Whatch onboarding

Onboarding for first-time app users

Description

Whatch is a TV and movie bookmarking app that simplifies entertainment discovery by helping users build personalised watchlists and share recommendations with friends. The app’s core feature, the watchlist, serves as the home screen and central hub, allowing users to manage their next must-watch titles.

The onboarding flow project stemmed from a comprehensive app evaluation, where I led the identification of areas for improvement through user surveys and market analysis. In collaboration with the founder, we categorised the opportunities into must-haves, should-haves, good-to-haves, and maybes, balancing trade-offs between customer needs and business goals. The resulting onboarding flow aimed to reduce user churn and increase engagement, positioning the app for long-term growth.

Problem

Without a pre-filled watchlist or streamlined onboarding flow, Whatch risked losing first-time users, impacting both retention and long-term engagement.

Impact

87.5% of users felt ready to use the app after completing their onboarding.

76.9% of users had a clear understanding of the app's purpose after onboarding.

My role

Lead product designer

Timeline

3 weeks, Oct 2024

Full team

Lead product designer and app founder-developer.

First-time users had barriers to engagement

The user problems:

Faced blank screens upon first opening the app, causing confusion and a lack of direction. Without guidance or pre-filled content, users didn’t know how to start, leading to uncertainty about key features and missing out on the app’s value.

The business problems:

The absence of a streamlined onboarding flow with a pre-filled watchlist created a barrier to engagement, increasing churn. Ineffective onboarding prevented first-time users from experiencing the app’s full value, harming long-term retention and reducing ongoing engagement opportunities.

User insights revealed the power of a pre-filled start

I surveyed current Whatch app users to gather feedback from both new and longtime users, focusing on enhancing features, improving onboarding, and simplifying connections with friends and content discovery. The survey combined qualitative and open-ended questions to identify user pain points and expectations.

Positive comments:

Several users highlighted that building a watchlist early on is crucial for getting the most of your app experience.

Several users highlighted that building a watchlist early on is crucial for getting the most of your app experience.

Manual friend search and invites were preferred, with users easily connecting with friends via search or invitations.

Manual friend search and invites were preferred, with users easily connecting with friends via search or invitations.

Inviting friends was mentioned as an essential feature, with several users stating they started using the app after being invited by friends.

Inviting friends was mentioned as an essential feature, with several users stating they started using the app after being invited by friends.

Users suggested the idea of a tick list during onboarding to set expectations and guide them through the app.

Users suggested the idea of a tick list during onboarding to set expectations and guide them through the app.

Negative comments:

The app currently lacks filtering for TV shows and movies in search, making discovery less efficient.

The app currently lacks filtering for TV shows and movies in search, making discovery less efficient.

Users cannot change their username, resulting in some ending up with random names, which was a frustration.

Users cannot change their username, resulting in some ending up with random names, which was a frustration.

There is currently no way to import contacts, though several weren’t sure if they would use it if there was.

There is currently no way to import contacts, though several weren’t sure if they would use it if there was.

Using research to drive concept development

Through reviewing the app and user research, I identified the first-time user experience as a key challenge. After discussions with the app founder-developer, I explored diverse concepts informed by market research across industries. Starting with sketches and progressing to detailed wireframes, I balanced functionality and clarity while testing broad onboarding versus targeted pre-filled flows.

Concept 1

Traditional onboarding first, pre-fill second

Solution

Introduces users to the app’s core features, providing a foundational understanding of its purpose and value.

Introduces users to the app’s core features, providing a foundational understanding of its purpose and value.

Helps users pre-fill their watchlists, giving them content to engage with.

Helps users pre-fill their watchlists, giving them content to engage with.

Combining education with personalisation reduces cognitive load and positively frames the app’s value from the outset, making it easier for users to engage.

Combining education with personalisation reduces cognitive load and positively frames the app’s value from the outset, making it easier for users to engage.

Drawbacks

Beginning with non-interactive steps may lower engagement, as some users might skip directly to the pre-fill stage.

Beginning with non-interactive steps may lower engagement, as some users might skip directly to the pre-fill stage.

The similarity between onboarding and pre-fill screens could create confusion, with users potentially not recognising their distinct purposes.

The similarity between onboarding and pre-fill screens could create confusion, with users potentially not recognising their distinct purposes.

Concept 2

Quick setup first, onboarding later on

Solution

Starting with a pre-filled watchlist leverages status quo bias, encouraging users to continue by eliminating the blank screen and reducing friction at the start.

Starting with a pre-filled watchlist leverages status quo bias, encouraging users to continue by eliminating the blank screen and reducing friction at the start.

Eliminates uncertainty by allowing users to experience the app's primary value right away.

Eliminates uncertainty by allowing users to experience the app's primary value right away.

Moves onboarding into in-app interstitials, ensuring helpful information is accessible without overwhelming first-time users.

Moves onboarding into in-app interstitials, ensuring helpful information is accessible without overwhelming first-time users.

Drawbacks

Placing onboarding in in-app interstitials may lead to users skipping it entirely, missing valuable information about the apps features and functionality.

Placing onboarding in in-app interstitials may lead to users skipping it entirely, missing valuable information about the apps features and functionality.

Risks users not fully understanding the app’s benefits due to reduced exposure to onboarding guidance.

Risks users not fully understanding the app’s benefits due to reduced exposure to onboarding guidance.

Concept 3

Full pre-fill process with a social setup step

Solution

Integrates all onboarding and pre-fill steps into a single seamless process, immersing users in the app’s key features.

Integrates all onboarding and pre-fill steps into a single seamless process, immersing users in the app’s key features.

Combines watchlist-building with connecting with friends, reinforcing the app’s core value proposition of personalised discovery and community building.

Combines watchlist-building with connecting with friends, reinforcing the app’s core value proposition of personalised discovery and community building.

Reduces uncertainty for first-time users and encourages interaction with the app’s various features after.

Reduces uncertainty for first-time users and encourages interaction with the app’s various features after.

Drawbacks

The repetitive format of watchlist-building screens may cause user fatigue, making it harder to distinguish between different steps.

The repetitive format of watchlist-building screens may cause user fatigue, making it harder to distinguish between different steps.

The absence of a visible step indicator may cause users to lose track of their progress and skip steps.

The absence of a visible step indicator may cause users to lose track of their progress and skip steps.

Concept 4

Minimal setup with enhanced social step

Solution

Streamlines username selection and enhances the "find friends" step, reducing friction in the early stages and emphasising the app’s social value.

Streamlines username selection and enhances the "find friends" step, reducing friction in the early stages and emphasising the app’s social value.

A progress tracker leverages cognitive biases like the endowment effect and sunk cost fallacy, highlighting users' progress and time invested, encouraging continued engagement and reducing the likelihood of abandonment.

A progress tracker leverages cognitive biases like the endowment effect and sunk cost fallacy, highlighting users' progress and time invested, encouraging continued engagement and reducing the likelihood of abandonment.

Addresses retention challenges caused by users underutilising the social aspect, a key differentiator of the app, by encouraging social interaction early in the experience.

Addresses retention challenges caused by users underutilising the social aspect, a key differentiator of the app, by encouraging social interaction early in the experience.

Drawbacks

For returning users who already have a username, this setup may feel redundant.

For returning users who already have a username, this setup may feel redundant.

Requiring users to search for or invite friends could discourage those who don’t have friends on the app yet, potentially leading to early app abandonment if they’re not ready to invite others.

Requiring users to search for or invite friends could discourage those who don’t have friends on the app yet, potentially leading to early app abandonment if they’re not ready to invite others.

Combining concepts 3 and 4 to remove first-time user barriers

After evaluating all concepts with the app founder-developer, I selected a hybrid approach, integrating elements from Concepts 3 and 4. This solution addresses the core issues by providing first-time users with clear guidance and engaging content from the start, balancing usability, technical feasibility, and business goals.

Benefits

Integrates actionable steps with intuitive features like search and suggestions, reducing confusion and eliminating blank screens.

Integrates actionable steps with intuitive features like search and suggestions, reducing confusion and eliminating blank screens.

Offers a user-friendly experience that encourages engagement and smooth interaction from the start.

Offers a user-friendly experience that encourages engagement and smooth interaction from the start.

Balances user needs, technical constraints, and business objectives to deliver a solution that works across all areas.

Balances user needs, technical constraints, and business objectives to deliver a solution that works across all areas.

User testing findings

Clarify the introduction

Some users skipped parts of the introduction, causing confusion. Simplifying the text and clearly outlining the app’s main features will improve understanding.

Reduce ambiguity

Users were unsure if usernames were public or what could be used. Adding guidance and suggestions would help.

Reconsider rating step

The rating step disrupted the flow for some users. Moving it to the end with better context, or removing it altogether, would improve the experience.

Add a clear ending

Users weren’t clear when they had finished onboarding. Adding a clear endpoint, such as a success screen or “End” button, would resolve this.

Final designs

The final outcome of the project was a light and dark mode onboarding flow for first-time Whatch app users, that helped them pre-fill their app experience. It's used in both the iOS and Android versions of the app.

"Simple tap of the bookmark and it was in the watchlist. The functionality was clear and easy to understand."

Reflections

Insights can come from many groups

Talking to current users gave me a clearer understanding of how to improve the overall app experience, even though the onboarding flow is only for first-time users.

Prototype early in the process

Early prototypes and usability testing helped me catch and fix pain points before they made it to the full flow and became bigger challenges during development.

Collaboration sparks creativity

Working closely with a developer allowed for quick feedback on what was technically possible. This gave me the freedom to explore more creative solutions and push the design further.

Diverse design adds depth

Creating for both themes made me think about the user experience as a whole, ensuring the designs worked seamlessly no matter the mode.

Creating for both dark and light themes made me think about the user experience as a whole, ensuring the designs worked seamlessly no matter the mode.

Next case study

Optimising a high-traffic touchpoint

Whatch app • 2 weeks Nov 2024

Medium

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