While the goal is often a frictionless experience, some friction can be a positive filter. Descript found that users willing to download a desktop app were more invested and more likely to stick around. Don't be afraid of early steps that test a user's commitment.
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Mailtrap made a multi-step survey a required part of signup. Counterintuitively, this added friction had no negative impact on conversion rates. The collected data on user intent, role, and marketing attribution proved invaluable for segmenting users and focusing on high-value cohorts, informing both product and marketing strategy.
Mailtrap invested in creating a streamlined, low-friction onboarding experience, assuming it would significantly boost conversions. The change had almost no impact. They discovered their developer audience valued the product's core utility so much that they were willing to complete extra steps, rendering the simplified UX improvements ineffective for conversion.
The obsession with removing friction is often wrong. When users have low intent or understanding, the goal isn't to speed them up but to build their comprehension of your product's value. If software asks you to make a decision you don't understand, it makes you feel stupid, which is the ultimate failure.
Despite a clunky, multi-screen setup requiring users to copy and paste API tokens, 80% of early adopters completed the process. This incredible tolerance for friction was an undeniable signal that they were solving a desperate need in the market.
Free offers attract high volume but often low quality. Counter this by adding strategic friction—like multi-step forms or forced video consumption—to weed out uncommitted prospects. The goal is finding the sweet spot that maximizes qualified leads without losing high-value but lazy prospects.
Once you've identified the single event that causes retention, ruthlessly design your entire onboarding process to get every user to that milestone. Remove all friction and optional paths. The goal is to make it 'weird' for a customer *not* to reach that critical activation point.
Figma learned that removing issues preventing users from adopting the product was as important as adding new features. They systematically tackled these blockers—often table stakes features—and saw a direct, measurable improvement in retention and activation after fixing each one.
Instead of a broad onboarding, focus the entire initial user experience on achieving one specific, "brag-worthy" value event as quickly as possible. Structure this as a sprint: define the event, remove all friction, design a "click, click, value" path, and use alerts to nudge users along to that singular 'win'.
Contrary to a 'frictionless' growth mindset, legal tech unicorn Clio deliberately added hurdles like a 30-minute webinar to its beta program. This strategy filtered out casual users, ensuring they worked with a small, highly engaged customer cohort to truly validate the product's value before focusing on growth.
Successful onboarding isn't measured by feature adoption or usage metrics. It's about helping the customer accomplish the specific project they bought your product for. The goal is to get them to the point where they've solved their problem and would feel it's 'weird to churn,' solidifying retention.