onboarding-design

name: onboarding-design description: >- Design first-run experiences that transform new users into successful, retained users. Balances education with action, aiming for the shortest path to the "aha moment." Use when Designing initial signup and setup flows; Creating feature discovery and progressive disclosure; Reducing time-to-value for new users; Designing upgrade/expansion onboarding (new features); Planning re-engagement flows for dormant users Do NOT use for general UI flow design (use user-flow-mapper); empty state copy (use content-strategy + ux-writing-agent); tutorial/help system content (use content-strategy)

Onboarding Design

Design first-run experiences that transform new users into successful, retained users. Balances education with action, aiming for the shortest path to the "aha moment."

When to Use

• Designing initial signup and setup flows
• Creating feature discovery and progressive disclosure
• Reducing time-to-value for new users
• Designing upgrade/expansion onboarding (new features)
• Planning re-engagement flows for dormant users

Do NOT Use

• For general UI flow design (use user-flow-mapper)
• For empty state copy (use content-strategy + ux-writing-agent)
• For tutorial/help system content (use content-strategy)

Onboarding Pattern Library

Framework: EUREKA Model

1. Engage — Hook attention in first 8 seconds
2. Understand — Learn user's goal/context (segmentation)
3. Reduce — Minimize required steps to value
4. Enable — Provide scaffolding (defaults, templates, samples)
5. Kindle — Trigger the aha moment
6. Affirm — Celebrate first success

Process

Phase 1: Define Activation

• What is the "aha moment"? (The action that correlates with retention)
• What is the minimum viable onboarding (MVO)?
• Segment users by role/goal if paths differ

Phase 2: Map the Journey

• Steps from signup to activation
• Decision points and branching logic
• Drop-off risk per step
• Time and cognitive load per step

Phase 3: Design the Flow

• Select patterns per step (tooltip, wizard, checklist, etc.)
• Design escape hatches (skip, do later, get help)
• Plan progressive complexity (don't show everything at once)
• Include social proof and motivation hooks

Phase 4: Measure & Iterate

• Activation rate (% reaching aha moment)
• Time-to-activation
• Step completion rates (funnel)
• Skip rates per element
• 7-day / 30-day retention by cohort

Output Format

# Onboarding: [Product/Feature]

## Activation Definition
- **Aha Moment**: [The key action that = activated user]
- **Target**: [reach aha within X minutes / Y steps]
- **Segments**: [different paths per user type if any]

## Onboarding Flow

### Step 1: [Name]
- **Goal**: [What user accomplishes here]
- **Pattern**: [wizard / tooltip / checklist / etc.]
- **Required?**: [Yes / Skippable]
- **Drop-off risk**: [Low/Med/High]
- **Mitigation**: [How to reduce friction]
- **Success criteria**: [How we know this step worked]

### Step 2: ...

## Progressive Disclosure Plan
| Timeframe | Features Revealed | Trigger |
|-----------|------------------|---------|
| Day 0 | Core flow only | Signup |
| Day 1 | Customization options | First task complete |
| Week 1 | Advanced features | Usage threshold |
| Week 2+ | Power user tools | Engagement signal |

## Metrics
| Metric | Target | Current |
|--------|--------|---------|
| Signup → Activation rate | 60% | — |
| Time-to-activation | < 5 min | — |
| Step 2 drop-off | < 20% | — |
| 7-day retention | 40% | — |

Triggers

Korean: "온보딩", "첫 사용 경험", "신규 사용자", "활성화", "가입 흐름", "시작 가이드" English: "onboarding", "first-run experience", "new user", "activation", "setup flow", "getting started"