The post-signup period is the most crucial in a product lifecycle—after the first day, product adoption rates drop precipitously. Onboarding new users starting with the first time they open the web or mobile app is, therefore, absolutely critical. But product onboarding happens whether the experience is managed or not. Companies that focus on the onboarding experience can make their users proficient much more quickly and drive product adoption metrics like active use and retention.
The growth of SaaS applications has dramatically reduced customers’ switching costs. They are much more likely to churn if they don’t realize value quickly. Product adoption is contingent on an onboarding flow that:
Quickly explains how the product works and its use cases
Conveys the product’s benefits and differentiation
Highlights and guides users to the most valuable features
Prompts users to come back to the product over and over