dragoon0x Onboarding Ux
Onboarding Philosophy
The goal isn't to explain the product. It's to get users to their first success as fast as possible.
Patterns
Setup Wizard
- 3-5 steps maximum.
- Show progress clearly.
- Allow skipping optional steps.
- Each step should feel like progress, not homework.
Progressive Disclosure
- Don't show everything on day one.
- Introduce features as they become relevant.
- Empty states as teaching moments.
- Tooltips on first encounter, not a feature tour.
Checklist
- 3-5 tasks that lead to activation.
- Show completion progress.
- Celebrate completion (confetti is fine, once).
- Make the first task trivially easy (build momentum).
Metrics
| Metric | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Time to first value | How fast users get something useful |
| Setup completion rate | Where users drop off |
| Day 1/7/30 retention | Whether onboarding created a habit |
| Activation rate | % who complete the key action |
Anti-Patterns
- Feature tours that show 15 tooltips before the user does anything.
- Forced tutorials that can't be skipped.
- Asking for information you don't need yet (company size on day one).
- Video walkthroughs as the only onboarding (most people skip them).
- Requiring email confirmation before showing any value.