Onboarding for mobile applications: rules and best practices

The development of a is complex and requires much more than a beautiful design.

When you know that on average, 20% of downloaded apps are used only once, attracting and retaining users becomes a crucial issue.

It seems that being user-friendly today is one of the best ways to combat user disengagement. This requires, for example, the implementation of an effective and educational content strategy: onboarding.

These elements are intended to guide the user during his first connection so that he becomes familiar with the main features, knows what he can do and how he should do it, how to acquire the gesture to navigate or how to access certain "hidden" screens. This demonstration must be succinct, quick and understandable while revealing as much content as possible.

There is only one opportunity to make a good impression and this first contact with the user will influence the rest of their engagement with your mobile application.

In which cases is onboarding necessary?

Certain categories of applications more easily involve the use of onboarding.

This is particularly the case for applications that require a certain amount of personal information to function (health, fitness applications, etc.). In this case, the user must quickly be reassured and understand at first glance the purpose of this data collection.

B2B applications that contain numerous functionalities like a software extension or whose process is complex (production monitoring, user management, etc.) are also affected.

Finally, those who innovate in the UI with navigation concepts and new gestures that differ from familiar tactile practices. In this case, it is necessary to explain to them in order to prevent the user from leaving the application.

From reflection to concrete implementation

Some basic principles should be known in setting up onboarding:

• • Show users the benefits they can derive from the application.
  • Simplify the connection process as much as possible.
  • Anticipate user reactions and intuitiveness.
  • Use color to attract the user's attention and guide them in their navigation.
  • Be clear and concise.

There are three main types of onboarding:

1. Profit and value-oriented onboarding

It describes the benefits of using the application and informs the user how he can personally benefit from it. It takes the form of dynamic slides presented during the first connection. In the examples below, each advantage described meets a clearly defined need.

• LinkedIn: professional retraining,
• Airbnb: rental of any type of place,
• Evernote: cross-platform and multi-device.

Focus only on three key benefits. More details could frighten or tire the user, even before entering the heart of your application. Finally, the slides must be placed before the login/registration stage in order to impress the user and encourage them to use the application.

1. Functionally oriented onboarding

This technique does not explain to the user why he should use the application but how he should do it. Its objective is to highlight the essential functionalities composing the application. And, just like profit-oriented onboarding, it needs to focus on three functions presented in three slides.

This type of onboarding can also be integrated into navigation, especially when the application is empty of content. Instead of landing on a completely bare screen, the user is greeted with a message telling them how to get started.

You have to consider any type of user and consider the possibility that a feature that seems obvious to you will not necessarily be so for them.

Functional onboarding explains the function remains succinct and prioritizes information. The use of verbs at the beginning of the sentence is recommended in order to attract the attention of the user.

It is also interesting to allow access to this mini-tutorial at any stage of navigation or via a menu that is always accessible, for example.

1. Progressive onboarding

This interactive onboarding instructs the user during navigation and specifically advises them according to how they use the application's functionalities.

Most of the time, it takes the form of dynamic windows or awareness messages included in the screen structure. For example, an application can invite the user to discover such or such functionality after a period of time without action or present him with certain hidden actions when the interfaces are clean and minimalist.

This type of onboarding is the most popular because it allows the user to learn by doing and to discover the content of the application as it progresses. However, be careful not to flood it with superfluous information.

Onboarding must be a fair balance between letting the user discover for himself and orienting him enough so that he is not destabilized by the navigation of your mobile application.

About the Author

Rahul Mathur is the founder and managing director of the ARKA Softwares, a company renowned for its outstanding Mobile App and Web Development Solutions. He has been in the IT industry for more than 8 years with a specialization in.Net, PHP, ROR, etc

Rahul Mathur is the founder and managing director of the ARKA Softwares, a company renowned for its outstanding Mobile App and Web Development Solutions. He has been in the IT industry for more than 8 years with a specialization in.Net, PHP, ROR etc