Presented on User Onboarding in STC India Annual Conference, 2019. Slide deck User onboarding is guiding users to use your product and find value in it. This sessions helps you get started with user onboarding strategy.

1. GET THE USER ON BOARD!
Sangeeta Raghu-Punnadi
STC India Chapter, Copyright©, All rights reserved

2. STC India Chapter, Copyright©, All rights reserved
User
goal
User
Requirement
What user wants to
achieve?
User selection
List of Products
and Documentation
What will the user
choose?
Product findability
Search
● Random search
● Based on
recommendation
Search results
SEO
Find the Right Product

3. Sell Your Product
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Product
value
User
Experience
User
Onboarding
User
Attention
Span

4. What is User Onboarding?
● Wikipedia definition:
“Effective user onboarding helps customers to successfully use the
product without any external effort. It also helps users to find their
“Aha!” moments easily.”
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● What is “Aha” or “Wow” moment?
Dictionary definition:
“a moment of sudden insight or discovery.”

5. Examples of User Onboarding

6. User Onboarding Platforms
Some web-based platforms, alphabetically listed:
● Appcues
● Chameleon
● Intercom
● Pendo
● Walkme
● Whatfix
List of onboarding tools along with pricing:
https://mashable.com/2015/01/12/onboarding-tools/
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7. How to Create User Onboarding Strategies
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Review onboarding05
● Periodically review the onboarding
● Keep updating to ensure “Aha” or “Wow” moments
Create onboarding04
● Create onboarding based on decisions with
stakeholders
● Internally test the onboarding
● Publish the onboarding
Analyze onboarding
requirements03
● What user persona and journey requires onboarding?
● Use analytics to check which help topics have
maximum hits
● How can the onboarding be best achieved?
User personas, journey,
technical proficiency02
● What are the user personas?
● What would be the user journey for each persona?
● What is technical proficiency of users?
User goals01 ● What user goals can be achieved?
Remember onboarding is a continuous process!!

8. How to Onboard a User?
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Help users achieve goalsShowcase the product
Builds trust
Help users in all touch points Human interaction

9. Types of User Onboarding Channels
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User
Onboarding
In-app External
● Promotional/triggered
emails
● Product release emails
● Help topics
● Welcome message
● Tooltips
● Interactive guided
product tours
● Indicators on the UI
● In-app messaging

10. Types of Users
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Help them become
power users
Basic users
Help them get started
First time users
Help them discover
advanced features.
Use the product better.
Advanced/Power
users

11. Getting Started with the Product
In a hurry!!
● Give me a resolution!
● Show me how your product can help!
● Get me started as quickly as possible!
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12. Accessing the Product
● Web-based application
Login details
○ SSO
○ If not, ask for minimum information
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● Desktop application
○ Installation, trial or licensed
○ Ask for minimum information and have minimum
configurations to get started

13. In-app Onboarding - Welcome Screen
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Welcome users
with their name
Image and text
combination
Not too formal or casual
Use good microcopy.
Introduction of product.
List 2-3 functionalities.
Company
branding, voice
and tone
Persona/user
journey based
onboarding
First user
interaction

14. Welcome Screen - Example Slack
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15. Welcome Screen - Example Dropbox
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16. Welcome Screen - What can we do?
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Introduction Value Text and images
Catchy
Functionality List 2-3 functionalities
Achieve user goals
Video Short introduction
Product Tours Link to get started tour
Documentation Link to help or LMS

17. Exploring the Product
Exploration mode!
● Excited to explore the product!
● Give small nudges to help users get started!
● Reach the first “Aha” or “Wow” moment!
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18. In-app Onboarding - Product Tours
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Action oriented First time, Basic and
Advanced users
Different user personas
Guidance on
how to use the
product
User journey to
achieve user
goal
Highlight new
features
Avoid extraneous
information
** Product tour is not moving from point A to B in the product!!
Always take step back to think if the tour is required!!

19. Product Tours - What can we do?
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Create Getting started User goals Empty states
Animated GIFs Instead of actual tours
Small user journeys
Empty States If not, use tooltips
Documentation Link to help or LMS

20. Completing More User Journeys
Winning mindset!
● Excited to complete assigned tasks!
● Continue reaching more “Aha” or “Wow” moments!
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21. In-app Onboarding -
Task Lists and Progress Bars
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Keep tasks
simple
Motivate user
with rewards
List tasks
sequentially
Show completion
status
Provides a direction
to use product
Optional and can
be hidden

22. Task Lists - Example Dropbox, Mailchimp
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23. Task Lists and Progress Bars - What can
we do?
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Count Installer Login screens
Task List Basic tasks User journey
Progress Bars Status of login details
Documentation Link to help topics as a task list Tutorial

24. Other Onboarding Artefacts
Help users with these easy onboarding tricks:
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25. External Onboarding -
Promotional and Triggered Emails
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26. External Onboarding -
Product Release Emails
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27. External Onboarding -
Help Documentation
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28. Get started with User Onboarding
Web-based applications try one of the platforms.
Desktop-based application work with UX, Dev, and PM.
● Analyze user journey.
● Decide the onboarding strategy.
● Discuss with stakeholders.
● Create a POC.
● Do a A/B testing.
● Publish the onboarding.
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29. Shelf Life of Onboarding Deliverables
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Retain/update/retire onboarding
deliverables based on analytics/adoption
● Product tours for new features
● Product tour/task list based on
analytics/support tickets
Changing deliverables
● Microcopy
● Getting started product tour
● Basic task list (few changes)
Permanent deliverables
Make user onboarding a part of product development cycle.

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References
❑ Appcues blog
❑ Chameleon blog
❑ Intercom blog
❑ Pendo blog
❑ Whatfix support center
All these platforms have amazing content!! Lots and lots of content and examples!!
A very good resource to get started!!

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My details
Link to presentations:
● Microcopy Slide deck and presentation
● Animated GIFs Slide deck and presentation
sangeeta.raghu@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangeeta-raghu-punnadi-3008474

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*All images used in this presentation were sourced from the world wide web and used only for educational purpose.