suede-onboarding

---
name: suede-onboarding
description: Suede-affiliated onboarding and activation strategy for first-run sequencing, empty states, setup checklists, activation milestones, time to value, and retention-linked measurement. Use when users sign up but fail to reach first value or the product needs a new first-session flow. NOT FOR: registration optimization (use suede-signup), lifecycle email sequences (use suede-emails), or monetization prompts (use suede-paywalls).
license: MIT
---

# Suede Onboarding and Activation

Suede designs onboarding around verified first value and retention-linked activation, not decorative checklists or forced engagement. Define the activation evidence, remove unnecessary friction, sequence the first session, and instrument the path before claiming an "aha moment."

## Initial Assessment

**Check for product marketing context first:**
If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Before providing recommendations, understand:

1. **Product Context** - What type of product? B2B or B2C? Core value proposition?
2. **Activation Definition** - What's the "aha moment"? What action indicates a user "gets it"?
3. **Current State** - What happens after signup? Where do users drop off? What activation rate are you targeting, and is there cohort analysis separating retained from churned users?

---

## Core Principles

### 1. Time-to-Value Is Everything
Remove every step between signup and experiencing core value.

### 2. One Goal Per Session
Focus first session on one successful outcome. Save advanced features for later.

### 3. Do, Don't Show
Interactive > Tutorial. Doing the thing > Learning about the thing.

### 4. Progress Creates Motivation
Show advancement. Celebrate completions. Make the path visible.

### Defaults to Refuse
Named cliches this skill does not produce, however well they demo:
- The modal product tour that runs before the user has done anything in the product.
- The "Welcome! Let's get started" interstitial that sits between the user and the first action.
- The checklist item that is a settings toggle rather than a value action.

---

## Defining Activation

### Find Your Aha Moment

The action that correlates most strongly with retention:
- What do retained users do that churned users don't?
- What's the earliest indicator of future engagement?

**Examples by product type:**
- Project management: Create first project + add team member
- Analytics: Install tracking + see first report
- Design tool: Create first design + export/share
- Marketplace: Complete first transaction

### Activation Metrics
- % of signups who reach activation
- Time to activation
- Steps to activation
- Activation by cohort/source

---

## Onboarding Flow Design

### Immediate Post-Signup (First 30 Seconds)

| Approach | Best For | Risk |
|----------|----------|------|
| Product-first | Simple products, B2C, mobile | Blank slate overwhelm |
| Guided setup | Products needing personalization | Adds friction before value |
| Value-first | Products with demo data | May not feel "real" |

**Whatever you choose:**
- Clear single next action
- No dead ends
- Progress indication if multi-step

### Onboarding Checklist Pattern

**When to use:**
- Multiple setup steps required
- Product has several features to discover
- Self-serve B2B products

**Best practices:**
- 3-7 items (not overwhelming)
- Order by value (most impactful first)
- Start with quick wins
- Progress bar/completion % — only where the remaining steps are the activation path
- Celebration on completion — on the activation event, not on a two-step setup
- Dismiss option (don't trap users)

### Empty States

Empty states are onboarding opportunities, not dead ends.

**Good empty state:**
- Explains what this area is for
- Shows what it looks like with data
- Clear primary action to add first item
- Optional: Pre-populate with example data

### Tooltips and Guided Tours

**When to use:** Complex UI, features that aren't self-evident, power features users might miss

**Best practices:**
- Max 3-5 steps per tour
- Dismissable at any time
- Don't repeat for returning users

---

## Multi-Channel Onboarding

### Email + In-App Coordination

**Trigger-based emails:**
- Welcome email (immediate)
- Incomplete onboarding (24h, 72h)
- Activation achieved (celebration + next step)
- Feature discovery (days 3, 7, 14)

**Email should:**
- Reinforce in-app actions, not duplicate them
- Drive back to product with specific CTA
- Be personalized based on actions taken

---

## Handling Stalled Users

### Detection
Define "stalled" criteria (X days inactive, incomplete setup)

### Re-engagement Tactics

1. **Email sequence** - Reminder of value, address blockers, offer help
2. **In-app recovery** - Welcome back, pick up where left off
3. **Human touch** - For high-value accounts, personal outreach

---

## Measurement

### Key Metrics

| Metric | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| Activation rate | % reaching activation event |
| Time to activation | How long to first value |
| Onboarding completion | % completing setup |
| Day 1/7/30 retention | Return rate by timeframe |

### Funnel Analysis

Track drop-off at each step:
```
Signup → Step 1 → Step 2 → Activation → Retention
100%      80%       60%       40%         25%
```

Identify biggest drops and focus there.

---

## Output Format

### Onboarding Audit
For each issue: Finding → Impact → Recommendation → Priority

### Onboarding Flow Design
Emit these headings verbatim, in this order:

**Activation Goal** — the event, plus the retention evidence behind it or "unverified"
**Flow** — one entry per step, each carrying: trigger, user action, success signal, drop-off measurement
**Checklist Items** — 3-7 value actions (omit the heading if no checklist)
**Empty State Copy** — per surface
**Email Triggers** — event and delay for each
**Metrics Plan** — activation rate, time to activation, per-step drop-off

---

## Common Patterns by Product Type

| Product Type | Key Steps |
|--------------|-----------|
| B2B SaaS | Setup wizard → First value action → Team invite → Deep setup |
| Marketplace | Complete profile → Browse → First transaction → Repeat loop |
| Mobile App | Permissions → Quick win → Push setup → Habit loop |
| Content Platform | Follow/customize → Consume → Create → Engage |

---

## Experiment Ideas

When recommending experiments, consider tests for:
- Flow simplification (step count, ordering)
- Progress and motivation mechanics
- Personalization by role or goal
- Support and help availability

**For comprehensive experiment ideas**: See [references/experiments.md](references/experiments.md)

---

## Boundaries

- Do not invent an activation event, retention correlation, cohort result, or benchmark when product data is unavailable.
- Do not change product flows, permissions, notifications, experiments, or analytics without explicit authorization.
- Do not add friction, forced invitations, premature paywalls, or manipulative progress mechanics merely to improve a local metric.
- Do not decide sensitive-data collection, consent, accessibility, or product-risk policy for the user.

## Routing

- Use `suede-signup` for registration before first-run onboarding.
- Use `suede-emails` for onboarding email sequences and `suede-paywalls` for upgrade moments.
- Use `suede-ab-testing` to validate onboarding changes and `suede-analytics` to measure activation.