{"id":10953,"date":"2023-03-31T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2023-03-31T08:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/new-feature-onboarding\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T14:01:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:01:37","slug":"new-feature-onboarding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/new-feature-onboarding\/","title":{"rendered":"New Feature Onboarding: How To Make Users Engage With Additions to Your Product"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve released an innovative new product update, you may need to study the art of new feature <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/solutions\/user-onboarding-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">onboarding<\/a> before your customers want to use it.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes they won\u2019t know where the new feature is; other times, they might see it, but not appreciate why it\u2019s valuable to them.<\/p>\n<p>In both cases, a better <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/solutions\/user-onboarding-software\/\">user onboarding<\/a> experience should solve the problem.<\/p>\n<p>But how do you go about teaching customers to understand new product features, without spending a fortune on code? Let me explain.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>New feature onboarding &#8211; quick summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>SaaS companies often use <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/saas-onboarding-process-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">onboarding processes<\/a> to teach customers how to use new features.<\/li>\n<li>A great <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/best-user-onboarding-experience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">user onboarding experience<\/a> will prevent your support team from being overburdened with questions, and should also improve your <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/new-feature-announcements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">feature adoption rate<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Commonly used patterns for showing off new features include <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/release-notes-template-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">release notes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/walkthrough-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">walkthroughs<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/how-to-create-tooltips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tooltips<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/ui-design-ideas-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">modals<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Ensure that you <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-segmentation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">segment your users<\/a> so that they only see new features that are <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/personalized-onboarding-for-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">relevant to their use case<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Your onboarding flows should be as <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/contextual-onboarding-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">contextual<\/a> and as <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/interactive-walkthroughs-improve-onboarding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">interactive<\/a> for your customers as possible.<\/li>\n<li>Look to Calendly, Surfer, and Airbnb for some instructive examples of new feature onboarding.<\/li>\n<h2><strong>Definition: What is new feature onboarding?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>User onboarding process in general can be understood as the art of <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-education-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">teaching new and existing users <\/a>how to derive value from your product.<\/p>\n<p>The term \u201conboarding\u201d is most often associated with <em>primary onboarding<\/em>, which is when you walk a new user through the core functionality of your product. Generally, this involves a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/create-better-product-tours\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">product tour<\/a> of some kind.<\/p>\n<p>But user onboarding extends <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/secondary-onboarding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">beyond primary onboarding<\/a>, as this chart demonstrates:<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/user-journey-stages-customer-retention-saas_383bb5b038974d3cb34454dd0b82bb1f_800.png\" alt=\"User journey stages\" width=\"800\" height=\"414\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">User journey stages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Later on, in the onboarding <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/saas-onboarding-process-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">process<\/a>, it\u2019s common to teach established users <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/feature-adoption-101\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">how to make the most out of new features<\/a>, especially ones that may have been added to your product since those users started their <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-onboarding-journey-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer journey<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Product teams frequently introduce users with <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/new-feature-announcements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">new features<\/a>, as a way of trying to provide more value to customers and drive user retention.<\/p>\n<p>Such features are not always intuitive to find and use, so product marketers need to guide customers in the right direction.<\/p>\n<p>You can think of this process of <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-education-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer education<\/a> as a newly launched feature onboarding.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why is new feature onboarding important for SaaS companies?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There are two main reasons why you should consider investing in <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/progressive-onboarding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">user onboarding flows<\/a> for the new features you build.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Your features will become more user-friendly<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A great user onboarding experience makes it significantly more likely that customers will find and use your new feature.<\/p>\n<p>Assuming that you\u2019ve conducted careful user research and that the feature you\u2019ve built is valuable, the customers who adopt your new features are <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-education-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">less likely to churn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Why would they? You\u2019re providing them with something they want, AND you\u2019re making it easy for them to discover it and use it.<\/p>\n<p>Asana, for example, constantly <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/new-feature-announcements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">introduces users to new features<\/a> that might bring additional value to the user. A small <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/how-to-create-tooltips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tooltip<\/a> can go a long way.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 658px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/asana-contextual-tooltip-shows-when-you-start-typing_162cbf4e7336c48a7a510501e2807d2a_800.png\" alt=\"Slack recording tooltip\" width=\"658\" height=\"380\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Slack recording tooltip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>No one\u2019s going to want to leave a product like that.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-retention-rate-metrics-saas\/#eq4f7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A higher rate of user retention<\/a> means more monthly subscription payments for you!<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s not all\u2026<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Fewer help requests means you\u2019ll save money on support costs<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/best-user-onboarding-experience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">user onboarding experience<\/a> from your customer\u2019s perspective for a moment.<\/p>\n<p>They see a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/new-feature-announcements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">new feature<\/a> but are confused as to how it works.<\/p>\n<p>Frustrated, they open a support ticket in an attempt to understand this new addition to a once familiar UI.<\/p>\n<p>If your support agents respond in time, the customer will be mollified, but you will have still spent money paying a support team.<\/p>\n<p>And if they don\u2019t, well\u2026 let\u2019s just say that this particular customer\u2019s next <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/nps-saas-complete-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPS score<\/a> won\u2019t be super hot.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 720px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/246a2327-408a-4a75-8341-ed82253ae50a.png\" alt=\"NPS Analytics dashboard in Userpilot\" width=\"720\" height=\"568\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NPS Analytics dashboard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>By contrast, if your <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-onboarding-flow\/\">user onboarding flow shows<\/a> the customer how to use the new feature, the customer will be happy AND you won\u2019t need to pay a support agent to assist them.<\/p>\n<p>That means you won\u2019t need to spend as much money on support salaries as you did before. Nice!<\/p>\n<p>So what exactly might this new feature onboarding process look like in practice?<\/p>\n<h2><strong>5 Common new feature onboarding techniques<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Here are some ways that SaaS companies typically onboard their users into adopting new features.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>#1 \u2013 Create release notes for groups of new features<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/\/blog\/new-feature-announcement-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">announcing a group of new features<\/a> all at once, it\u2019s common to communicate that to your customer base using <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/release-notes-template-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">release notes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Release notes can be distributed on social media, your blog, and your website, but it\u2019s most effective to share them inside your product itself. That\u2019s where you want your customer\u2019s attention to be, after all.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/retool-release-notes_b156e5ce50541c8061406cfeba049344_800.png\" alt=\"Retool release note\" width=\"800\" height=\"819\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Retool release note<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Although release notes are technical documentation by nature, it\u2019s wise to make them as easy to read and accessible as possible. Use simple language, images, and videos to break down complex concepts.<\/p>\n<p>If users want to deepen their understanding, you can always include <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">additional resources<\/a> for them to consult at their leisure.<\/p>\n<p>From a branding perspective, it makes sense to stick to a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/release-notes-template-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">release notes template<\/a> that your customers recognize, ideally one that echoes the values of your brand. So if your brand is friendly and professional, then aim to communicate that in your release notes as well.<\/p>\n<p>You can easily build templates for your release notes <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/ui-design-ideas-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">as modals<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/\">Userpilot<\/a>, as well as subsequently share them in-app. Here\u2019s how we launched our new and improved Resource Centre feature with an in-app modal.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 2880px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/13537afb-9ff5-476c-997c-f7c0cec9de1b.png\" alt=\"Create a release note with Userpilot in-app modal\" width=\"2880\" height=\"1570\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Create a release note with in-app modal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>#2 \u2013 Build walkthroughs that show off new features, step by step<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If your new features are complex and related to your core value proposition, it might be worth creating an <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/walkthrough-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">onboarding walkthrough<\/a> for them.<\/p>\n<p>A walkthrough is a collection of user onboarding UX patterns that all work in concert to show users how a new feature works. The customer walks through each <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/onboarding-ux-patterns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">onboarding pattern<\/a> one at a time, step by step, hence the name.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/how-to-improve-app-engagement-guidance-walkthrough-userpilot_9f968d9072aeeafc1ed3d7fb9bdd0969.gif\" alt=\"Build Interactive walkthroughs with Userpilot\" width=\"1024\" height=\"535\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Build Interactive walkthroughs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Unlike a linear product tour, users are an active part of the process when it comes to product walkthroughs.<\/p>\n<h3>#3 &#8211; Build an onboarding checklist with a progress bar<\/h3>\n<p>Normally, SaaS companies onboard users with a checklist of tasks that the user actually has to complete of their own accord.<\/p>\n<p>This is often known as an onboarding checklist &#8211; a list of key features that help users solve their JTBDs.<\/p>\n<p>You can also include in your onboarding checklist a progress bar. A progress bar tracks how far the user has progressed through the features you\u2019re trying to teach them.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/contextual-onboarding-example-checklist-userpilot_d4dd173cf8f6b3b16fc7c4d4f6c955c6_800.png\" alt=\"Contextual onboarding examples checklist in Userpilot\" width=\"800\" height=\"390\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Contextual onboarding examples checklist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>#4 &#8211; Use a tooltip to explain one feature at a time<\/h3>\n<p>But what if you\u2019re only interested in onboarding users into one feature at a time?<\/p>\n<p>In this instance, a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/how-to-create-tooltips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tooltip<\/a> is your friend.<\/p>\n<p>A tooltip is a short piece of text that points at one UI element, normally displays when you hover over it.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 2880px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/33526ed8-4829-4d4e-8df5-3e1ebae8d96b.png\" alt=\"Customize a tooltip no-code with Userpilot\" width=\"2880\" height=\"1570\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Customize a tooltip no-code<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You can build two types of tooltips: a standalone \u201cnative\u201d tooltip like the one above, or a sequence of tooltips that form part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/create-better-product-tours\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">larger flow<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 2880px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/e18320f0-2399-494f-8570-76fa4b9494ce.png\" alt=\"Build a tootip as part of an onboarding flow in Userpilot\" width=\"2880\" height=\"1574\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Build a tootip as part of an onboarding flow.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>#5 \u2013 Create modals to direct customers\u2019 attention towards new features<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If your new feature is especially important or valuable, you might want to grab your user\u2019s attention urgently by interrupting them in whatever they\u2019re currently doing.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/ui-design-ideas-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Modals <\/a>are a great tool for this purpose. They consist of a large, rectangular text box that takes up most of the screen.<\/p>\n<p>They are eye-catching because of their size, as well as the striking graphical elements that often accompany modals.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 2880px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/4d8f6121-7eca-45dd-8383-f44a2484ea8f.png\" alt=\"Building a modal from templates in Userpilot\" width=\"2880\" height=\"1570\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Building a modal from templates.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Note that the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/ui-design-ideas-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">disruptiveness of a modal<\/a> can be a weakness as well as a strength. If you overuse modals or other UI patterns, your customer is going to get frustrated that they constantly get interrupted.<\/p>\n<p>You might want to avoid something in-app messaging overlapping.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/In-appmarketing-overlap_055dde359ac5de956c382173129c9297_800.png\" alt=\"In-app messaging overlapping \" width=\"800\" height=\"1244\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In-app messaging overlapping<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This happens if the modals in question are <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/ui-design-ideas-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">system-generated<\/a>, rather than voluntarily opened by the user.<\/p>\n<p>So make sure you only include modals in your user interface when your feature announcement really is important.<\/p>\n<p>Also, you should pause or delay other in-app messages to enhance user onboarding experience.<\/p>\n<p>Some tools\u00a0will allow you to specify the triggering priority of your in-app flows.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/triggering-priority-userpilot_dafa96df2c2b63b81843998633c3d3a6_800.png\" alt=\"Triggering priority of your in-app flows in Userpilot\" width=\"800\" height=\"741\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Triggering priority of your in-app flows.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>What are the signs of excellent new feature onboarding?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Allow me to share some best practices with you that we\u2019ve discovered in our conversations.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The best onboarding flows are hyper-contextual<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>By <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/contextual-onboarding-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">contextual<\/a>, I mean that the onboarding should be in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.<\/p>\n<p>Ideally, it should be so seamless from the user\u2019s perspective that they barely even notice that they are being marketed to.<\/p>\n<p>Tooltips are perfect for this, which is why they are such a popular <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/secondary-onboarding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">secondary onboarding tool<\/a> for enhancing contextual onboarding experience.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/webhook-feature-tooltip-guidance-userpilot-1024x355.png\" alt=\"Tooltips for announcing new feature in Userpilot\" width=\"1024\" height=\"355\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tooltips for announcing a new feature.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tooltips appear right next to the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/onboarding-ux-patterns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">UI element<\/a> they\u2019re explaining, point directly to the element in question, and can be programmed to appear automatically on the basis of user in-behavior.<\/p>\n<p>If that\u2019s not <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/contextual-onboarding-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">contextual onboarding<\/a>, I don\u2019t know what is.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Deliver a unique onboarding experience to each individual customer segment<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Let\u2019s be real here: there\u2019s a good chance that not all of your users will judge your new feature to be valuable.<\/p>\n<p>Imagine that you run a sales tool. You release a new widget that allows your customers to see the performance of all the sales reps on their team.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/new-feature-announcements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A new feature <\/a>like this is only relevant to sales managers, not account executives who don\u2019t have the clearance to view the performance of the other reps around them.<\/p>\n<p>So if your new widget appeared to junior sales reps, your new feature would probably end up causing more harm than good.<\/p>\n<p>The solution here is to use <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/solutions\/user-onboarding-software\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">onboarding software<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-segmentation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">segment<\/a> your users into distinct groups, according to their \u201cJobs to be Done\u201d (JTBD) and <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/behavioral-segmentation-examples\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in-app behavior<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what that looks like:<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/needs-based-segmentation_21503957a92f29d504f2d729586a1882_800.png\" alt=\"Segmenting by job role in Userpilot\" width=\"800\" height=\"378\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Segmenting by job role.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>By <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/saas-behavioral-segmentation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">segmenting your customers<\/a>, you ensure that each user only receives <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/personalized-onboarding-for-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">onboarding<\/a> about new features that are relevant to his or her individual use case.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>User onboarding flows should be as interactive as possible<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The worst thing you could do if you want to show off a new feature is use a static tooltip, like the ones that <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pendo-product-tours\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pendo is (in)famous for<\/a>:<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Pendo-product-tour-tooltip_a832416ca8fc62dc959bcd86cbb86455_800.jpg\" alt=\"Pendo tooltip\" width=\"800\" height=\"384\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pendo tooltip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This problem is compounded if you use multiple boring purple tooltips like this in a row.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/everybody-hates-product-tours\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">no interactivity here<\/a>. All the user is doing is reading the text passively.<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, the best user onboarding experiences feel like a dialogue between your product and the user.<\/p>\n<p>You can set up your user onboarding flows in such a way that they are responsive to the user\u2019s input.<\/p>\n<p>For example, in <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/create-better-product-tours\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">multi-stage feature tours<\/a>, a user will only be shown the second part of the tour once he or she has completed the first stage.<\/p>\n<p>Above all, there should be a focus on the customer actually using your product wherever possible, not just reading passively. Learning by doing is infinitely superior.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>New feature onboarding examples that will inspire you<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Now that you understand what new feature onboarding looks like when done properly, let\u2019s check out some <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-onboarding-examples\/\">user onboarding examples<\/a> and put some of the concepts we\u2019ve learned together.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>New feature onboarding example #1: Calendly<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Calendly is well known for its appointment-booking software.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s a problem. What if multiple busy people are meeting, and the odds of finding a time when all are free at once are scarce?<\/p>\n<p>Calendly released this poll feature to solve the problem:<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/new-feature-onboarding-calendly-tooltip_d710c97221ac2cacd857fc64dbf69cea_800.png\" alt=\"Calendly new feature onboarding\" width=\"800\" height=\"461\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Calendly new feature onboarding<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Note how the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/how-to-create-tooltips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tooltip<\/a> appears just at the right moment: when you\u2019re about to create a meeting invite.<\/p>\n<p>The header text is concise and easy to understand, and the subsequent body drives home the value of this new feature.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>New feature onboarding example #2: Surfer<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Surfer is an SEO tool that helps you rank your content on Google.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Surfer released two <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/new-feature-announcements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">new features<\/a> at once: Organizations and Unlimited NLP. Their chosen way to communicate this to their user base was <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/release-notes-template-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">release notes<\/a>:<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/new-feature-onboarding-surfer_3135978a22288392b796790063859c73_800.png\" alt=\"Surfer new feature onboarding\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Surfer new feature onboarding<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>These notes trigger automatically whenever a user who has not seen them yet logs in.<\/p>\n<p>The imagery on the left side is striking, <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/personalized-onboarding-for-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">matches Surfer\u2019s brand colors<\/a> and also demonstrates one of the two new features.<\/p>\n<p>Note also that the CTAs give you a chance to read more information about the new features, if you so choose, but don\u2019t force it on you.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>New feature onboarding example #3: Airbnb<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Airbnb\u2019s software for booking private accommodation lets you chat with hosts to figure out the details of your stay.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re staying in a competitive location like New York, you might sometimes need to speak with multiple hosts before you find something to your liking.<\/p>\n<p>In cases like this, it\u2019s valuable to be able to search through your chat history by keywords. So that\u2019s what Airbnb added with this particular feature:<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 716px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/airbnb-new-feature-onboarding_9a1e2aa6b1e1c32f07cda9adaa3f9438_800.png\" alt=\"Airbnb new feature onboarding\" width=\"716\" height=\"812\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Airbnb new feature onboarding<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/how-to-create-tooltips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tooltip<\/a> is perfectly placed to successfully onboard customers into using this new feature. It\u2019s right next to the search bar, so as to remind you that you can add keywords to your search.<\/p>\n<p>The body text conveys the value of the new feature clearly, and the little star icon adds a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-onboarding-gamification\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dash of playfulness<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A user is unlikely to feel like this kind of tooltip is intrusive. And if they do, they can easily click on the CTA and be left alone.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>And that\u2019s a wrap! We hope that you\u2019ve learned something by reading this far and that you now feel more confident about teaching your customers to adopt your new features.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to save time and money in creating your onboarding process, you might consider looking into Userpilot.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-onboarding-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">product adoption tool<\/a> will help you build patterns like modals and checklists to supercharge your new feature onboarding process, all without having to write a line of code!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/userpilot-demo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Grab a free Userpilot demo<\/a> and start your onboarding journey today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You&#8217;ll need to study the art of new feature onboarding before your customers adopt the features you&#8217;ve built for them. Let us show you how it works.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":39314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[127,224,49,92],"class_list":["post-10953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-user-onboarding-category","tag-feature-adoption","tag-feature-survey","tag-onboarding-experience","tag-onboarding-ux"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>New Feature Onboarding: How To Make Users Engage With Additions to Your Product<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You&#039;ll need to study the art of new feature onboarding before your customers adopt the features you&#039;ve built for them. 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