I’m starting to think good onboarding explains less, not more

I’ve been paying closer attention to onboarding flows lately.

A pattern I keep noticing is that products often try to explain everything before the user has done anything.

Feature tours, tooltips, welcome screens, setup questions — all before the user has experienced the core value.

I used to assume more explanation meant less confusion. Now I’m not so sure.

The products I remember most clearly tend to get me to one useful action first, then explain things when they become relevant.

I’d be interested in how other makers think about this:

At what point does helpful onboarding become friction?