The Hidden App Growth Killer (How To Avoid It)

Summary

This video highlights five powerful onboarding strategies used by world-class apps to retain users and boost engagement. The tips, based on psychological principles, include delivering instant value through simple, frictionless onboarding, breaking tasks into achievable steps, using interactive learning, personalizing the user experience, and providing visual progress cues. These techniques help users quickly understand the app's value and feel a sense of ownership, increasing their likelihood to return. The video emphasizes that smooth, personalized, and motivating onboarding is essential for retaining users and enhancing their experience.

Takeaways

• 😀 Great onboarding is essential for user retention, as most apps lose 77% of users within 3 days.
• 😀 Successful onboarding allows users to quickly experience the core value of the product within the first 60 seconds.
• 😀 The 'Eureka effect' occurs when users experience a flash of understanding and feel the product’s value right away.
• 😀 Onboarding should start with immediate value, like giving users a taste of the product, rather than asking for input or creating accounts first.
• 😀 A good strategy is doing less during onboarding, focusing on simple, achievable steps that don't overwhelm the user.
• 😀 The 'Zeigarnik effect' shows that people are more likely to finish tasks when they feel like they are making progress.
• 😀 Providing users with the opportunity to engage with the app immediately increases retention, as action leads to understanding.
• 😀 Personalized onboarding (e.g., adjusting voice tone or settings) helps users feel more connected to the product through the 'familiarity principle.'
• 😀 Providing visual progress cues, such as progress bars or checklists, motivates users by helping them see how close they are to completing the process.
• 😀 Avoid revealing too many steps during onboarding, as showing a long list of tasks can overwhelm users and lead them to abandon the process.
• 😀 Onboarding should be about preparing users, guiding them smoothly into the product, and creating a sense of achievement with minimal effort.

Q & A

What is the main reason most apps lose users within the first few days?

Most apps lose users due to poor onboarding experiences, not because of lack of features or bad marketing. The onboarding process creates friction and prevents users from immediately experiencing the value of the app.

How can the onboarding process be improved to retain more users?

The onboarding process can be improved by focusing on user experience, such as allowing users to quickly experience the core value of the app, minimizing unnecessary setup steps, and guiding users with simple, clear actions that they can interact with immediately.

What psychological principle is referenced when explaining the success of immediate user engagement in onboarding?

The psychological principle is the 'Eureka Effect,' which refers to the moment when something clicks or makes sense instantly. If users experience the product’s value within the first 60 seconds, retention increases significantly.

Why is doing less often the smartest strategy in onboarding?

Doing less in onboarding is effective because it prevents overwhelming users. Multi-step tasks are easier to finish when the steps feel achievable, which is supported by the 'Zeigarnik Effect,' which states that people are more likely to complete a task once they start it.

How does Stomper's onboarding process help new users?

Stomper’s onboarding process involves just three simple steps, without requiring any input fields or heavy lifting. This approach quickly explains the essentials of the app, helping users feel confident and ready to use the app with minimal effort.

What is the benefit of allowing users to interact with the app during onboarding?

Allowing users to interact with the app during onboarding leverages the 'trial and error learning principle,' where users learn faster and more deeply by engaging with the app directly, leading to better information retention and reduced bounce rates.

How does personalization affect user engagement during onboarding?

Personalization during onboarding activates the 'Familiarity Principle,' where users are more likely to trust and engage with the app if they can adjust settings to fit their preferences. This helps users feel like the app is tailored to their needs and increases retention.

Why is providing progress cues important in onboarding?

Progress cues, like progress bars or numbered steps, are important because they provide motivation by showing users how close they are to completing a task. This taps into psychological principles like the 'Goal Gradient Effect,' where users are more likely to continue when they see they are nearing the end.

What psychological principles are applied when using progress bars in onboarding?

The 'Peak-End Rule' and 'Goal Gradient Effect' are the two psychological principles at play. The Peak-End Rule suggests that users remember the most intense part of an experience, and the Goal Gradient Effect shows that people push harder as they approach completion.

Why should the number of steps not always be shown during long onboarding processes?

Revealing the number of steps in a long onboarding process can overwhelm users and cause them to abandon the process. When users see a large number of steps before experiencing any value, they may feel discouraged and leave the app.