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Sometimes the best onboarding, is no onboarding
“Show, don’t tell” often beats education
Data can’t always tell you when onboarding is wrong
Sometimes, the best onboarding is no onboarding.
Simple products get bogged down with unnecessary explanations.
When actually, the experience of just using it contextualises everything else. You can skip the theory, and put it in the user’s hands.
A great example of this are supermarket “scan and shop” apps. They’re incredibly simple: you use the camera on your phone to scan a barcode.
And yet, many over-complicate it.
By looking at three British supermarkets, I can show you what I mean.

A behind the scenes look at how I redesigned the Built for Mars sign-up flow, and iterated from early feedback.
The two "obvious" fixes that did nothing
Why you shouldn't always force an input
Why limiting the user's choices can be beneficial
Hinge built its reputation on a single promise: it's the dating app that wants you to leave. This is a breakdown of how the interface is actually engineered to make sure you don't.
How dating apps keep you engaged (not romantically)
The design equivalent of clickbait headlines
How Hinge leverages social scarcity
The challenge for a navigation app isn't to efficiently show you the best route, it's to make you believe that you've found the best route.
How strategy influences design
Waze is cornered, and slowly shrinking
What Apple's strategy appears to be

From rat mazes to coffee apps: why the motivation to reach a reward increases the closer your users get to their goal.
How to use the Goal Gradient Effect
Spinning the flywheel of purchases
Why your rules need to be clear

An analysis of Monzo’s 1p challenge, focusing on the middle slump, where progress slows and motivation quietly fades.
Delight can replace progress, but only temporarily
"The middle" is the real retention problem
Motivation needs contextualised reference points

Personalised user experiences are everywhere. The problem is that most of the time it doesn't work. This is how Nike nail it, with a few simple tricks.
Why saying "Good Afternoon..." is usually a waste of time
The common mistake with recommended content
How Nike uses showmanship to create personalised experiences
Sometimes the best onboarding, is no onboarding
“Show, don’t tell” often beats education
Data can’t always tell you when onboarding is wrong
Sometimes, the best onboarding is no onboarding.
Simple products get bogged down with unnecessary explanations.
When actually, the experience of just using it contextualises everything else. You can skip the theory, and put it in the user’s hands.
A great example of this are supermarket “scan and shop” apps. They’re incredibly simple: you use the camera on your phone to scan a barcode.
And yet, many over-complicate it.
By looking at three British supermarkets, I can show you what I mean.

A behind the scenes look at how I redesigned the Built for Mars sign-up flow, and iterated from early feedback.
The two "obvious" fixes that did nothing
Why you shouldn't always force an input
Why limiting the user's choices can be beneficial
Hinge built its reputation on a single promise: it's the dating app that wants you to leave. This is a breakdown of how the interface is actually engineered to make sure you don't.
How dating apps keep you engaged (not romantically)
The design equivalent of clickbait headlines
How Hinge leverages social scarcity
The challenge for a navigation app isn't to efficiently show you the best route, it's to make you believe that you've found the best route.
How strategy influences design
Waze is cornered, and slowly shrinking
What Apple's strategy appears to be

From rat mazes to coffee apps: why the motivation to reach a reward increases the closer your users get to their goal.
How to use the Goal Gradient Effect
Spinning the flywheel of purchases
Why your rules need to be clear

An analysis of Monzo’s 1p challenge, focusing on the middle slump, where progress slows and motivation quietly fades.
Delight can replace progress, but only temporarily
"The middle" is the real retention problem
Motivation needs contextualised reference points

Personalised user experiences are everywhere. The problem is that most of the time it doesn't work. This is how Nike nail it, with a few simple tricks.
Why saying "Good Afternoon..." is usually a waste of time
The common mistake with recommended content
How Nike uses showmanship to create personalised experiences