Reducing friction in profile setup. Consolidated fragmented profile tasks into a guided wizard that increased completion from 35% to 68% while reducing time-to-activation by 42%.
Making profile setup a clear, guided activation milestone
Profile tasks were scattered across the product. Users didn't know what was required, saw no progress, and dropped off after completing minimum setup. Profile completion hovered at ~35%.
Consolidate profile tasks into one guided flow. Reduce friction, show clear progress, and encourage early completion of high-impact fields like pricing, images, and integrations.
Built a stepper-based onboarding widget that consolidated all profile information into one cohesive, linear flow with embedded guidance at every step.
Worked closely with a PM and two engineers to design the end-to-end onboarding experience. Responsibilities included defining the stepper flow, crafting guidance content, designing form interactions, and conducting user testing to validate assumptions around cognitive load and task prioritization.
High cognitive load, unclear priority, no progress visibility
Profile setup was the job, but it didn't feel like one job—it felt like many unrelated tasks scattered across navigation. Users faced three core problems:
Building clarity through consolidation and progress
Brought all profile tasks—photo, description, pricing, integrations, images, features—into one stepper flow instead of forcing users to hunt through navigation.
Made progress visible with a stepper. Users could see how far they'd come, what remained, and feel momentum building toward completion.
Each step included clear explanations of why information mattered, examples, constraints, and validation. This increased completion of rich content by 50%+.
Users could exit at any point and resume later without losing progress. This 20% increase in first-week returns proved flexibility was crucial.
From setup to completion
User lands on the setup page and sees a clear stepper showing all required steps and estimated completion time. Progress is immediately visible.
Each step has clear instructions, helpful examples, and validation. The design reduces hesitation by explaining why each field matters.
Users can save and exit at any point. Progress is preserved, and they can see remaining steps when they return. No pressure to complete in one session.
Upon completion, a celebration screen confirms the profile is ready. Users see the impact of their work and get clear next steps.
Transforming profile setup into a clear activation milestone
Up from 35% baseline
Days to activation cut in half
More pricing, images, integrations
Profile completion nearly doubled within 90 days of launch
High-impact fields (pricing, images, integrations) increased 50-60%
Support and CSM teams reported 30% fewer onboarding-related escalations
Shifted profile setup from a fragmented chore into a clear activation milestone
What this project taught me about onboarding design
The best solution wasn't adding more features—it was organizing what already existed. Systems thinking around navigation and information architecture can be more impactful than UI polish.
Making progress visible through a stepper significantly improved completion. Users were more motivated when they could see how far they'd come and what remained.
Allowing users to pause and resume without penalty increased overall completion by 20%. Not everyone finishes onboarding in one session, and that's okay.
Clear explanations embedded in each step reduced hesitation. Users appreciated understanding why information was needed, not just that it was required.
Step-level drop-off data, completion rates, and field quality metrics informed every decision. Data-driven design validated assumptions with user behavior.
One well-designed experience removed the need for manual CSM intervention. This created scale and freed teams to focus on higher-value customer interactions.