Ideas for improving onboarding and activation of new users
Turn thinking out loud into a clear, organized summary.
Sample of a real output
Summary
While driving, the speaker thinks out loud about why new users drop off before they ever experience the value of the app. The core idea is to shorten the path to the first "aha moment", get rid of the empty starting screen, and give people a ready-made example instead of a blank form. Out of the unstructured stream of thoughts come a few concrete ideas for tomorrow and one dilemma: whether to simplify across the board or only for complete newcomers.
Detailed minutes
Why people drop off right at the start
The speaker starts from the feeling that the problem isn't that the product is bad, but that the user never really gets to it. The first few minutes are supposedly full of decisions - fill in your profile, connect an account, set preferences - and only after that would come the part the person actually showed up for. A lot of people give up before they get there.
The key thought is to move the first real product experience as far forward as possible, ideally into the first minute. Instead of an empty starting screen, a new person should immediately see some ready-made example that helps them understand what the app can do, before they set anything up.
Concrete ideas on how to simplify it
Several practical directions came up - replace the empty initial state with a pre-filled sample note that people can play with without any commitment, and defer the annoying setup steps (account connection, permissions) until the moment they're actually needed. The speaker also mentions the idea of sending a short reminder the next day to those who signed up but did nothing.
On top of that came the thought of cutting the onboarding walkthrough from four steps down to a single one and explaining the rest in context, right next to the relevant feature. Less upfront text, more showing things in action.
Tasks
- Replace the empty starting screen with a pre-filled sample note that a new user can try out without signing up.
- Cut the onboarding walkthrough from four steps down to one and explain the rest in context next to each feature.
- Prepare a short reminder sent the next day to users who signed up but created nothing.
- Defer the request to connect an account and grant permissions until the moment the feature is actually needed.
Decisions
- Move the first real product experience as close to the start as possible - the principle of "value before setup". 💬 from transcript: „"The rule should be simple - first show what it can do, and only then bug them with setup."“
- Discuss it with the team tomorrow and pick one idea for a quick experiment, rather than rebuilding the whole onboarding at once. 💬 from transcript: „"We won't rewrite the whole thing, we'll take one thing and see whether it even moves the numbers."“
Key insights
- The main barrier isn't the quality of the product, but the length of the path to the first experience of value - the user drops off before they ever reach that value. 💬 from transcript: „"It's not that people don't enjoy it, they just never make it to the fun part."“
- The empty starting screen is a problem in itself - people don't know where to begin, whereas a ready-made example would immediately show them the point. 💬 from transcript: „"When you open it after install and just see an empty space and an add button, it does nothing for you."“
- Setup and permissions should be deferred to the moment they're actually needed, not asked for right at the start. 💬 from transcript: „"Why do we ask them to connect an account right away when they don't need it at all at that point?"“
- The day after sign-up is a critical window - a reminder to those who did nothing could bring some people back. 💬 from transcript: „"Most of them never open it a second time, and yet a little nudge would be enough."“
Debates
Simplify onboarding across the board for everyone, or only for complete newcomers?
A shorter, clearer start won't hurt even more experienced users, and we'd avoid maintaining two different versions of the onboarding.
People who already know the product would lose the settings they're used to, and it might confuse them more than help.
→ Unresolved - the speaker leaves it for tomorrow's discussion with the team, leaning slightly toward the across-the-board solution for easier maintenance.
Data
- around 60 % Estimated share of new users who drop off during the very first day The speaker's rough off-the-cuff estimate, not a verified figure - "apparently almost two thirds of people disappear on the first day."
- 1 minute Target time to the first experience of value The ambition to shorten the path to the "aha moment" so that a person can reach it within the first minute after opening the app.
Unclear / risks
- The user drop-off figure (~60%) is an off-the-cuff estimate; it's unclear what source it's based on and whether it holds.
- It's not specified which channel the next-day reminder should go through (push notification vs. email).
- A colleague's name was mentioned that's hard to make out - probably "Lucy", but it's not certain.
Transcript sample
So I'm driving back from work and those onboarding numbers keep nagging at me, because they just don't add up for me. It's not that people don't enjoy it, they just never make it to the fun part.
When you open it after install and just see an empty space and an add button, it does nothing for you. We should throw some ready-made example right in there, so you immediately see what it's all about.
And honestly, why do we ask them to connect an account right away when they don't need it at all at that point? That can surely wait until later, until it's actually needed.
The rule should be simple - first show what it can do, and only then bug them with setup. Everything else out of the way.
The next day it might be enough to just gently nudge the people who signed up and did nothing. Most of them never open it a second time, and yet a little nudge would be enough.
Okay, we won't rewrite the whole thing like this. Tomorrow I'll bring it up at the meeting, we'll take one thing and see whether it even moves the numbers. I need to jot this down before I forget.