This principle extends to your entire customer journey: don’t ask someone to do something unless you can get them excited about the value they’ll get from it.
For example:
Want someone to read your boring tooltips? Show the tooltip only after they’ve used the corresponding feature. That’s when they’ll want to learn more.
Need someone to download your Chrome extension? Wait until they’re hooked on your web app first. Then prompt them to adopt your entire ecosystem.
Need someone to read your long-form ebook? Wait until they finish canada mobile database reading one of your short, brilliant blog posts.
Prove to people that you can do it, then prompt them to take action.
If you don’t have a visual, write it down
If you don’t have any appealing visuals during your onboarding, point out the value the customer will receive.
For example, if you are a service that helps people quit smoking, share the number of people who have quit smoking with your help:
“About 15% of people who complete the guided experience go on to complete our course. That means once you complete it, you have an 85% chance of quitting smoking for life. This is your chance – don’t waste it.”
3. Guidance should be low friction
Once our onboarding experiences are educational and engaging, we work to reduce their friction.