{"id":264786,"date":"2025-03-21T15:42:09","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T15:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/?post_type=pitt&p=264786"},"modified":"2026-03-13T18:21:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T18:21:59","slug":"holistic-user-onboarding-saas-kate-syuma","status":"publish","type":"pitt","link":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/holistic-user-onboarding-saas-kate-syuma\/","title":{"rendered":"Holistic User Onboarding in SaaS: 10+ Real-World Examples to Inspire You"},"content":{"rendered":"

\ud83d\udea8Here’s the bitter truth: <\/b>Onboarding is the moment when all our potential users start interacting with the product. And at the same time, we lose most of them there.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, user onboarding should go beyond “just fine” or intuitive. It should be the most memorable and delightful moment in the whole journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

When does user onboarding start and when does it end?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Hmm… \ud83e\udd14 Isn’t it just the first session and a simple tutorial? You might be surprised or not, but it starts much earlier and lasts way longer.<\/span><\/p>\n

User Onboarding \u2260 First Session\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

It is a holistic user journey that begins when a potential user <\/span>starts looking for a solution<\/b> to solve their problem. And, it ends when the user <\/span>builds a habit<\/b> around solving the problem with your product.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to nail <\/span>user onboarding<\/span><\/a>, you need to think of that holistically. For that, I introduced a framework that includes 6 steps.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The
The 6-step holistic user onboarding framework.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here are the 6 steps of holistic onboarding:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Google search\/ads:<\/b> Potential users started looking for solutions. This is where your onboarding starts.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Website:<\/b> Potential users (visitors) are exploring the possibilities of a product, looking for value and differentiators to decide to sign up.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Sign-up flow:<\/b> The user performs the necessary actions to set up the core value of the product (creating the profile, providing profiling information, etc.). It’s also often connected to the “setup moment.”<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. First session:<\/b> The user interacted with the product for the first time.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Path to ‘Aha’ moment:<\/b> The user has experienced the core value of the product for the first time.<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Habit forming: <\/b>The user has established the habit around the core value of the product.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Why activation should be your #1 priority?<\/b><\/h2>\n

    When I was researching user onboarding last year, one of the most recognizable patterns among 80+ companies was this one<\/span>: “Most users drop off before getting fully activated for both B2B and B2C companies”.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Most
    Most users drop-off before getting activated.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    In addition to that, let’s look at these 3 data points:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. 40-60%<\/b> of users who encounter a poor onboarding experience will never return to the product (ref. <\/span>Hiver<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Almost 43% of respondents<\/b> in my PLG survey highlighted that improving activation and user onboarding is VERY challenging (ref. <\/span>The Holistic Growth playbook<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Activated users have <\/span>2x higher long-term retention<\/b> and <\/span>70-80%<\/b> of them convert to paid (ref. <\/span>Reforge<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      I hope you are more convinced now to start investing in your activation journeys.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Next, how do we get there?<\/span><\/p>\n

      Start with defining activation as a “path”<\/b><\/h3>\n

      First, we start with defining your activation. And most importantly, we look at activation as a “path,” not a single magical action. Here are some useful reminders:<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Start with defining your <\/span>habit moment<\/b>:<\/strong> The user has established the habit around the core value of the product.<\/span><\/li>\n
      2. Then you extract your<\/span> ‘Aha’ moment:<\/b> The user has experienced the <\/span>core value of the product<\/span><\/a> for the first time.<\/span><\/li>\n
      3. Only after that, build a path that creates the <\/span>setup moment:<\/b> The user has performed the necessary actions to set up for experiencing the core value of the product.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \ud83d\udccc <\/span>Tip<\/b>:<\/strong> When starting to measure your activation steps, always start by defining the last step – habit moment. Check its correlation and causation with long-term retention and conversion to paid, and then go to ‘Aha’ and set up moments.<\/span><\/p>\n

        \"Elements
        Elements of activation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

        Start by collecting qualitative insights: these signals can be collected from your user research and interviews:<\/span><\/p>\n