Pace

Strategic copy optimisation to improve user onboarding experience

Context

Optimise the messaging in the user onboarding process. The onboarding process begins after users have signed up and agreed to the terms of service. Most users sign up with their Google or Facebook accounts which gives Pace uses the users DOB and sex. Those who sign up with email enter this info on a prior screen. Onboarding begins after this.

By the end of onboarding, users should have:

The calorie counter set up by adding their height and weight. (Calorie counter uses age, sex, height, weight, and workout data to estimate the number of calories burned during a workout.)
Added app permission for GPS location (helps Pace more accurately track the user’s route)
Added their first goal. Goals in Pace have:
An activity: Running, walking, cycling, or another activity type
A time frame:Based daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or with a target date.
A type:
- Distance in Km or Miles
- Time length (Hours:minutes)
- Time (number of times)

Tools: Miro, Figma, Google Translate (to test for localisation constraints), Hemingway Editor (to measure readability)

Rationale

I first mapped out the potential user path for this task and then decided to break the onboarding steps into different screens so the user doesn’t get overwhelmed with all the information on one screen, and to make it easier to digest the information on the screens, and provide the information needed.

I also incorporated a progress tracker on each screen to help users know how long (or short) the onboarding steps are, this will help them mentally ready themselves for interacting with these steps.

Userflow map can be found here

Screen 1

On screen 1, I focused on getting the user to provide their height and weight details for the calorie counter.

I also included an informational copy with a dropdown button. When users tap on this dropdown icon, the text expands to show the copy explaining why Pace is requesting these details.

Screen 2

I decided to put permission request pop-up modla on screen 2 because, at this stage, users are more likely to allow the location access.

My initial plan was to place this step on the last screen, as I believe that this micro interaction is a bit disruptive to the job to be done.

However, if this step is placed at the end of the onboarding steps, the chances are that users are more likely to dismiss the authorisation modal since they’ve already completed their primary task.

As such, I decided that this modal should be wedged in-between other important steps, especially when the user is still in the state of mind to provide access to their information.

Screen 3

I simplified the step on screen 3 to simply the type of activity the user would choose.

I decided to add a last option on the list titled “other’.

Users can take two paths here:

Path 1: User clicks on one of the listed activity options and click “next” to move to screen 4.
Path 2: Users can click on “other” and are then redirected to another screen where they can manually type in the type of activity they want and save this. After clicking on “save” they’re automatically moved to screen 4.

( I have visually depicted this is the userflow map)

Screen 4

I applied a similar logic from screen 3 to screen 4. This step here focuses on one task: selecting the activity goal.

On this screen, users can take two paths:

Path 1: Select a goal from the options listed and click “next” to move to screen 5
Path 2: Users click on “Custom” and are then redirected to another screen where they can manually type in the activity goal they want and save this. After clicking on “save” they’re automatically moved to screen 5.

Screen 5

On this screen users have to perform one major task which has three sub-tasks.

Set the distance of their activity
Set the duration of their activity
Set the frequency of their activity

When users click on “save”, they’re moved to the last screen which is simply a confirmation page iterating their activity preference.

Screen 6

Final confirmation screen!

Key UX Principles Applied/Learnings

Key UX Principles:

Progressive Disclosure: Splitting onboarding into logical steps to avoid cognitive overload.
Contextual Messaging: Providing tooltips, explanations, and permission requests at the relevant moments.
Emotional Design: Maintaining a positive, motivational tone that aligns with Pace's brand.
User-Centered Design: Focusing on the user's goals and needs throughout the experience.

Learnings:

It is crucial to balance necessary data collection with user comfort and trust. Messaging must also provide clear explanations for why certain information is required.