The First 30 Seconds of My Onboarding Was Wasting Everyone's Time

I watched the first thirty seconds of ten new user sessions. All ten did the same thing. They looked at the screen. They scrolled. They clicked the first button they saw. Then they looked confused.

My onboarding started with a welcome message. A nice one. Friendly. Warm.

None of them read it. Not one. They were looking for the thing to click. The message was in the way.

I removed the welcome message. Replaced it with a single clear action. Completion of the first step went up. The warmth was costing me clarity.

What is the first thing a new user actually wants to do on your screen? And are you giving it to them or giving them a welcome mat?