User onboarding is the process of guiding new users through the features and benefits of a mobile app, and helping them achieve their goals with the app. User onboarding is crucial for mobile app design, as it can make or break the user’s first impression of the app, and influence their retention and engagement.
In this article, we will explain the importance of user onboarding in mobile app design, and provide some tips and best practices for creating a great first impression for your users.
Why User Onboarding Matters for Mobile App Design
User onboarding is important for mobile app design for several reasons:
- It helps users understand the value proposition of the app, and how it can solve their problems or meet their needs.
- It reduces the learning curve and frustration for users, and makes them feel confident and comfortable with using the app.
- It increases the likelihood of users completing the key actions or tasks that the app offers, and achieving the desired outcomes.
- It boosts user satisfaction, loyalty, and word-of-mouth referrals, and reduces churn and uninstall rates.
According to a study by Localytics, only 21% of users return to an app after one day, and only 10% after 30 days. This means that most users abandon an app within the first few days or weeks of using it. Therefore, user onboarding is essential for capturing and retaining users’ attention and interest, and making them stick with the app.
How to Create a Great First Impression with User Onboarding
User onboarding is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Different apps have different goals, audiences, and features, and therefore require different onboarding strategies. However, there are some general principles and best practices that can help you create a great first impression with user onboarding:
- Know your users and their goals. Before designing your user onboarding, you need to understand who your users are, what they want to achieve with your app, and what pain points or challenges they face. You can use user research methods such as surveys, interviews, personas, and user journeys to gain insights into your users and their needs.
- Define your value proposition and key actions. Next, you need to articulate the value proposition of your app, and how it can help your users solve their problems or meet their needs. You also need to identify the key actions or tasks that your users need to perform with your app, and how they relate to the value proposition. These key actions should be the focus of your user onboarding, as they demonstrate the core functionality and benefits of your app.
- Keep it simple and brief. User onboarding should not overwhelm or bore your users with too much information or too many steps. You should aim to keep your user onboarding as simple and brief as possible, and only show the essential information and features that your users need to get started with your app. You can use techniques such as progressive disclosure, tooltips, and walkthroughs to reveal information and features gradually and contextually, and avoid cluttering the screen.
- Make it engaging and interactive. User onboarding should not be a passive or one-way experience for your users. You should aim to make your user onboarding engaging and interactive, and encourage your users to explore and experiment with your app. You can use techniques such as gamification, personalization, and feedback to motivate and reward your users, and make them feel involved and valued.
- Measure and optimize. User onboarding is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process that requires constant testing and improvement. You should measure the effectiveness of your user onboarding, and how it impacts your user retention and engagement. You can use metrics such as completion rate, time to value, activation rate, and retention rate to evaluate your user onboarding, and use tools such as analytics, A/B testing, and user feedback to optimize your user onboarding.
Conclusion
User onboarding is a vital part of mobile app design, as it can create a great first impression for your users, and influence their retention and engagement. User onboarding should help users understand the value proposition of the app, and guide them through the key actions or tasks that the app offers. User onboarding should also be simple, brief, engaging, and interactive, and constantly measured and optimized.
By following these tips and best practices, you can create a user onboarding experience that will make your users happy and confident, and make them loyal and active users of your app.
