How to help a product introduce itself.
Digital product design is about teaching users what to do. This is the interface. Here’s how it works. Go over there and you’ll find what you’re looking for.
It happens right from the beginning. The first screen of any product will set expectations and introduce interaction patterns. A combination of good design and good writing will make the product make sense.
But sometimes an interface needs a little instruction. Enter: the product onboarding. A popular design approach that helps a product introduce itself. There are two kinds of onboardings:
An onboarding that explains. Key features, new tools, user benefits, or competitive advantages. These flows tell a user what to do or expect.
An onboarding that gathers information. Like a map that needs your location to be helpful. Or a flight tracker that’s more useful once it knows your preferred airlines.
Both of these approaches can work to help new users get settled. And many products use a combination of the two. Whatever approach you choose, here are some things you can do to help invite everyone in.
Set expectations at the start
Users should know what’s coming next. Try explaining how long things will take, or giving a heads up about the info users will need to provide. Be realistic about what people can enter without any advance notice, too. Everyone knows their full name. But most people haven’t memorized their passport number.
Make the first part fun and free
Start by providing real value. A good first screen will let the user explore, play around, and start to understand the product. Move the payment stuff later on. There’s a real business benefit to this one, too. People pay for things they like. Give them a chance to decide.
Balance simplicity with density
Single-question screens feel simple and elegant. But you’ll need a lot of them to gather basic info. That makes onboarding longer — and makes it feel longer. When you’re exploring different options, play around with density to find the right mix.
Create a sense of progress
This is especially important for longer, multi-step flows. If your design is starting to feel endless, explore different ways of showing users where they are and where they’re going. Help users know they’re moving forward.
Give the reason why
People like to skip things. Give them a good reason to finish the flow or answer the question. Explain why you’re asking for info and why it matters. You’ll likely get better completion results if there’s a payoff or clear benefit.
Let users stay logged out
Not everything needs an account and password. When possible, give users the option to explore without signing up or entering a phone number. It may help your product metrics, too. There’s sometimes a big drop in the number of users after any login screen.
Save the user’s spot
No matter how perfect your onboarding flow, some people won’t finish it in one go. Their WiFi goes down. Their brother texts. Their TV show they’re half-watching starts to get interesting. Let that person come back and pick up where they left off. Write for the returning user.
Make everything optional
It’s a way of showing respect — and recognizing people who already know how to use your product. Not every new user is a first-time user. People get new phones and laptops; they reinstall software. The person trapped in an onboarding might know everything already. Design for them, too.
Say one thing well
The worst onboarding is too much onboarding. Explanations of too many features, too many benefits, every single icon. If things feel overwhelming, see what you can cut. Replace three bullet points with a single perfect header. Instead of highlighting five new features, write about one.
Let the interface explain itself
People are smart. They learn by doing and by trying. After you craft a perfect onboarding with the exact right phrasing, delete it. Some of the best, most usable products don’t need explaining. You might be able to let the user discover the product on their own.
If you enjoyed this article, you might enjoy some other things I’ve written about UX writing and digital product design.
- Every design team needs writers
- Advanced techniques for writing good interfaces
- Writing with respect
- How to write inclusive, accessible digital products
- This is good UX writing
- How to write digital products with personality
Writing the onboarding experience was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
