I want to build a user onboarding flow for our product, LiveAPI.
I’m not interested in using traditional product tour modals with continuous "Next" buttons. Personally, I find this approach difficult and unfriendly to follow, and I believe many users feel the same.
Instead of a theoretical, step-by-step approach, I’m exploring alternative methods to help users onboard to the product and learn our features more naturally.
To gather ideas, I’ve reviewed a few popular apps to understand how they handle smooth user onboarding.
In this article, I’ll share some techniques I discovered that can be used to introduce your features to new customers in a more engaging way than traditional, lecture-style product tours.
Let Users Learn by Doing
Grammarly, a popular grammar-checking tool, includes a dedicated demo section where users can "try" its features on sample text.
Providing sample data can be helpful, especially since new users may not have their own documents ready to test the product. A demo document lowers the barrier to entry.
By offering sample content — in Grammarly’s case, a few paragraphs with intentional grammatical errors — users can experience the tool's features and effectiveness firsthand. This approach encourages them to try the product on their own documents.
Mini To-Dos to Ensure Completion
Providing a checklist is an effective way to help users navigate the product thoroughly.
Loom, for instance, includes a "Get Started" checklist to guide users through key features and ensure they complete the onboarding process.
A checklist guides customers along a specific path to help them become familiar with core features.
Establish Trust Through Real Videos
Compare to text video convey more information in less time. Demo videos are an effective way to introduce and demonstrate key features.
Loom, for example, provides a set of demo videos recorded using their own tool specifically for first-time users.
In Loom’s demo videos, one noticeable element is the use of real human faces, which helps build customer trust and connection more effectively than static, animated videos.
Pre-recorded videos can also help reduce customer support costs by allowing users to revisit the videos when they need assistance, rather than reaching out to support.
Short GIFs are another effective tool, especially for introducing sub-functions or specific actions related to main features. Slack, for example, uses GIFs to demonstrate instructions clearly.
Continue reading the full article here: https://journal.hexmos.com/dont-make-your-customers-think-i-found-these-10-onboarding-techniques-from-successful-products/