I get overwhelmed when there are too many options in front of me. It doesn’t matter if it’s an extra long menu at a restaurant or a long task list.

I have a mild panic and usually say “oh, I’ll deal with that later”.

This is exactly what we want to avoid when introducing a new product to users during onboarding.

If you are hitting new customers with 10 different setup options, 5 template options, and 20 new tasks to complete in a day, then it’s time to reconsider your approach to customer onboarding.

Let’s explore how to streamline your onboarding process to keep users moving forward and remove the danger of choice overload.

🧪 The Project: Simplify Your Customer Onboarding

Today's project focuses on streamlining your user onboarding process. The aim is to reduce cognitive load and improve successful onboarding completion rates by simplifying the choices presented to new users.

Step 1: Review your current choices

Review your current onboarding process and list out every decision point a new user encounters. This may seem like a daunting task but it’s worth the initial effort to fully understand the customer experience.

This includes everything from sign-up fields to feature options and customisation choices.

This audit provides a clear picture of where users might get bogged down in decisions. This allows you to target your simplification efforts effectively.

If you feel too close to the onboarding, why not ask a colleague from a different department to go through the process as a customer?

Step 2: Implement a rule of three

For each decision point in your onboarding process, try to reduce the number of options to three or fewer.

If more options are necessary, consider breaking the decision into multiple steps. This will limit options and reduce the effort for the customer at each step of the onboarding.

Step 3: Create a quick start path

Develop a simplified onboarding path that uses defaults to minimise required user decisions. You are the expert. You know the best flow and how to get to value the quickest. Be sure to guide customers in this direction.

Users can always customise more later, but this gets them to the core value of your product faster.

This allows users to bypass complex decisions initially. It gets them engaged with your product's core value proposition as quickly as possible.

Step 4: Be conscious of the reveal

Instead of presenting all options upfront, reveal additional choices only when they become relevant. This can be when milestones are reached or tasks have been completed.

This spreads decision-making over time. It prevents the initial overwhelm that can lead user interest to dwindle during onboarding.

Step 5: Assist the user

Make sure you assist the customer for necessary complex choices.

Not all customers are ready to implement new software. Some may need additional help to figure out what direction they need to go in for maximum impact.

Help manage complexity when multiple options are unavoidable. Guide users to appropriate choices without presenting every option at once.

If you have a particularly complex product, this is not a step to overlook.

🤓 Less Is More

The goal isn't to remove all choice or customisation. It's to streamline the initial experience to quickly demonstrate value, then gradually introduce more complex options as users become more familiar with your product.

You're not just simplifying your onboarding - you're creating a more engaging, less overwhelming, and ultimately more successful first experience for your users.

What to expect by implementing this project:

• Faster onboarding completion

• Reduced cognitive load & user fatigue

• Quicker time-to-value