Onboarding Patterns to Kickstart Your User Experience

Increase user retention rates

Using an app for the first time is a special moment for the user. It’s not a moment they’ll remember forever, but one that’ll shape how they perceive your app. A good first impression will get them excited to use it again and again. However, a bad one will frustrate and confuse them to where they don’t want to bother.

There are various onboarding patterns to choose from. Choosing the right one depends on the complexity of your app, and how much information users need to get started. You not only have to choose the right one, but you have to design it correctly. Doing so will kickstart your user experience with a bang.

Pattern 1: Carousel Walkthrough

Use a carousel walkthrough if your users only need to know the essentials to jump into action. This pattern displays a flow of screens that users scroll through as they click a button. 

Do not use them for tutorials to instruct users on how to do tasks. Its sole purpose is to get them familiar with what the app can do.

Showcasing Features

A good carousel walkthrough will display a brief overview of an app's key features. A bad one will display wordy descriptions for nearly every feature.

It's important to focus on showcasing only a few features using as few words as possible. Showcasing too much will take users more time and effort to read. The longer your onboarding takes, the more frustrated they'll get.

Ideally, you should include no more than three onboarding screens. If you must include more than that, offer a button to skip the walkthrough.