CASE STUDY
How Redesigning the Onboarding UX Increased Product Value
Haven't read the full Filmik project details? To read click here
Overview
​The onboarding experience of a digital product can either make or break your product. That initial experience of landing on a shiny splash screen and signing up or logging in with ease is so crucial to the overall perception a user forms of your app (all under the first few seconds), that if it's not done right you might quickly find your KPI of onboarding success rate tanking.
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When I was asked to redesign the onboarding for both the mobile and web experience, I knew that following the usual industry standards would not be enough. As I started conducting research the different types of onboarding
​experiences, I carefully examined the pros and cons of signing up with social, visual do's and don'ts, how to design for viral effect, how much info should be asked upfront vs later, and many other factors.
In the case study below, I have mainly focused on the iOS mobile app onboarding process and have provided designs from Onboarding-UX-v1 and Onboarding-UX-v2 with explanations of what was updated, UX and UI changes and overall results from the usability testing sessions done to validate the new user experience and visual direction.
UX Audit
​The first thing when taking over the task of redesigning the onboarding experience of the Filmik mobile app was to go over the current designs and understand where I can improve the experience. Below is a chart of the UX flow and the area that could be redesigned to better the overall user experience.
Design Audit
​​Next, I looked at all of the designed screens that entail the entire onboarding experience from splash and walk-through screens, to logging in, signing up, forgot password and the rest of the screens. While careful consideration had been applied to the already-designed screens, some screens were missing, which could present a challenge during handoff to the dev team.
The biggest challenge with the original experience was that certain sub-tasks had been either changed or entirely removed, making a portion of the screens unnecessary for the new MVP.
V1 CHALLENGES
The Current Onboarding Process is Too Complicated and Too Long
Main goal for V1:
Collect as much data as possible upfront so the user feels invested in the app
Challenge 1
V1: Users are required to select from 4 different memberships
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V2: This won't be necessary ever though there are 2 memberships
Challenge 2
V1: Since we have many different users, pros and coordinators are asked to verify their union membership, however, the process has too much friction
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V2: Verification is still a requirement, however, the process needs to be updated and simplified
Challenge 3
V1: User is required to pay for app right away even if there is a free 30-day trial, creating friction and unease
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V2: Free trial will be extended to 90 days; step needs to considered
Challenge 4
V1: Since the platform included a social network, users are asked to select from a list of interests that would personalize their experience
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V2: For the initial MVP the social network feature is removed
Challenge 5
V1: UI could emphasize more and aid in the completion of a certain sub-task
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V2: Goal is to use visual cues only when necessary and create a better visual hierarchy as needed
SOLUTION
Optimizing the Onboarding UX by Simplifying the Process
After conducting a thorough UX and Design audit and noting the biggest challenges of the current onboarding process, the next step was to determine what was the company's internal goal in recreating this very first interaction. While certain data points are necessary for every log in or sign up, we decided to focus on bringing as much value as possible upfront to the user by significantly shortening the process and removing unnecessary steps.
V2 Main Goals
Reduce onboarding steps to provide immediate value.
NEW UX FLOW
Small Changes, Big Results
NEW GOALS
Creating Value by
Implementing 6 Design Decisions
1
Email as primary sign up choice​​
4
Create viral effect with 'Invite Friends' subtask
2
Invitation-only code to detect user type
5
Simplify the UX flow
3
Provide system feedback as needed
6
Implement minimalist and clear UI​
DESIGN DECISION 1
Email as primary sign up choice
Logic: While signing up with social is an easier and more convenient option for the user (automatic data extraction, 1 less password to remember, and it's just super fast), we decided to de-prioritize the option because based on our user base (older stunt coordinators, less tech savvy users) and the fact that the profile information might be inaccurate, signing up with email was the more secure option and let the user be in more control of their data.
DESIGN DECISION 2
Invitation-Only Access
Logic: Verifying whether a user is a coordinator or a professional would be done by using unique referral codes generated by one of two sets: set 1 would generate codes for coordinators only, and set 2 would generate codes for professionals only. Depending on which code the user sends (coordinators can invite coordinators and pros; pros can refer only other pros), the system would know whether the user membership level and provide the correct features.
DESIGN DECISION 2A
Invitation Only - Verifying Membership
Logic: The reason why we decided to leave the verification process out was decided based on the fact that it would create a lot of friction during sign up. Most users would need to log out of Filmik, go on the web, sign on to SAG-AFTRA, look up their membership number, copy it, go back to the app, paste it...you get the point. The founder would also invite trusted coordinators who would bring on only union stunt professionals.
DESIGN DECISION 3
Provide System Feedback as Needed​
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Logic: The decision to provide system feedback cues only as needed (for example when a password doesn't meet the system requirements) was done based on the logic that the user should not be overwhelmed with cues (for example password strength) that would confuse them or distract them from completing the task. However, other system feedback cues were introduced such as a progress bar, indicating how far along the sign up process the user is.
DESIGN DECISION 4
Make Invite Friends a Major Subtask​
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Logic: This step is very important since the overall business goal is to onboard as many professionals as possible. This step is especially important for stunt coordinators who will be inviting their "favorites," or people they have worked with previously. By doing this, the database of talent will be vetted since coordinators are the hiring agents on most productions. Lastly, giving the option for users to decide whether they want to invite now or skip this step puts them in control and allows them to complete the task at a later time by receiving a friendly reminder from Filmik.
DESIGN DECISION 5
Simplify the UX Flow
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Logic: Since our main goal in redesigning the onboarding experience was to simplify the process - including removing unnecessary screens, either because they would serve a feature that wouldn't be available ib MVP 1, asked too much upfront, or simply created too much friction - half of the original onboarding subtasks were removed. In place were added screens that would support one of our redesign goals of creating a viral effect by allowing the user to invite other professionals they work with.
DESIGN DECISION 6
Implement Minimalist and Clear UI​
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Logic: While we can all agree that images typically are a better choice in displaying ideas and concepts, sometimes they could also hinder the experience. In the first designs, we saw a consistency of images carrying through the entire onboarding process, however, when we conducted usability testing for the updated designs and surveyed our 8 users whether or not those images in V1 were distracting to getting the job done versus being a pleasant addition, 75% answered that it didn't help them complete the task faster and that they were a distraction. With this finding, I decided to remove the images (except in the walk-through screens) and provide a minimalistic UI design that would clearly lead the user through all steps and provide system feedback as needed.
NEW UX FLOW
Signing In and Forgot Password
