What is user onboarding?
User onboarding is the process of helping a new user get started with a product and complete a first useful task. It includes necessary setup, an introduction to relevant features, and help learning the workflows they need.
What user onboarding covers
Onboarding helps someone complete the setup needed for their work, such as connecting a data source or creating a workspace. It then helps them perform a useful task with that setup, such as producing a report from their own data.
The relevant tasks depend on the role. An administrator may configure access, while a member needs to find shared work and make a first contribution. Product Onboarding's introduction to product onboarding explores the process in more detail.
Different types of user onboarding
Tours introduce controls and features. Checklists organize setup tasks and track progress. Empty states explain how to add the first content. Walkthroughs guide a task, and assistants answer questions as people work. Live sessions can provide direct help with a complex setup.
Choose formats for the work involved. A checklist may organize an account's setup, with a walkthrough available for a difficult integration step.
How user onboarding is measured
Activation rate is the share of new users who reach a defined first-use milestone within a stated period. Time to value measures how long that takes. Item-level completion shows where setup stops, and later retention shows whether people return.
Treat guide completion as a separate signal. Someone can finish an introduction without completing the task it describes, so measure the outcome in the product as well.
Keeping onboarding relevant
Introduce information when it helps with a task. Tailor required steps to the user's role and access, and make optional help available without blocking their work.
Review instructions when workflows change. Static onboarding tours break discusses the maintenance involved in scripted guidance.
How Frigade fits
Frigade Assistant answers questions and guides users through setup and other workflows. It learns by using your product and refreshes that knowledge as the product changes. Our digital adoption platform comparison covers approaches to onboarding guidance.
Common questions
- What is the difference between user onboarding and customer onboarding?
- Customer onboarding prepares an account for use through implementation, configuration, and training. User onboarding helps each person get started with the tasks relevant to their role. The two overlap in a single-user product, but can happen at different times for a team account.
- How long should user onboarding take?
- The time depends on the setup and the task. Define a first useful outcome, then measure how long users take to reach it and where they need help. Continue offering guidance after that milestone as people learn additional workflows.