4 Ultimate Keys for UX Onboarding Optimization

To reduce the chances of these things happening and eliminate any hesitancy about the application’s functionality, we advise implementing the following tips:

Create a “wow moment.” It is believed that attention spans last between 5 and 8 seconds, which means that that’s the amount of time we have to hook our users. There are plenty of ways to grab a user’s attention, but we prefer animations or short, catchy videos. 

An animation can be utilized to communicate the app’s purpose, how it works, or the problem it solves.

Learning by doing is known to be one of the most effective methods for retaining and understanding underlying concepts. Most of the best onboarding flows use this approach since it eliminates some of the most common doubts users have. 

An example of how to carry this out is to develop a screen with brief instructions that users can skip or complete to move on. The screen should not be overloaded with information or explanations. If you need a lot of text and illustrations to explain something, we recommend you rethink your UI and UX to simplify things. 

Not all of our users are the same, so it is imperative to contemplate all possible use cases. 

While some are more familiar with technology and applications and might already know what specific features are supposed to do, others may have no clue and want to learn more about them. To keep all users happy, we suggest making walkthroughs optional, so they can quit at any step of the process. One of the most common practices is including a “skip” button. 

The user should always know where they are standing and should have an idea of what’s coming ahead. To make this happen, you can include progressive visual hints or progress bars. These tell the user what has already been completed, what’s happening in the present, and what’s coming up next. These hints should be strategically placed and include an option to disable them. Guiding the user the first time is a straightforward way to reduce confusion and improve their experience, thereby optimizing UX onboarding. 

Linkedin

The LinkedIn app has a progressive onboarding flow that guides you through setting up your profile.

Tinder

The app onboarding lets the user discover the app’s main features within seconds by showing existing use cases. 

Foursquare

This onboarding lets users use the app without signing up. This removes one of the most common pain points of apps. The app later shows messages in between to guide the user.

The user’s long-term relationship with the app is one of the hardest things for developers to achieve. First impressions matter, and they matter A LOT. UX onboarding optimization allows us to communicate brand relevance, introduce the main problems your product is solving, and explain some of the main functionalities. Creating an effective mobile app onboarding flow is key to keeping users engaged beyond the launch screen. Start applying the tips we’ve shared and see how your users will remain loyal.

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