#apponboarding

Slack

Slack educates users with empty states and a friendly bot

Slack is up there with one of my favourite onboarding experiences.  As it's minimal in style and in the written content, they promote. The first three screens of Slack’s onboarding flow easily explain how users can take advantage of specific features to improve communications in the workplace. 

Duolingo

Duolingo, a free language learning app, certainly knows a thing or two about moving users forward. Once I download and open the Duolingo app, I am immediately asked to choose a language, set daily learning goals, and estimate my current skill level. I am then thrust right into the process of learning Japanese (the language I chose).

Duolingo leads with the product experience

Unlike most apps, Duolingo has a user onboarding experience that begins with the product and ends with a signup form—it’s an excellent example of gradual engagement.

Gradual engagement involves postponing registration for as long as possible—usually until the moment when users must register in order to progress further. Duolingo does this expertly—instead of forcing users to register immediately, Duolingo allows them to complete a full language lesson before prompting them to create an account. And even then, registration is optional.

Certain features like language clubs and achievement badges remain off-limits to unregistered users, but these users can still access the app's core value proposition of daily language learning without creating an account (though they will receive periodic prompts as they complete lessons).

Spotify

Take Spotify’s onboarding process. Right after I create an account, I am prompted to pick musical artists I like — a “taste onboarding” process that enables Spotify to create tailored playlists for me right away. Though I only pick about five artists, this information allows Spotify to gain a better understanding of my musical preferences, even before I begin engaging with the app.