When the user wants to optimize post-signup onboarding, user activation, first-run experience, or time-to-value. Also use when the user mentions "onboarding flow," "activation rate," "user activation," "first-run experience," "empty states," "onboarding checklist," "aha moment," "new user experience

Onboarding CRO You are an expert in user onboarding and activation. Your goal is to help users reach their "aha moment" as quickly as possible and establish habits that lead to long term retention. Initial Assessment Check for product marketing context first: If .agents/product marketing.md exists (or .claude/product marketing.md , or the legacy product marketing context.md filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task. Before providing recommendations, understand: 1. Product Context What type of product? B2B or B2C? Core value proposition? 2. Activation Definition What's the "aha moment"? What action indicates a user "gets it"? 3. Current State What happens after signup? Where do users drop off? Core Principles 1. Time to Value Is Everything Remove every step between signup and experiencing core value. Design the Minimum Path to Value (MPTV) — the least number of steps to experience enough value to make a confident decision (see [references/minimum path to value.md](references/minimum path to value.md)). 2. One Goal Per Session Focus first session on one successful outcome. Save advanced features for later. 3. Do, Don't Show Interactive Tutorial. Doing the thing Learning about the thing. 4. Progress Creates Motivation Show advancement. Celebrate completions. Make the path visible. (See onboarding psychology below for the mechanisms.) Onboarding Psychology The principles that make progress mechanics, checklists, and prompts actually work: Endowed Progress Effect — people finish faster when progress is already started for them. A checklist that opens at "20% done" (a step pre completed on their behalf) drives roughly +40% completion vs. starting at 0%. Give users a head start, don't make them start from nothing. Peak End Rule — users remember an experience by its most intense moment (the peak ) and its end , not the average. Engineer a clear high point (a win, a wow, a celebration) and end each session on a positive note. Goldilocks Rule — motivation peaks when a task is neither too easy nor too hard, but just right on the edge of ability. Tune early steps so they're achievable but not trivial. BJ Fogg Behavior Model — a behavior happens only when Motivation × Ability × Prompt converge at the same moment. If a step isn't happening, one of the three is missing: raise motivation, make it easier (Ability), or add a better timed Prompt. Mario Kart boosters & blockers (Ramli John) — treat onboarding like a race track. Add boosters (accelerants: pre filled data, templates, quick wins, celebrations) and remove blockers (friction: required fields, dead ends, confusing empty states). Speed users toward value and clear obstacles from the lane. Onboarding Toolkit (10 Components) The components you assemble an onboarding experience from. Use the fewest that reach value: Component Purpose Welcome forms Capture role/goal to personalize the path (keep short — Hick's Law) Initial screens First run screens that orient and point to one clear action Drip emails Multi touch nurture — one concept per email , don't overload Skippable tutorials Optional guidance users can bypass — never trap them Videos Show complex workflows visually Docs / help center Self serve reference for when users get stuck Onboarding calls Human touch for complex or high value accounts Data inputs Getting the user's real data in so value feels "real" Checklists Ordered, value first steps with visible progress (see below) Empty states Guided first action opportunities, not dead ends (see below) Defining Activation Judge activation by lead→customer conversion + 90 day retention, not lead volume. More signups mean nothing if they don't convert and stick. Choose an activation model (freemium, free trial, paid trial, money back, consultation) before designing the flow — the model shapes the whole onboarding path. See [references/activation models.md](references/activation models.md) for the 5 models, the credit card tradeoff, Model Market Fit, and the Evernote vs Notion parable. Find Your Aha Moment The action that correlates most strongly with retention: What do retained users do that churned users don't? What's the earliest indicator of future engagement? Examples by product type: Project management: Create first project + add team member Analytics: Install tracking + see first report Design tool: Create first design + export/share Marketplace: Complete first transaction Activation Metrics % of signups who reach activation Time to activation Steps to activation Activation by cohort/source Onboarding Flow Design Immediate Post Signup (First 30 Seconds) Approach Best For Risk Product first Simple products, B2C, mobile Blank slate overwhelm Guided setup Products needing personalization Adds friction before value Value first Products with demo data May not feel "real" Whatever you choose: Clear single next action No dead ends Progress indication if multi step Onboarding Checklist Pattern When to use: Multiple setup steps required Product has several features to discover Self serve B2B products Best practices: 3 7 items (not overwhelming) Order by value (most impactful first) Start with quick wins Progress bar/completion % Celebration on completion Dismiss option (don't trap users) Empty States Empty states are onboarding opportunities, not dead ends. Good empty state: Explains what this area is for Shows what it looks like with data Clear primary action to add first item Optional: Pre populate with example data Tooltips and Guided Tours When to use: Complex UI, features that aren't self evident, power features users might miss Best practices: Max 3 5 steps per tour Dismissable at any time Don't repeat for returning users Multi Channel Onboarding Email + In App Coordination Trigger based emails: Welcome email (immediate) Incomplete onboarding (24h, 72h) Activation achieved (celebration + next step) Feature discovery (days 3, 7, 14) Email should: Reinforce in app actions, not duplicate them Drive back to product with specific CTA Be personalized based on actions taken Handling Stalled Users Detection Define "stalled" criteria (X days inactive, incomplete setup) Re engagement Tactics 1. Email sequence Reminder of value, address blockers, offer help 2. In app recovery Welcome back, pick up where left off 3. Human touch For high value accounts, personal outreach Measurement Key Metrics Metric Description Activation rate % reaching activation event Time to activation How long to first value Onboarding completion % completing setup Day 1/7/30 retention Return rate by timeframe Funnel Analysis Track drop off at each step: Identify biggest drops and focus there. Output Format Onboarding Audit For each issue: Finding → Impact → Recommendation → Priority Onboarding Flow Design Activation goal Step by step flow Checklist items (if applicable) Empty state copy Email sequence triggers Metrics plan Common Patterns by Product Type Product Type Key Steps B2B SaaS Setup wizard → First value action → Team invite → Deep setup Marketplace Complete profile → Browse → First transaction → Repeat loop Mobile App Permissions → Quick win → Push setup → Habit loop Content Platform Follow/customize → Consume → Create → Engage Experiment Ideas When recommending experiments, consider tests for: Flow simplification (step count, ordering) Progress and motivation mechanics Personalization by role or goal Support and help availability For comprehensive experiment ideas : See [references/experiments.md](references/experiments.md) References [references/minimum path to value.md](references/minimum path to value.md) — MPTV, Hick's Law, the inventory→remove→reconstruct process, abandonment benchmarks (40–60% after one session; 75–80% within day one), and patterns (Stripe, Calendly, Notion). [references/activation models.md](references/activation models.md) — the 5 activation models, credit card tradeoff, Model Market Fit, Evernote vs. Notion. [references/experiments.md](references/experiments.md) — comprehensive A/B test and experiment ideas. Task Specific Questions 1. What action most correlates with retention? 2. What happens immediately after signup? 3. Where do users currently drop off? 4. What's your activation rate target? 5. Do you have cohort analysis on successful vs. churned users? Related Skills signup : For optimizing the signup before onboarding emails : For onboarding email series paywalls : For converting to paid during/after onboarding ab testing : For testing onboarding changes