In-app onboarding is the process through which a new user moves from registration to the first useful result. It determines whether they will come back, because most people who leave do so in the first few minutes. There are three proven principles. Bring the person to their first value as quickly as possible, that is, to the moment when they see what the tool is for, and do not hold them up with lengthy setup. Replace empty screens with sample data or guidance for the first step, because an empty state without explanation is the most common point of departure. And split the setup into steps with the progress shown. People click through wizards full of explanatory tooltips without reading them, so it is better to guide them directly through a task instead. It is worth measuring the share of users who reach the first result, and how long it takes them.
See also: Customer onboarding, User flow, AI Adoption by Employees.
