The art of onboarding

Personalization is an overlooked facet of onboarding that when implemented correctly, can be a huge user retention asset. When users are presented with dynamic, personalized content early on, it puts them in the driver’s seat of their experience.

Onboarding is considered to be the sequence in which a user is made familiar with a product. This happens through a set of interactions, instructions, or information on what to expect with the product’s experience.

An activation metric is a measure of how many actions a user takes to receive value out of a product. Essentially, it is what a user has to do before they get value from the product.

How you design for the ‘Aha’ moment is by providing a blend of information & personalization to get the user to the activation metric. The ‘Aha’ moment can happen at any point within the product, but your goal as a designer, PM, or engineer is to make that point come as soon as possible.

When onboarding goes well it should be seamless, intuitive, and informative. Users should have a good understanding of what’s to come within the app, how it works, and why they should be using it.