Users abandon potentially valuable products simply because the learning curve seems too much.

It can be a critical problem for SaaS companies.

You may have experienced this overwhelm learning a new tool yourself.

But - there is a way to smooth out the process for optimal learning.

This week we're going to look at the idea of Chunking and a 5-step project to max out customer knowledge in a streamlined way.

Let’s take a look ↓

🧠 The Theory: Chunking

Chunking in psychology is a cognitive process. It’s where individual pieces of information are grouped into larger, more meaningful units.

This mental strategy enhances memory capacity, improves information processing, and reduces cognitive load.

Organising data into related "chunks" means the brain can handle complex information more efficiently.

It's fundamental to how we perceive patterns, remember sequences, and structure knowledge.

Psychologists have demonstrated that chunking can significantly increase the amount of information a person can recall.

This is what we need for customer onboarding!

👀 The Example: Headspace

Headspace is a popular meditation app. It organises content into clear categories like "Sleep" and "Stress & Anxiety".

I find meditation difficult to do well without a guide. I get easily distracted and then the overwhelm comes in. Before long, I’ve given up.

The techniques within each Headspace session are broken into simple steps. The progress is tracked in easy-to-understand chunks in the form of daily streaks. (We talked about the power of streaks here.)

They make meditation more accessible and less overwhelming for the user. It allows users to easily find relevant content, learn at their own pace, and maintain a consistent practice.

It truly enhances the app's user-friendliness and effectiveness in helping people (like me) incorporate meditation into their daily routines.

And… breathe in…

🧪 The Project: Onboarding Chunks

We can improve customer knowledge of your product and increase usage with this 5-step project.

Step 1: Confirm core features

Identify the core features of your SaaS product that must be utilised for the best user experience. Think about the user goals and outcomes. What will make this customer renew without question?

This will help you prioritise the information and features to be introduced during the onboarding process.

Step 2: Get chunking

Divide the onboarding process into manageable chunks or modules for these core features. Each chunk should focus on a specific feature or task. The order should follow a logical progression that aligns with how users typically interact with your product.

For example, the chunks could be:

Step 3: Make it interactive

Take each chunk that you have identified and look at how you can make it interactive. Your company may have tools that cater for this. Pendo for walkthroughs, Intercom for messaging etc.

If you don’t have these tools then there are ways you can create this experience manually.

You just need to have a way of tracking where your users are in their onboarding journey. You can set up emails triggered by actions that can guide them to the next chunk. You can also include links to a relevant knowledge base article or even send a quick Loom video.

To be effective, it needs to be concise, visually appealing, and include step-by-step instructions with visual aids.

Step 4: Gate the process

The idea here is that users don’t get ahead of themselves. They follow the optimal flow, based on your research.

Gating the process means you have some control over it. A user can still fly through the process but they must complete each section before getting onto the next.

How you implement this can depend on your product functionality but collaborate with the Product team to discuss how it could work. Try creating a braintrust between customer onboarding and product.

It could be as simple as waiting to turn on features inside a user account until certain milestones have been reached.

Step 5: Keep iterating

The product will evolve. Your customer demographic may shift. New use cases will appear. Be sure to regularly gather feedback from users about their onboarding experience and make adjustments.

Feedback. Review. Reset. Repeat.

🤓 The Analysis: Control the Flow

Chunking helps reduce cognitive load and improve knowledge retention. It can also increase the likelihood of successful product adoption and long-term engagement. It can be a powerful principle to use.

I didn’t know the Headspace app before signing up but I knew I had a problem with meditating. They used chunking to help me know where to start without feeling overwhelmed.

How will you replicate this for your users?

This is what to expect if you implement this project:

• Improved usage

• Improved user confidence

• Increased feature discovery

• Smoother onboarding experiences

P.S. Did you breathe out yet?