Reduce Effort. Re-Start and Repeat.

User frustration is a big cause of onboarding dropout!

When online, the level of a user’s frustration plays a large role in their decision to either adopt or forget a product, service, or brand. We have all been there, whether we’re browsing a “plain text” government portal, losing an IRS simulation when the internet connection drops, wondering if that T&C written in small light grey letters will help when returning a broken smartwatch, or reaching the last onboarding step and being asked for credit card information although the trial version is free. So nothing is new here!

However, scenarios such as these are becoming less and less common. User experience and its wide set of techniques are applied almost everywhere! Startups are using some of these strategies to disrupt services and business models. “Grow-ups” have already caught on as a trend, some of them with less success than others, yes, but they all seem to understand the need to have full- time UX designers on their teams. Companies that are born to solve customer needs or unsolved problems have and continue to push innovation across all industries. Old-time carmakers are “selling” car-sharing services. Hotels are changing their offers to compete with Airbnb. Taxi monopolies are following the example of transport apps and adapting to trending social behaviors. Banks suddenly want to retain the basic information of their customers with no investment portfolio, one source of income, and lots of bills to pay online.

So, we can say that the recipe to better serving your final users and customers is well known although the mix of those UX ingredients may differ from company to company.

For the majority of companies, the effort to disrupt their industries with improved end-user experience is too expensive or isn’t at all considered a business goal. Having a sustainable business doesn’t mean being the disruptor. It can mean playing the hard game of balancing a healthy growth with an awesome end-user experience. But, at the same time, it should mean being able to quickly replicate the best practices and results of competitors and industry leaders.

Both have a common asset they need to preserve: a satisfied customer base. If there is one requirement they keep addressing, it should be this (which is also the first requirement of exemplary user experience):

“(…) meet the exact needs of the customer, without fuss or bother.”

in The Definition of User Experience (UX) – www.nngroup.com

“Without fuss or bother”! Without frustrating expectations. Removing wow-moments with no added value.

The path to success should be fixing all the “moments of frustration.” One step at a time. One touchpoint per initiative in case your budget fails to support more. And in the end, strive for the best experience possible.

When you are there, be proud, restart, and repeat. Your services, products, or brand will return better and stronger.

For more on Effortless Experience during a onboarding read EasyOnboarding engineered by Theros