Do you feel frustrated when you battle with low user adoption despite having an incredible SaaS product and solid processes?

You’ve tried it all and sometimes, you’re left scratching your head.

It’s possible that the way you present your onboarding process could be costing you valuable customers and revenue.

This week we're going to look at the idea of the Framing Effect and a 5-step project to ramp up time-to-value (TTV).

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🧠 The Theory: Framing Effect

The Framing Effect is a cognitive bias that influences our decisions based on how information is presented or 'framed'.

It suggests that people tend to make different choices depending on whether options are framed in terms of potential gains (positive framing) or potential losses (negative framing).

This effect demonstrates that the way a question or situation is worded can significantly impact the outcome. Even if the underlying facts remain the same.

Marketers, politicians, and leaders often use the Framing Effect to steer people towards a particular decision or viewpoint by carefully crafting their messaging.

We can use it in customer onboarding too.

More on that after this example.

👀 The Example: Halo Top

Halo Top, the low-calorie, high-protein ice cream brand had a very successful rebrand in 2015.

They didn’t focus on the idea of "diet" or "low-calorie" ice cream.

Instead, Halo Top framed its product as a guilt-free indulgence.

They prominently display the calorie count on the front of each pint. They also use messaging like "Save the bowl, you're going to want the whole pint."

Halo Top makes their product more appealing to health-conscious consumers by shifting the focus from restriction to permissible indulgence.

This smart move made them the top selling pint in the U.S in 2017.

🧪 The Project: Ramp up TTV

Let’s reframe onboarding to accelerate the time-to-value for your customer.

Step 1: Map the user journey

This is a favourite starting point of mine. If you have this already, skip to step 2. If not, here are some tips to understand the user journey:

• Identify the key steps a new user must take to reach their first moment of value or "aha" moment.

• Remember that value doesn’t mean solving their problem entirely. It means giving them a moment of ease. When they can see it’s making their job easier. These “moments of ease” build up to the overall value.

• Determine the average TTV for your product and set a goal to reduce it.

Step 2: Reframe your onboarding copy

Audit your current onboarding copy and identify opportunities to reframe the messaging. Emphasise the benefits of completing each onboarding step. Focus on how it brings users closer to their goals.

Examples:

Step 3: Use progress framing

Implement a progress bar or checklist that visually demonstrates the user's advancement through the onboarding process.

Frame each completed step as a milestone. Celebrate the user's progress and momentum.

If you need more inspiration to maximise demonstrating the user progress, check out my article on how to gamify your customer onboarding like duolingo.

Step 4: Highlight the cost of delay

Remind users of the potential benefits they're missing out on by not completing the onboarding process. Frame the completion of onboarding as the key to unlocking the full value of the product.

Example:

Step 5: Provide social proof

Share success stories or testimonials from users who quickly achieved value with your product. If it can come straight from successful customers then it’s even more reassuring.

Frame these examples as evidence that rapid time-to-value is achievable and desirable.

Examples:

It sends a powerful message when customers are willing to provide testimonials about the onboarding period. It elevates the function and reinforces the onboarding cost.

This framing motivates new users to get the same results.

🤓 The Analysis: Reframe to Retain

If you apply the Framing Effect to your onboarding journey, you will improve your time-to-value metric.

It will help new users experience the benefits of your product much more quickly. It also motivates the user to uncover more functionality.

Halo Top skyrocketed by reframing their messaging. What if the slight change of reframing your messaging in onboarding makes your company skyrocket?

What to expect with this project…

• Increased social proof

• Improved user feedback

• Accelerated time-to-value

• Increased long term product adoption