Increase onboarding completion by presenting clear tasks
Overview
Business Outcome
Onboarding Completion Rate
Increase the percentage of users who successfully complete the onboarding process and become active users of the product
Behavioral Outcome
Task Completion
Encourage users to complete the key tasks necessary for a successful onboarding experience.
The Behavioral Science
Goal Gradient Effect
The Goal Gradient Effect suggests that people are more motivated to complete a task as they get closer to the end goal. By breaking the onboarding into clear, numbered steps, Sprig leverages this effect to keep users engaged and moving forward.
Chunking
Chunking involves breaking down information or tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces. Presenting the onboarding as 4 distinct tasks makes the process feel less overwhelming and more achievable for users.
How It Works
Sprig's onboarding presents users with a clear list of 4 tasks to complete: Install Sprig in your product, Add events and attributes, Launch a study, and View responses. Each task is presented as a distinct step with a clear call-to-action to proceed.
By chunking the onboarding into these specific tasks, Sprig makes the process feel more manageable and guides users through each key step. The numbered list also leverages the Goal Gradient Effect, motivating users to keep going as they see their progress and get closer to completion.
This clear presentation of tasks reduces friction and ambiguity, making users more likely to complete the onboarding successfully.
How It Might Backfire
Overwhelming Users
While breaking the onboarding into steps can make it feel more manageable, presenting too many tasks at once could still overwhelm some users. It's important to keep the number of steps reasonable and the tasks themselves relatively quick to complete.
Lack of Flexibility
Some users may prefer a more flexible onboarding that allows them to explore the product at their own pace. Forcing all users through a strict, linear set of tasks could frustrate those who want more control over their experience.
How To Test
To test the effectiveness of this tactic, try comparing your current onboarding flow to a version that presents clear, numbered tasks like Sprig does. Monitor key metrics like onboarding completion rate and time to completion to see if the chunked tasks have a positive impact.
You could also run user tests or surveys to gather qualitative feedback on how easy users find the onboarding process to follow and whether the presentation of tasks helps keep them motivated to complete it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use defaults to nudge customers towards a membership option
Puls frames the membership option as the default choice compared to a one-time service, nudging users to sign up for the recurring membership.
Increase registrations by leading with a question
Capitol AI prompts users to ask a question on the homepage. Once they type a question and attempt to get an answer, a prompt to register appears, leveraging loss aversion to motivate users to sign up in order to see the response they now want.