conversion-flow-cro

---
name: "conversion-flow-cro"
description: "Audit and optimize any multi-step conversion flow — signup, onboarding, trial-to-paid, checkout, upgrade. Map every step, find where people drop off, and fix each screen with specific copy and UX changes."
license: "MIT"
---

# Conversion Flow CRO

## Purpose

Audit and optimize any multi-step conversion flow — signup, onboarding, trial-to-paid, checkout, upgrade. Map every step, find where people drop off, and fix each screen with specific copy and UX changes.

## Reads

- `brand/audience.md` — Personas, pain points, motivation levels at each stage
- `brand/positioning.md` — Value props for reinforcement copy at each step
- `brand/voice-profile.md` — Brand voice for all copy suggestions

## Brand Integration

- **audience.md** — Persona determines friction tolerance. A developer persona accepts more setup steps; a non-technical buyer needs fewer. Pain points inform which value reminders to show at each step.
- **positioning.md** — Value proposition reinforcement copy at each step should echo the positioning angle. If the brand positions on "saves time," every motivation booster references time savings.
- **voice-profile.md** — All redesigned copy (headlines, CTAs, supporting text) must match brand voice. A casual brand writes "Almost there!" while a professional brand writes "One final step."

## Workflow

### Step 1: Map the Current Flow

Get the flow information. Try these in order:
1. **User provides screenshots or screen recordings** — Best source, map directly
2. **Read the codebase** — If accessible, find route files, page components, and form definitions
3. **User walks through the flow verbally** — Accept but flag that recommendations will be more accurate with actual screens
4. **Use browser tool on live URL** — Walk through the flow step by step

If the flow is partially provided (only some screens), audit what's available and note which steps need investigation.

Document every screen/step in the flow:

```
Flow: [Signup / Onboarding / Upgrade / Checkout]

Step 1: [Page/Screen name]
- URL/Route: [path]
- Fields/Actions: [what user must do]
- Copy: [headline, body, CTA]
- Friction points: [identified issues]

Step 2: [Next screen]
...

Total steps: [N]
Total required fields: [N]
Total decisions: [N]
Estimated completion time: [X minutes]
```

### Step 2: Identify Drop-Off Points

For each step, assess drop-off risk:

| Risk Factor | Score 1-5 | Notes |
|------------|-----------|-------|
| Too many fields | | More than 3 per step = high risk |
| Unclear value | | User doesn't know why this step matters |
| Unexpected ask | | Requesting info that feels premature |
| No progress signal | | User doesn't know how far along they are |
| Decision fatigue | | Too many choices without guidance |
| Trust gap | | Asking for sensitive info without context |
| Technical friction | | Slow load, validation errors, mobile issues |

### Step 3: Apply Friction Reduction

For each step, apply these principles:

#### Progressive Disclosure
- Ask for minimum info at each step
- Defer optional fields to later (post-signup settings)
- Start with the easiest, most natural question
- Example: Email only -> Name -> Company -> Role (not all at once)

#### Single-Field Starts
- First interaction should be ONE field or ONE click
- "Enter your email to get started" > 5-field signup form
- Google/GitHub OAuth as primary option, email form as secondary

#### Smart Defaults
- Pre-select the most common option
- Use detection (timezone, language, company size from email domain)
- Show recommended plan with visual emphasis

#### Motivation Maintenance
- Show progress (Step 2 of 4)
- Remind of value at each step ("You're 1 step away from [outcome]")
- Use micro-commitments (each step delivers a small win)
- Show social proof inline ("12,000 teams completed this step today")

#### Social Proof Injection Points
- Before payment: "Join [X] companies already using [Product]"
- During onboarding: "[Role] at [Company] set this up in 3 minutes"
- At upgrade prompt: "[X]% of free users upgrade within [Y] days"

#### Urgency Without Sleaze
- Real deadlines: "Trial ends in 7 days" (if true)
- Opportunity cost: "Teams using [feature] save [X] hours/week"
- Progress anchoring: "You've already set up [X] — unlock [Y] to get full value"
- Never: fake countdown timers, "only 2 left", manufactured scarcity

### Step 4: Redesign Each Step

For every step in the flow, output:

```markdown
### Step [N]: [Name]

**Current State:**
- Headline: "[current]"
- Fields: [list]
- CTA: "[current]"
- Issues: [specific problems]

**Redesigned:**
- Headline: "[new — ties to value]"
- Fields: [reduced/reordered list]
- CTA: "[new — action + outcome]"
- Supporting copy: "[anxiety reducer or motivation booster]"
- Social proof: "[inline proof element]"

**Changes Made:**
1. [Specific change + reasoning]
2. [Specific change + reasoning]

**Expected Impact:** [Drop-off reduction estimate]
```

### Step 5: A/B Test Suggestions

For each high-impact change, define a test:

```markdown
## A/B Test: [Test Name]

**Hypothesis:** Changing [element] from [A] to [B] will increase [metric] by [X]% because [reasoning].

**Control:** [Current version]
**Variant:** [New version]
**Primary metric:** [Conversion rate at this step]
**Secondary metric:** [Overall flow completion rate]
**Sample size needed:** [Estimate based on current traffic]
**Duration:** [Minimum 2 weeks or X conversions]
```

## Flow-Specific Patterns

### Signup Flow
- Goal: Minimize time-to-value
- Ideal: 1-2 steps max before product access
- Pattern: Email -> Magic link -> Product (skip password creation)
- Anti-pattern: Email -> Password -> Verify email -> Profile -> Team -> Product

### Onboarding Flow
- Goal: Reach "aha moment" fast
- Ideal: 3-5 steps, each delivering visible value
- Pattern: Welcome -> Import data OR use template -> See first result -> Invite team
- Anti-pattern: Long feature tour -> Settings configuration -> Empty state

### Trial-to-Paid Flow
- Goal: Demonstrate value before asking for money
- Ideal: Usage triggers upgrade prompt, not calendar
- Pattern: Hit feature limit -> See what you'd unlock -> One-click upgrade
- Anti-pattern: Day 13 email -> Pricing page -> Checkout -> Success

### Checkout Flow
- Goal: Reduce payment anxiety
- Ideal: 1-2 steps with full transparency
- Pattern: Plan summary -> Payment (with guarantees visible) -> Confirmation
- Anti-pattern: Plan -> Billing info -> Review -> Confirm -> Upsell -> Success

## Worked Example

**Before:** 8-step signup requiring name, email, password, company, role, team size, use case, phone
**After:** 3-step progressive flow:
1. Email only → instant access to limited features
2. After first value moment → ask name + role (contextualized: 'Help us personalize your experience')
3. After 3 sessions → ask company + team size (gated behind upgrade)

**Expected impact:** 40-60% improvement in signup completion rate. Progressive disclosure works because each ask feels justified by the value already delivered.

## Copy Templates Per Step

### First Touch (Signup)
- "Get started free — no credit card required"
- "Create your [product] in 60 seconds"
- "Join [X] [role]s already using [Product]"

### Mid-Flow (Onboarding Step)
- "Nice — you're [X]% set up"
- "Most [role]s complete this in under 2 minutes"
- "This step unlocks [specific feature/outcome]"

### Commitment Point (Payment/Upgrade)
- "You've already [achievement] — unlock [next level]"
- "Plans start at $[X]/mo. Cancel anytime."
- "[X]-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked."

### Completion
- "You're all set. Here's what to do first:"
- "[Product] is ready. Your first [outcome] is [X] away."

See `references/flow-benchmarks.md` for completion rate benchmarks by flow type, step-by-step drop-off patterns, mobile-specific data, and A/B test priorities. Use these to ground recommendations in real numbers.

## Output

Each flow audit produces:
- Visual flow map (current state with step count, fields, decisions)
- Drop-off risk assessment per step
- Redesigned copy and UX for each step
- Prioritized A/B test suggestions
- Before/after comparison of total flow friction score
- Implementation checklist ordered by impact

## Anti-Patterns

- Don't remove security steps (2FA, email verification) — flag them as necessary friction and suggest making them smoother, not removing them
- Don't skip legally required fields (KYC, age verification, GDPR consent) — these stay; optimize their placement and copy instead
- Don't simplify past compliance requirements — if a step exists for legal reasons, note it and move on
- Don't suggest removing steps without understanding the business logic behind them — ask first
- Don't use fake urgency (countdown timers, "only 2 left") — the "Urgency Without Sleaze" principles apply
- Don't optimize for signup completion at the expense of user quality — vanity signups that never activate are worse than fewer, engaged signups

## Edge Cases

- **Partial flow information:** Audit available steps, clearly flag gaps, and ask the user for the missing screens before finalizing recommendations.
- **Mobile vs. desktop divergence:** If the flow differs by platform, audit both. Mobile-specific issues: tap targets, keyboard types for input fields, thumb-zone CTA placement.
- **Legally required steps:** Mark as "required — optimize, don't remove." Focus copy and UX improvements within the constraint.
- **Enterprise/B2B flows:** Longer flows are acceptable when the buyer expects a consultative process. Don't force a consumer-style 2-step signup on an enterprise product.

## Quality Checks

- [ ] Total steps reduced or justified
- [ ] Every field has a clear reason to exist at that step
- [ ] Progress indicator present throughout
- [ ] Value reminder at each step
- [ ] Social proof placed at high-anxiety moments
- [ ] CTA copy is action + outcome, not generic
- [ ] Mobile experience considered for every step
- [ ] Error states are helpful, not punishing
- [ ] Security and compliance steps preserved (not removed)
- [ ] Copy rewrites match brand voice (if voice-profile.md exists)