Turn sign-ups into active users. Learn from Slack, Superhuman, Pinterest and more.
Ask one question and personalize everything
Ask users what they want to achieve during signup and tailor the entire onboarding flow to their answer.
Deliver value before asking for setup
Show users what your product can do for them before asking them to configure anything.
Find your magic number
There's a specific action that separates users who stick around from users who leave. Find it, then get everyone there faster.
Map and accelerate the path to your aha moment
Find the exact moment users "get it" and remove every obstacle between signup and that moment.
Replace empty states with templates
An empty canvas is intimidating. Pre-filled templates show users what's possible and get them creating immediately.
Add 30-second video walkthroughs for each feature
Embed short video demos next to complex features. Users who watch are 3x more likely to adopt the feature.
Add a discover-more prompt after first success
After a user completes their first key action, nudge them toward the second most valuable feature.
Add a gamified onboarding checklist
Turn setup into a game. A checklist with a progress bar makes people want to complete it. Each step teaches a feature.
Add a progress bar to onboarding
A visible progress bar triggers completion bias. "70% complete" makes people feel compelled to finish what they started.
Add a "quick start" wizard for new users
A 3-step wizard that gets users to their first result in under 2 minutes. No exploration needed.
Add a setup checklist with a progress bar
Show a visible checklist of setup steps with a progress bar. The completion drive is powerful motivation.
Add a "what to expect" step after signup
After signup, show users what's about to happen: "Step 1: Set a goal, Step 2: Pick an experiment, Step 3: See results." Reduces anxiety.
Add Google/GitHub social login
Every form field you remove increases conversion. Social login reduces signup to a single click.
Add proactive in-app help at confusion points
Add contextual help tooltips and chat prompts where users commonly get confused. Don't wait for them to find the help center.
Ask what they care about upfront
New users have no history. Ask them what they're into so you can show relevant stuff immediately.
Build an interactive step-by-step tour
Guide new users through 3-5 key actions with an interactive walkthrough that highlights what to click next.
Celebrate milestones with confetti and encouragement
Add micro-celebrations (confetti, success messages, badges) when users complete key actions. Positive reinforcement drives continued engagement.
Create a sample project that shows the product in action
Pre-load a demo project with realistic data so new users see what success looks like before they start their own.
Deliver value before requiring signup
Let people use your product before creating an account. Once they've invested effort, they'll sign up to keep it.
Give Pro free first, then downgrade
Instead of free-then-upgrade, give everyone the full product and take it away. Loss aversion is stronger than aspiration.
Give users sample data to play with
An empty product is confusing. Pre-populate with examples so users can explore before committing.
Guide users to connect their first integration immediately
For products that depend on integrations, activation IS connecting the first one. Make it the very first step.
Let them use premium features first
Start everyone on premium, then downgrade. They'll know what they're missing when it's gone.
Onboard users personally
Get on a call with every new user. Yes, every one. Seems crazy, but it works better than any automated flow.
Optimize your core flow for mobile
If 40%+ of your traffic is mobile but your product isn't mobile-friendly, you're losing half your potential users.
Pre-fill with sample data
Empty states kill activation. Users can't imagine what "done" looks like. Show them a working example they can edit instead of starting from nothing.
Pre-fill with smart defaults and sample content
Replace empty states with pre-populated examples. Users edit content faster than they create it from scratch.
Rewrite your welcome email with one specific CTA
Your welcome email gets the highest open rate of any email you'll ever send. Make it count with one clear action.
Send a trigger-based email when users complete key actions
Instead of time-based drips, send emails triggered by what users actually do (or don't do).
Send a welcome email sequence that educates
A good welcome sequence doesn't sell. It teaches users how to get value from your product, one email at a time.
Show real-time social proof inside the product
Show users what other users are doing in real time. "Sarah from London just signed up" makes your product feel alive and trusted.
Start the progress bar already complete
Show 2 of 5 steps already done. The endowed progress effect makes people want to finish what's started.
Teach keyboard shortcuts progressively
Show keyboard shortcuts in tooltips and menus. Users who learn shortcuts feel faster and more invested.
Turn every empty state into a call to action
Every empty page is an opportunity. Instead of "No items yet," show what to do and why.
Use interactive walkthroughs, not tours
Don't show, let them do. Interactive walkthroughs where users take action beat passive tours every time.
Activation is when a new user experiences enough value in your product to become an engaged user. It's the 'aha moment' - like Slack's 2,000 messages threshold or Facebook's 7 friends in 10 days.
Analyze users who stayed 90+ days vs those who left. Look for behaviors in the first 2 weeks that differentiate them. Find the specific action and threshold (not just 'sent messages' but 'sent HOW MANY').
Onboarding is the process you design. Activation is the outcome - when users actually get value. Good onboarding leads to activation, but they're not the same. Track activation metrics, not just onboarding completion.
Sign up free and get experiment suggestions matched to your goals.