Onboarding Flows That Keep New Users
The first few minutes with your app decide whether a new user stays or leaves. A good onboarding flow gets people to their first valuable moment quickly, without overwhelming them.
Many apps lose the majority of new users within the first day, so getting onboarding right is one of the highest-impact things you can do.
The First Five Minutes Decide Everything
A large share of new users open an app once and never return, and the deciding moment is usually those first few minutes. If people cannot quickly see what the app does for them, no amount of clever features later will win them back. Good onboarding treats that opening window as precious and spends it proving value rather than collecting form fields.
Principles of Good Onboarding
- Show value before asking for commitment such as sign-up.
- Keep it short — a few screens at most.
- Let people skip or explore at their own pace.
- Ask for permissions only when they are needed.
How We Design It
- Identify the single 'aha' moment that hooks users.
- Remove every step between opening and reaching it.
- Measure where people drop off and refine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should onboarding be a tutorial?
Rarely. People learn by doing, not by reading slides. The best onboarding guides users through real, valuable actions.
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.