Two-thirds of new installs never finished onboarding. The client suspected length — eleven screens is a lot — but the research told a different story, and it changed everything about the redesign.
The blocker was fear, not length
In eight usability sessions, users stalled at the same moment: the identity document step. Not because it was hard, but because nobody explained why a budgeting app needed a passport. Once we added a one-line reason and a “do this later” option, that screen stopped bleeding users.
Progressive disclosure beats a shorter form
We cut onboarding to four screens by deferring everything deferrable — verification, categories, notifications. Users reached value in under a minute, and most completed the deferred steps later, voluntarily, inside a calmer context.
The lesson I keep relearning: ask for information at the moment its purpose is obvious, and never before.
Measure the feeling, not just the funnel
Completion rates climbed, support tickets halved — but the quote I treasure is from a tester: “it felt like it trusted me.” Interfaces that extend trust get it back, with interest.
Sixty days, one researcher’s notebook, twelve testers and a prototype that changed weekly. The full case study is in my portfolio — this is the short version with the scar tissue left in.
