New users don't know what a "good" setup looks like
Pre-load a demo project with realistic data so new users see what success looks like before they start their own.
When to use
Your product has multiple features that are hard to understand without seeing them in use.
Hypothesis template
If we pre-load a fill in: sample project with fill in: realistic data, new users will activate fill in: target% faster because they can see what "done" looks like.
Method
The problem: Users sign up and have to imagine what the product looks like when it's working. They've never seen a completed experiment, a full dashboard, or a results analysis.
What Airtable does: Every new workspace includes sample bases with realistic data. Users can explore a fully working example before creating their own.
The result: Users who explore a sample project before starting their own activate 40-60% faster because they understand the end state.
How to do it:
- Create a realistic sample project with 3-5 items showing different states
- Include completed items with results so users see the full lifecycle
- Label it clearly: "Sample project — explore or delete anytime"
- Add inline tips: "This is what a completed experiment looks like"
- Let users delete it when ready to start their own
- Track: do users who explore the sample activate faster?
Key insight: People learn by example, not by reading instructions. Show them a finished project and they'll know exactly what to build.
Success metrics
- •Sample project exploration rate
- •Activation rate (explored vs skipped)
- •Time to first own item
- •Sample project deletion rate
Prerequisites
- A realistic sample project to pre-load
- A way to mark it as "sample" and let users delete it
- Analytics on sample project interactions
Common pitfalls
- •Making the sample too minimal (needs to feel real)
- •Using obviously fake data
- •Not letting users delete it easily
- •Not tracking whether exploring the sample improves activation
Source: Airtable, Monday.com. Sample projects with realistic data improve activation by 40-60%.
Suggested ICE scores
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