Onboarding

Problem Context

• The product, feature, role, account, workspace, or workflow is new enough that users need orientation before the regular interface is effective.
• A small amount of setup, personalization, import, permission, or preference data can make the product immediately more useful.
• The first meaningful action is not obvious from the empty product surface alone.
• Existing users may need migration or redesign orientation without being blocked from urgent work.
• The team can measure whether onboarding improves activation, first task completion, setup success, or feature adoption.

Selection Rules

• Choose onboarding when users need a first-run or new-feature path to understand value, configure essentials, or complete the first meaningful action.
• Use empty state when the only problem is a no-content area that needs cause and next action.
• Use wizard when the user is performing a bounded dependent setup with validation, review, and finish.
• Use progressive disclosure when the user needs optional detail inside an existing task rather than a separate first-run flow.
• Use carousel only when users browse peer content slides; do not disguise onboarding as a carousel unless each step supports immediate setup or action.
• Use account creation, sign-in, permission request, payment collection, or profile setup patterns when those tasks are the primary requirement.
• Skip separate onboarding when the interface can teach itself through labels, defaults, examples, and contextual empty states.
• Make onboarding skippable or resumable unless a step is required for legal, safety, identity, or technical reasons.
• Trigger feature onboarding in context when the feature becomes actionable, not at first launch for every user.

Required States

• First-run welcome state with benefit-focused copy and one clear next action.
• Optional skip, later, or resume state for non-required onboarding.
• Minimal setup or personalization state that explains why each answer is needed.
• Contextual teaching state attached to a real feature or empty workspace.
• Progress saved state so users can leave and continue later.
• Completion state that lands on a configured workspace, sample object, checklist, or first task.
• Reopen or help state for users who skipped, forgot, or need the guidance later.
• Returning-user new-feature state that avoids interrupting unrelated urgent work.

Interaction Contract

• The flow states its user benefit before asking for setup information.
• Every step either reduces setup friction, configures the product, demonstrates a real action, or routes users to a next step they can do now.
• Optional teaching can be skipped, resumed, and reopened without losing required setup progress.
• Required steps explain why they are required and what remains unavailable until they are complete.
• Onboarding progress is stored separately from permanent product data until the user commits or finishes the relevant setup.
• The completion transition lands users in the real interface with any created sample content, selected goal, checklist, or action focus intact.
• New-feature onboarding appears in or near the affected feature and does not block unrelated workflows.

Implementation Checklist

• Define the activation outcome, first meaningful action, required setup fields, optional teaching, and success metric before designing screens.
• Remove promotional slides that do not help the user act inside the product.
• Use existing profile, organization, device, or account data instead of asking users to repeat it.
• Provide skip, later, and resume controls where policy and functionality allow.
• Show progress only when it reflects real setup or teaching steps users can understand.
• Keep copy short, benefit-focused, and tied to the next real product action.
• Persist partial setup and make the return path visible in the app shell, help menu, or checklist.
• Test first-run, returning-user, skipped, resumed, mobile, slow network, screen reader, reduced motion, and translated-label states.
• Measure whether onboarding improves first task completion rather than only counting views or completions.

Common Generated-UI Mistakes

• Forcing all users through a feature tour before they can do useful work.
• Using onboarding to compensate for unclear navigation, labels, or empty states.
• Asking for role, team, payment, permissions, and notifications before showing value.
• Ending onboarding on a blank workspace with no action, example, or checklist.
• Making skipped onboarding impossible to reopen later.
• Using a carousel of marketing slides as if it were product setup.
• Interrupting existing users with redesign notes while they are trying to finish unrelated work.

Critique Questions

• What first meaningful action does this onboarding help users complete?
• Which steps are required for the product to work, and which are optional teaching?
• Can users skip or resume without losing setup progress?
• Does the flow land users in a configured product state rather than a blank surface?
• Would empty state, wizard, progressive disclosure, contextual help, or account setup be more accurate?
• How will we know the onboarding improved activation or task success?