This is better with your work email
If you sign up to Granola using a Gmail account, they’ll contextualise that it’s better with a work email address, and prompt you to swap.
Design Examples
Onboarding Examples: Real App Sign-Up Flows
See how apps like Granola, Hinge and Wispr Flow handle sign-up and onboarding, with examples of reactive prompts, commitment pledges and tailored product demos.
Real world examples:
Updated: 26/10/2026, view all 1,503 examples
Examples on Built for Mars include
Ahead's drawn pledge builds self-commitment
Wispr Flow demos the use case users pick
Atoms delays sign-up to cut sunk costs
A literal signature to commit
When signing up to Ahead, you're asked to interact with a signature box to make a commitment to yourself, to use the app regularly.
Dynamic onboarding benefits
During onboarding, Wispr Flow asks you what you’re going to use it for, and then demonstrates the app in action in the exact context you specified.
Tinder for books
Blinkist’s onboarding has a Tinder-like swipe experience to refine and populate your initial library.
Showcasing the uses
To showcase all the apps you can use Wispr Flow in, their onboarding includes app icons you can cycle through and click on to test out.
Reducing sign-up friction
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FAQs
How do you get users to sign up with a work email instead of a personal one?
A single upfront request is easy to ignore, so a second ask that reacts to the user's choice tends to land better. For example, Granola detects a Gmail sign-up, explains that meetings won't appear and that collaboration suffers, then offers 'Sign up with work email' with 'Continue anyway' as a fallback.
Does a commitment step in onboarding need to do anything functional?
No. The value comes from the act of committing, which creates Cognitive Dissonance if the user later lapses (i.e., 'I'm not someone who breaks promises'). As an example, Ahead's signature box accepts any squiggle, as it only exists to make the pledge feel real.
Should users be able to try an app before creating an account?
Removing the account wall reduces loss aversion, because trying the product costs almost nothing. This is what Atoms does, offering 'Create first habit' alongside 'Continue with an account' so people can start building a habit immediately.
How can onboarding questions make an app feel personal from the first session?
The answers need to visibly shape what comes next, rather than disappearing into a database. For instance, Blinkist uses swipeable book cards, then confirms the liked titles were saved to 'My Library', so the app isn't empty on first use.
How do you show users all the places they can use a product during onboarding?
Letting people try each use case in context makes it more memorable than a list of features. For example, Wispr Flow lets users tap app icons like Notes to test dictation there, with a floating checklist and a picture-in-picture video tutorial guiding the first attempt.
How do you keep users motivated through a long profile setup?
Visual progress that reveals something new at each stage gives people a reason to keep going. As an example, Hinge shows a character that evolves from a pair of eyes into a full monster as the profile fills up, then bounces off screen to find matches.
Is it worth adding context before asking for personal information at sign-up?
Explaining why information is needed doubles as a sales pitch before any data is requested. For instance, Balance Health offers an optional message from its founder, a GP and menopause specialist, on the welcome screen, while 'Sign up' and 'Log in' stay visible.