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The new user 5x5 onboarding challenge: (5 seconds to wow them; 5 minutes to get them invested.)
I created an onboarding experience for new users of a new-to-market Microsoft Dynamics 365 product that gets users quickly onboarded and engaged with the product.
Project Details
My Role
Lead Designer
Timeline
6 weeks
Results
After the the first version of the this experience failed to pass the 5x5 challenge, I created a workflow that gets new users quickly into the product and entices them to start using it immediately. I completed the project faster than expected and was done well ahead of its public preview release date which was 4 months out.
The challenge
How do we quickly demonstrate the value of Product Insights and streamline the activation process for users?
Background
Product Insights is a new product in the Dynamics suite of tools. It’s an app for organizations who want to collect multiple sources of user data from their web and mobile products in order to understand their customer usage better, get actionable insights and make smart, data-driven decisions across channels. Comparable products are Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics.
Stakeholder feedback on current design
The initial pass at an onboarding workflow done by a different designer, did not pass the monthly business review with the GM of Microsoft Dynamics 365 team. After stepping through 7 screens the user landed on an empty state of the screen with nothing left to do. The stakeholder feedback also noted that it was not hitting the 5x5 mark because it took too long for the user to get started and required too much manual work.
UX Research
Initial research looked at the goals and pain points of users and synthesized the results to fall into 4 main categories of needs:
- What is happening now?
- Are we on track with our business goals?
- Where are customers encountering problems with our website/app/service?
- Where should we spend our resources?
Competitor research and analysis
New to the domain, I studied the marketplace and took a critical look at our closest competitors in terms of their strengths and weaknesses, how they are marketed, sentimental analysis, use of artificial intelligence and our strategic advantages.
User scenario writing workshop
The Product Insights Research team developed 2 provisional personas. Based on that study and the product strategy, I wrote several user scenarios and held a scenario writing workshop with the design team who were eager to do participate in this previously overlooked phase of the design process.
Review onboard best practices
There are many good resources out there that talk about how to onboard users. For example Sam Hulick has lots of interesting insights, which I drew from. I also use my knowledge about active learning to get users engaged with the onboarding process right away. These are the top 3 design principles I targeted for onboarding new users.
- Be clear about the value proposition right up front.
- Give quick wins to get the user invested.
- Be streamlined, with small achievable steps.
My problem solving process
Process
My design process
PROBLEM
No immediate value proposition
The user had no way of knowing what the product can do for them or why they should care about it.
SOLUTION
Make value prop clear and immediate
Part of the 5 seconds to wow factor has to be understanding what makes the product interesting to me. This is the place for marketing to drive the value proposition home, so it that message is made prominent.
Even if the user doesn't read this message, after one click they will be immersed in an experience that demonstrates this value clearly by being personalized to their needs.
PROBLEM
Too much friction getting onboarded
The user has to go through 7 screens to reach the product, and do work along the way , with no payoff at the end.
SOLUTION
Simple, fast, frictionless
I reduced the steps from 7 to 4 and I didn’t require any work, just single clicks to keep moving. Once the user was passed the sign on, they were a click away from using a product with rich demo content whether their data flowing or not.
BEFORE
AFTER
Problem
Uninspiring empty state = a missed opportunity
There is nothing for the user to do because their data has not been connected to the product yet. (Pasting the tracking code in their website is a dependent step that is external to the Microsoft workflow.)
They've given us all of the information we asked for and they still don't get to experience the value of the product.
Solution
Quick wins and engaging interactions
The demo content tells a story that our persona cares about. It's relevant and meaningful partly because we allow them to choose which story to follow.
The user can interact with the content and get immediate feedback.
Using active learning techniques
to engage new users
Rather than taking the usual Microsoft tour approach, which points out the way different features work, in an exhaustive way, I wanted to present a personalized tour which focused on the topics users cared about.
Active learning at its most basic level means getting your students involved in activities rather than just passively listening. Psychology and brain science show that when people are excited it activates their brain. And when the brain is activated, it learns better. This theory applies to new users also, who are in the process of learning a new interface.
For Product Insights I wanted to stimulate users by prompting them with questions that reflect the problems they need to solve, telling a story that reflects their goals and offering multiple ways to get that information - another learning design technique.
Final design prototype
Impact and result
The design passed the reviewed by major stakeholders (including the GM who failed the first version) and is ready for public preview release scheduled for October 2020. User feedback will be collected then.
