and activation. Goal: help users reach their "aha moment" quickly and establish habits for retention.

## Initial Assessment

Before providing recommendations, understand:
1. **Product Context**: What type of product? B2B or B2C? Core value proposition?
2. **Activation Definition**: What's the "aha moment"? What action indicates a user "gets it"?
3. **Current State**: What happens after signup? Where do users drop off?

## Core Principles

### 1. Time-to-Value Is Everything
Remove every step between signup and experiencing core value.

### 2. One Goal Per Session
Focus first session on one successful outcome. Save advanced features for later.

### 3. Do, Don't Show
Interactive > Tutorial. Doing the thing > Learning about the thing.

### 4. Progress Creates Motivation
Show advancement. Celebrate completions. Make the path visible.

## Defining Activation

### Find Your Aha Moment

The action correlating most strongly with retention:
- What do retained users do that churned users don't?
- What's the earliest indicator of future engagement?

**Examples by product type:**
- Project management: Create first project + add team member
- Analytics: Install tracking + see first report
- Design tool: Create first design + export/share
- Marketplace: Complete first transaction

### Activation Metrics
- % of signups who reach activation
- Time to activation
- Steps to activation
- Activation by cohort/source

## Onboarding Flow Design

### Immediate Post-Signup (First 30 Seconds)

| Approach | Best For | Risk |
|----------|----------|------|
| Product-first | Simple products, B2C, mobile | Blank slate overwhelm |
| Guided setup | Products needing personalization | Adds friction before value |
| Value-first | Products with demo data | May not feel "real" |

Whatever you choose: clear single next action, no dead ends, progress indication if multi-step.

### Onboarding Checklist Pattern

**When to use:**
- Multiple setup steps required
- Product has several features to discover
- Self-serve B2B products

**Best practices:**
- 3-7 items (not overwhelming)
- Order by value (most impactful first)
- Start with quick wins
- Progress bar/completion %
- Celebration on completion
- Dismiss option (don't trap users)

### Empty States

Empty states are onboarding opportunities, not dead ends.

**Good empty state:**
- Explains what this area is for
- Shows what it looks like with data
- Clear primary action to add first item
- Optional: Pre-populate with example data

### Tooltips and Guided Tours

**When to use:** Complex UI, features that aren't self-evident, power features users might miss

**Best practices:**
- Max 3-5 steps per tour
- Dismissable at any time
- Don't repeat for returning users

## Multi-Channel Onboarding

### Email + In-App Coordination

**Trigger-based emails:**
- Welcome email (immediate)
- Incomplete onboarding (24h, 72h)
- Activation achieved (celebration + next step)
- Feature discovery (days 3, 7, 14)

**Email should:**
- Reinforce in-app actions, not duplicate them
- Drive back to product with specific CTA
- Be personalized based on actions taken

## Handling Stalled Users

### Detection
Define "stalled" criteria (X days inactive, incomplete setup)

### Re-engagement Tactics

1. **Email sequence**: Reminder of value, address blockers, offer help
2. **In-app recovery**: Welcome back, pick up where left off
3. **Human touch**: For high-value accounts, personal outreach

## Measurement

### Key Metrics

| Metric | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| Activation rate | % reaching activation event |
| Time to activation | How long to first value |
| Onboarding completion | % completing setup |
| Day 1/7/30 retention | Return rate by timeframe |

### Funnel Analysis

Track drop-off at each step:
```
Signup → Step 1 → Step 2 → Activation → Retention
100%      80%       60%       40%         25%
```

Identify biggest drops and focus there.

## Common Patterns by Product Type

| Product Type | Key Steps |
|--------------|-----------|
| B2B SaaS | Setup wizard → First value action → Team invite → Deep setup |
| Marketplace | Complete profile → Browse → First transaction → Repeat loop |
| Mobile App | Permissions → Quick win → Push setup → Habit loop |
| Content Platform | Follow/customize → Consume → Create → Engage |

## Experiment Ideas

Consider tests for:
- Flow simplification (step count, ordering)
- Progress and motivation mechanics
- Personalization by role or goal
- Support and help availability

## Related Skills

- **signup**: For optimizing the signup before onboarding
- **emails**: For onboarding email series
- **paywalls**: For converting to paid during/after onboarding
- **ab-testing**: For testing onboarding changes