From all the onboarding practices and experiences we examined, we derived the following principles for a successful onboarding software:
1. Make the onboarding experience fun
An organisation that is introducing a new tool usually expects immediate benefits and underestimates the tedious ramp up process. To make onboarding less annoying, make it as easy and - to a certain degree - as fun as possible.
Hence: Try to create positive emotions by encouraging and motivating the user during the onboarding journey.
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2. Cater for different “approaches to learning”
The scale of different approaches to learning ranges from reflective learning (“I want to know everything before I start”) to experience-based learning (“I don’t read a single word upfront, I start doing stuff and collect bits and pieces of information on the go”).
Hence: Necessary information should be available “en bloc” (outside the app) and “on demand” (distributed pieces of information at the relevant spot).
3. Cater for different levels of expertise
Especially in a B2B-environment users with very different levels of technical knowledge and affinity are using the app or machine, etc.
Hence: Different levels of in-depth information should be offered.
4. Differentiate between must-know knowledge and additional information
Some users want to start as quickly as possible with the minimum information, so decide on a minimum level of functionalities that must be understood in order to successfully start working with the app.
Hence: Keep tutorials to the core feature set and offer more information on demand or step by step.
5. Make users feel proud - but don't patronize
Users usually feel good when they have achieved something on their own, so try to give the user the impression they’ve explored the app themselves.
Hence: Let the user decide how much help they’d like to have and refrain from patronizing them.
6. Never design a learning journey as a one-way-street
Usually onboarding apps design a chronological learning journey, so once you skip an intro-demo or click on “don't show again”, it’s difficult, sometimes impossible to get the information or the whole demo back. This is especially hindering for users that first want to experience the app and later understand the more sophisticated functionalities.
Hence: Always sign post the way back to initial sources of information or to earlier steps in the onboarding journey.
7. Never consider a user as onboarded - see onboarding as an ongoing process
In many cases, users only use a fraction of the features available in an app. But surrounding conditions can change, for example, due to changes in production processes, the users’ position or the company offerings. Or, most likely, you as an app provider introduce a new feature in the market. As a consequence, further support is needed in order to make optimal use of the feature set available.
Hence: Always consider further steps that can be learned and make help options easily accessible.
