Additional context needed: the "aha moment" you want users to reach, and users' experience level.
Get users to first value as fast as possible. Onboarding's job is not to teach the product. Its job is to get people to the moment that proves the product is worth their time.
Understand what users need to learn and why:
CRITICAL: Onboarding should get users to value as quickly as possible, not teach everything possible.
Follow these core principles:
Create appropriate onboarding for the context:
Welcome Screen:
- Clear value proposition (what is this product?)
- What users will learn/accomplish
- Time estimate (honest about commitment)
- Option to skip (for experienced users)
Account Setup:
- Minimal required information (collect more later)
- Explain why you're asking for each piece of information
- Smart defaults where possible
- Social login when appropriate
Core Concept Introduction:
- Introduce 1-3 core concepts (not everything)
- Use simple language and examples
- Interactive when possible (do, don't just read)
- Progress indication (step 1 of 3)
First Success:
- Guide users to accomplish something real
- Pre-populated examples or templates
- Celebrate completion (but don't overdo it)
- Clear next steps
Empty States:
Instead of blank space, show:
- What will appear here (description + screenshot/illustration)
- Why it's valuable
- Clear CTA to create first item
- Example or template option
Example: No projects yet Projects help you organize your work and collaborate with your team. [Create your first project] or [Start from template]
Contextual Tooltips:
- Appear at relevant moment (first time user sees feature)
- Point directly at relevant UI element
- Brief explanation + benefit
- Dismissable (with "Don't show again" option)
- Optional "Learn more" link
Feature Announcements:
- Highlight new features when they're released
- Show what's new and why it matters
- Let users try immediately
- Dismissable
Progressive Onboarding:
- Teach features when users encounter them
- Badges or indicators on new/unused features
- Unlock complexity gradually (don't show all options immediately)
When to use:
- Complex interfaces with many features
- Significant changes to existing product
- Industry-specific tools needing domain knowledge
How to design:
- Spotlight specific UI elements (dim rest of page)
- Keep steps short (3-7 steps max per tour)
- Allow users to click through tour freely
- Include "Skip tour" option
- Make replayable (help menu)
Best practices:
- Interactive over passive (let users click real buttons)
- Focus on workflow, not features ("Create a project" not "This is the project button")
- Provide sample data so actions work
When to use:
- Users need hands-on practice
- Concepts are complex or unfamiliar
- High stakes (better to practice in safe environment)
How to design:
- Sandbox environment with sample data
- Clear objectives ("Create a chart showing sales by region")
- Step-by-step guidance
- Validation (confirm they did it right)
- Graduation moment (you're ready!)
In-product help:
- Contextual help links throughout interface
- Keyboard shortcut reference
- Search-able help center
- Video tutorials for complex workflows
Help patterns:
- ? icon near complex features
- "Learn more" links in tooltips
- Keyboard shortcut hints (⌘K shown on search box)
Every empty state needs:
"Your recent projects will appear here"
"Projects help you organize your work and collaborate with your team"
[Create project] or [Import from template]
Illustration or icon (not just text on blank page)
"Need help getting started? [Watch 2-min tutorial]"
Empty state types:
- First use: Never used this feature (emphasize value, provide template)
- User cleared: Intentionally deleted everything (light touch, easy to recreate)
- No results: Search or filter returned nothing (suggest different query, clear filters)
- No permissions: Can't access (explain why, how to get access)
- Error state: Failed to load (explain what happened, retry option)
Tooltip libraries: Tippy.js, Popper.js
Tour libraries: Intro.js, Shepherd.js, React Joyride
Modal patterns: Focus trap, backdrop, ESC to close
Progress tracking: LocalStorage for "seen" states
Analytics: Track completion, drop-off points
Storage patterns:javascript // Track which onboarding steps user has seen localStorage.setItem('onboarding-completed', 'true'); localStorage.setItem('feature-tooltip-seen-reports', 'true');
IMPORTANT: Don't show same onboarding twice (annoying). Track completion and respect dismissals.
NEVER:
- Force users through long onboarding before they can use product
- Patronize users with obvious explanations
- Show same tooltip repeatedly (respect dismissals)
- Block all UI during tour (let users explore)
- Create separate tutorial mode disconnected from real product
- Overwhelm with information upfront (progressive disclosure!)
- Hide "Skip" or make it hard to find
- Forget about returning users (don't show initial onboarding again)
Test with real users:
When users hit the aha moment fast and don't drop off, hand off to $impeccable polish for the final pass.
