Your interest in the sponsors & partners below helps keep this newsletter free for you.

In partnership with beehiiv

I use beehiiv for this newsletter and I love how easy it is to use. Are you thinking of starting a newsletter? Use my specific partner link below to receive a 30-day trial + 20% OFF for 3 months when you choose to upgrade to a paid plan.

Only 1 stamp to go!

I play this game with my local coffee shop. I buy 10 drinks and get one for free. Somehow, I seem to go more often when I know I’m nearing that 10th stamp.

Then the game begins all over again.

Only this time, my friendly barista starts my new card off with 2 stamps and a smile.

“I won’t set foot in any other coffee shop ever again”, I declare.

Not only did they use Delight Theory (I covered that a few weeks ago, see below) but they also made use of the Goal Gradient Effect.

🔗 How to Delight Your Customers During Onboarding

You’ve read the intro, so go and grab your coffee. 4 sections to go. ↓

🧠 The Theory: Goal Gradient Effect

This theory suggests that people tend to increase their effort as they get closer to a goal.

It explains why we're more likely to complete a task when we're almost done rather than starting from a blank page. I start my newsletters with a template for this very reason.

It’s why I sped up for a “sprint” finish when I saw the end of my 10k run back in June.

It’s also probably why we all spend too much in coffee shops.

It translates well to SaaS and customer onboarding. It provides a basis for a memorable experience with a company that ultimately leads to valuable advocacy later in the lifecycle.

That’s two sections down, 3 left.

👀 The Example: LinkedIn Profiles

LinkedIn prompts us to complete our profiles to reach an “All-star” level status. They want us to utilise all features. They want complete profiles to ensure great user experiences across the platform.

The steps are clearly outlined for each level. The user knows what to complete and is motivated to build their profile.

This bar tracked my progress and subtly prompted me to complete the steps. I think LinkedIn could do more with this tool and give me a checklist for creating “All-star” posts. 😅

Are you a LinkedIn All-star?

Nearly there, just 2 more sections.

🧪 The Project: Onboarding Head Start

Let's apply the Goal Gradient Effect to give your customers a head start and a sense of motivation in the onboarding process.

If you don’t have the ability to create in app checklists then try to implement the steps manually. You can validate effectiveness and progress into more technical solutions as you scale.

Step 1: Create a progress checklist

Design a visible onboarding checklist with key steps to complete.

If you’re doing this in app, then make sure it's prominently displayed on the user's dashboard when they first log in.

If you’re doing it manually, design it in a deck or PDF to run through on a kick off call with the customer. You can always iterate on this as you progress.

Step 2: Auto-complete steps

Automatically complete some steps from the checklist for the customer prior to them getting access. These can be simple actions to give the customer a sense of achievement and motivation. Starting from 0% or a blank page can be daunting when learning new software.

Examples:

Step 3: Highlight the head start

Remember the effect of the barista starting off my new loyalty card with 2 stamps? Replicate this and highlight auto-completed tasks. Draw attention to the checklist when the user logs in.

Example:

Think about setting up an email campaign along these lines. Sometimes, we have to work hard at the beginning of onboarding to motivate new users to log into the product. Don’t skip this step if that is a common challenge for your product.

Step 4: Offer a quick win

Make the first item the customer must action themselves an extremely easy task. This could be something like "Add your profile photo" or "Set your time zone". They’ll see their progress after they complete the quick win. This will help to motivate them to finish the rest.

The key is to move them towards the finish line for the initial set up. Get them familiar with the platform and comfortable utilising simple features.

Challenge the users to complete these tasks ahead of any in depth training that may need to happen.

Thanks for reading! You made it to the last section.

🤓 The Analysis: Stamp of Approval

This project leverages the Goal Gradient Effect right from the start. The idea is to make users feel like they're already on their way to success with your product.

If you design the first steps in a way that gives the customer a head start, then you tap into their natural tendency to increase effort as they approach a goal.

Here's what you can expect with this project:

• Increased motivation

• Faster time-to-value

• Improved first impressions

P.S. Sorry, no coffee awaits you. But I do have some things brewing. Stay tuned.