Picture this, a highly anticipated application is due to be launched. A set of users call the concept a revolution and market-disrupting idea. But on release day, many people need help understanding how to use the application, eventually losing interest. Problem? An ineffective or lack of user onboarding methods to simplify the application usage for new users.

If you are an aspiring UI UX designer, the customer onboarding process is one aspect you must always pay attention to. And the best way to do it is to understand the best user onboarding experience and how to achieve it. Read on to unfurl what is user onboarding and how you can excel at it to become a professional UI UX designer.

What is Customer Onboarding or User Onboarding?

User onboarding, in simplest terms, is introducing new users to new applications. For instance, say you are downloading a cab aggregator application on your smartphone. On launching the application, you often find a small tutorial or carousel that helps you understand the application features. From signing up to ordering a cab, it enables you to understand the user flow in a simplified manner.

That said, if the onboarding process wasn’t smooth enough, you would never use the application again. And rightly so! Everybody hates struggling through complex interfaces. Consequently, UI UX designers spend considerable time preparing an optimised user onboarding checklist and further running trials on them.

So the inevitable question is, what are the principles for creating an effective user onboarding process? Let’s dive right into a few of them.

User Onboarding Principles

Once a potential user is convinced to try your application, the onboarding experience created by you is the next significant step. This can be a deciding factor between a user coming back to your app or uninstalling it. So principles you must keep in mind while designing the user onboarding process are:

• Understand the user: Before the design process, try understanding your potential users and customising your onboarding process in a way they can understand.
• User needs must be highlighted: Let your users understand how using the application can benefit them and why they must sign up.
• Make it simple and quick: No one likes going through long tutorials. So ensure your onboarding process is engaging and simple.
• Help them understand how to improve their performance: Provide pointers and quick tips to help users understand how to maximise benefits.
• Display the features they are yet to use: Every time users open the app, ensure they are encouraged not to miss out on the additional features.
• Repeated access: Ensure your users are shown how to access the walkthrough or guides if they ever want to.

Implementing these principles will help you design the perfect user onboarding experience as a UI UX designer. So the question now is, what are some excellent onboarding process examples? Are there any types of onboarding patterns that one can use?

UI/UX Patterns for Creating the Perfect Onboarding Experience

As a UI UX designer, there are several methods you can use to create the ideal onboarding experience for users. Some of these are:

• Product Tours: As the name suggests, provide a skippable video or image tour to help users understand the features.
• Walkthrough: An interactive walkthrough can be a much-required respite for new users. Help them navigate through basic features to advanced ones.
• Checklist: This is to inform users and help them determine if they have taken the necessary steps.
• In-application guidance: These can be knowledge boxes that pop up whenever a user hovers over a new feature.

As a UX designer, these patterns and the previously discussed principles can help you create what would be called the perfect user onboarding workflow. Some user onboarding softwares  that made an enjoyable onboarding experience for its users using these patterns are DropBox, Grammarly, Canva and Uber.

If the concept of the onboarding experience has already ignited the creator in you, read on to find out how to make a career as a UX designer.

A Guide to Starting a Career in UI/UX Design

With firms in every industry competing to reach maximum users through its application, the demand for UX designers is only set to grow. So aspiring UI UX designers will find assignments in industries like Finance, Healthcare, Cosmetics, Travel, E-commerce, etc.

That said, enroling in the right course at a specialised training institute that helps you create the perfect UX designs is necessary. This can be possible only when the curriculum provides theoretical as well as practical training combined with industry exposure. With the proper training, you can create designs and get featured on the best user onboarding examples.

And on graduating, you can go on to earn anywhere between INR 3 LPA to 13 LPA (as per AmbitionBox).

Final Thoughts

A career in UI UX is an exciting option for those who want to blend creativity with technology. And just like a user onboarding experience can decide between a good and bad application, similarly, the institution you enrol in can significantly impact your training. This is why JD School of Design, a leading institution, offers a BVA/B.Des in Graphic Design to help kickstart an illustrious career.

The course’s curriculum encourages students to think critically and creatively, pushing them to develop fresh ideas. Subsequently, this ensures students are receptive to new trends and motivated to go beyond traditional practices.

So if you enjoy fusing technology and art, go ahead and enrol yourself to kickstart your career!