During the design and development process, we tend to get attached to the product. Often the team responsible for the product wants to highlight all of the features, showing everything they had done. Moreover, while designing we get accustomed to the product and we don’t experience the cognitive load as much as a person going through it for the first time. Throughout the time we learn how to navigate the design, often developing our own patterns or habits which might not be intuitive for the user. However, it’s important to remember that the client is going to see your product for the first time. Everything is new. Gradually let them explore the interface, so they won’t feel overwhelmed with the amount of information they have to remember. Starting from the big picture, which are the core functionalities and ending on the micro interactions. In our short-term memory, we can only store some information. If there is too much information the user won’t bother to remember it. The moment, when the users start to feel confused they will ask themselves a question if it’s worth spending their time. Especially, when they haven’t yet found the value in the product. The next step for your potential customers will be looking at the competitor’s product and then it’s the end of the game.

Furthermore, the product you have created might seem too complicated, complex and hard to grasp if you present everything at once. Chunk up the content and provide it within a right context. I don’t want to learn about the advanced features when I’m setting up my account and vice versa. Also, don’t go another way by explaining the obvious. You want to make the user onboarding simple but don’t make it overly simple. Leave the user’s memory for something important and worth to remember.

Onboarding isn’t about teaching your user every feature right away. Instead, focus on creating small wins that will demonstrate the promise of further gains. Anything that slows down the users will postpone the moment when they see the clear value of the product. Removing the friction can mean condensing the forms, not asking for credit card or sign-up upfront, and creating the sign-up clear path that the user can follow.