First Impressions that Last: How to Design Onboarding Experiences

First impressions are quick and subconscious judgments we make about a person, place, or thing based on the information that is first available to us. They are powered by two key biases: the halo effect, which suggests that our initial perception of one aspect of something influences our perception of other aspects,  and the primacy effect, the tendency for the first piece of information to influence our perception more than later information. 

These initial judgments created by our subconscious can set the tone of how we interpret future interactions. With this in mind, a positive onboarding experience can create a favorable perception of the entire product and lead to long-lasting loyalty. On the other hand, a negative onboarding experience can frustrate a user and quickly lead to abandonment. 

When it comes to onboarding, the way we create these first impressions results from two types of judgments: visual and experience. Let’s look into what each of these is—and, more importantly, how to perfect them.

The visual appeal of a product is the first thing users typically pick up on. A 2006 paper by Lindgaard demonstrated that it took participants only 50 milliseconds to form a first judgment about how a website’s homepage looked. This emphasizes how important it is that designers get the “look” of a landing page right through aspects like design layout and color choices.⁴

Generally speaking, there are two visual aspects people usually judge when looking at your digital product: appeal and trust.

1. Appeal

Attractive designs that incorporate pleasing shapes and colors are often perceived as more usable, known as the aesthetic-usability effect.⁴ Minimal and simple layouts require less cognitive effort, consequently creating better first impressions. This indicates that users are more likely to overlook minor usability issues if the design is visually appealing.

For example, BeReal's onboarding allows users to focus on one task at a time through a simple and minimal look.

2. Trust

Users need to feel that a platform is trustworthy and secure right off the bat. A professional appearance helps to achieve just this! Clear privacy policies, recognizable security icons, and transparent communication about data use can all help a user feel safe engaging with a product past the onboarding stage.¹

For example, Instagram starts by explaining the value of enabling the app to access your contacts. Further on, they also let you know how they will store your information.

First impressions are not just about what a user sees but also about how a user feels during their initial interaction with a product. This often determines whether they can perceive the immediate value or not. 

Emotions play a critical role in how first impressions are formed and judged.⁵ Positive emotional responses can create a lasting connection with users, encouraging ongoing loyalty—while negative ones can do exactly the opposite. While designing an onboarding experience, keep the following emotions in mind.

Frustration 

How quickly a platform responds to user inputs can determine their level of frustration during initial interactions. Slow loading times or unresponsive elements can frustrate users and lead to abandonment. 

Ownership

When a user feels like a product caters to their needs, their sense of ownership can make them feel like they are set up for success. To achieve this, you can harness the power of the framing effect by emphasizing how a product can help users achieve their goals right from the start.

For example, Plum highlights customer success stories to frame their product in a favorable light during onboarding.

Delight

Selectively including information helps to avoid overwhelming users so that they can concentrate on what is important at the moment, creating a positive emotional response. Take advantage of the peak-end rule, which suggests that we judge an experience based on how we felt either during the “peak” or at the end.

For example, the Zing app has a small celebration moment with animation when onboarding is completed. Not only does this reinforce the fact that the user now holds a new digital card but it also leaves them feeling good!

During onboarding, users have high expectations and short attention spans—and unfortunately, many products try to convey too much information at once. This is the biggest challenge when building onboarding experiences: trying to encourage users to find the value of the app in a short amount of time. Here are some examples of apps leveraging cognitive biases to help get their message across quickly and seamlessly.

Instagram Threads

Instagram Threads leverages default states, which are pre-set options that require no effort, streamlining choices and reducing cognitive load. On Threads, defaults allow you to follow all the accounts you already follow on Instagram during onboarding, simplifying the process to one click.

Venmo

Venmo leverages the spacing effect, which suggests that learning is more effective when repeated in spaced-out sessions. Onboarding doesn’t have to show all the steps at once; it can include only the most critical ones at first. For instance, Venmo shortens their onboarding to account setup and leaves secondary actions in cards on the homepage to guide users toward the next steps after onboarding.

First impressions are powerful determinants of future engagement. Effective onboarding plays a crucial role in shaping these first impressions. This involves more than just making a product look and feel good; it also demonstrates how the product can help users achieve their goals. By integrating cognitive biases like the default state and spacing effect, an app or website can streamline the onboarding process, making it both efficient and engaging. This is the key to turning first-timers into committed users who last.