Use Case #20: Interactive Onboarding Design
Using Claude to design, build, and iterate on user onboarding flows based on real user behavior.
William Welsh
Author
Use Case #20: Interactive Onboarding Design
34% onboarding completion rate. Two-thirds of signups never got value from the product.
That's not a product problem. That's an onboarding problem.
The Analysis
I gave Claude access to our analytics. It found the patterns:
Drop-off Point 1 - Account creation. Too many fields. 23% abandoned here.
Drop-off Point 2 - First action. No clear next step. Users stared at empty dashboards.
Drop-off Point 3 - Configuration. Too many options at once. Paralysis.
The Redesign
Claude proposed changes:
Account Creation - Email only. Everything else can come later. Friction removed.
First Action - Immediate guided action. "Let's create your first project" appears 2 seconds after login. No empty state visible.
Configuration - Progressive disclosure. Start with 2 choices. Add complexity as users demonstrate competence.
The Implementation
Claude built the new flow: streamlined signup form, animated welcome sequence, step-by-step first project wizard, contextual help that appears when users hesitate.
The Result
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Completion rate | 34% | 78% |
| Time to first value | 8 minutes | 2 minutes |
| Support tickets (first day) | 12/day | 3/day |
The Insight
Users don't want configuration. They want to do the thing they signed up to do. Every option you show is cognitive load. Every field is friction.
Claude understood this and designed for it.
Onboarding redesign for ContentEngine, December 2025.
William Welsh
Building AI-powered systems and sharing what I learn along the way. Founder at Tech Integration Labs.
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