#user-activation

Design effective user onboarding to drive activation and retention. Onboarding success metrics: 1. Time-to-first-value (TTFV): how quickly users achieve core benefit. 2. Activation rate: percentage reaching 'aha moment'. 3. Day 1, 7, 30 retention: usage stickiness over time. Onboarding flow design: 1. Progressive disclosure: show features gradually, not all at once. 2. Interactive tutorials: hands-on vs. passive video watching. 3. Personalization: tailor experience to user role/use case. 4. Empty states: helpful content when users haven't added data yet. 5. Success celebrations: acknowledge user achievements. Optimization process: 1. Map current flow and identify drop-off points. 2. User testing: watch people go through onboarding. 3. A/B testing: test different approaches (tooltip vs. modal vs. guided tour). 4. Iterative improvements: make small changes, measure impact. Tools: Appcues, Pendo, WalkMe for guided experiences.