7 Ways to Increase User Retention with Mobile App Onboarding

Having a compelling mobile application onboarding experience is so crucial in these days. Therefore, a great user onboarding not only lowers abandonment rates, but it also helps you to encourage long term success metrics in areas like user lifetime value and user retention. So, to increase user retention, your mobile app development needs to be cutting edge and give a seamless user experience like design, customer delight, and adding a great deal of value. So, below are the given ways for creating an effective user onboarding experience which will turn initials downloads into highly engaged users: 

Building the path of least resistance 

User onboarding is about making an easy and intuitive app as possible for a new user to start using it. Therefore, if it's more complicated for users to log in or sign up, then the higher the rate of user abandonment. So, you can go with the path of least resistance, which means a single login or signs up screen, but it's not always the go-to approach. So, choosing a suitable onboarding experience depends upon both the utility of the mobile app or the concept of the new app. 

Benefits-oriented Onboarding- Given approach to mobile app onboarding gives the values of the app like what does the app do? What value will the mobile app provide? Therefore, slack keeps its mobile user onboarding concise when demonstrating the benefits of the products. 

Function-oriented Onboarding- This function-oriented mobile app onboarding' is demonstrating the key functionalities. 

Progressive Onboarding- Progressive mobile app onboarding is mainly focusing on educating users through guided interactions. Therefore, the process is interactive, providing the user with instructions so, that the user can use or discover the app on their own. 

Hybrid- A hybrid approach to mobile app onboarding is a combination of two or all the above for making it as easy as possible for users to begin the app. 

Reduce Sign-up/Log in Fields 

Lengthy forms aren’t a good idea where the screen is small, like smartphones. The ideal scenario is to allow the user to sign up or login using a single form, such as a social media account. Therefore, some mobile apps also require more information. For example, a service based app with a user base of existing customers. 

Follow “One Screen, One Concept” Rule 

People tend to grasp information if the information is precise and focused. So, mobile app onboarding screen should provide information by using a single screen to describe a concept, because this will help you to avoid overloading the user with the information. However, this is important for the function orientated and benefits-oriented mobile onboarding, where the purpose is to demonstrate core functionalities or to communicate user value. 

Feedback 

Feedback serves multiple purposes in the mobile app onboarding, it help us to indicate errors or the success in the validation process. However, this can be used through animation that can act as a positive reinforcement for completing the integration. 

Guided Interaction to Drive Progress 

Apps which are complex use progressive onboarding approach as well as functions for guiding tutorial of the product. So, the app with the most successful progressive onboarding provides the fun in the discovery process without disrupting the experience. Therefore, the guided interaction in a mobile app onboarding is about engaging users in exploration, rather than telling what to do. However, this concept is very popular in video games where users play through the actions to become familiar with the controls and environment. 

Animation 

Animation in mobile app onboarding should be used with one of the following purposes in mind. However, this should draw the attention ‘but not irritate the user. For example: Subtle animations that show something is undiscovered or the use of pagination dots to show progress. 

Below are the given 3 major reason to use animations in a mobile onboarding experience: 

· To draw attention towards elements to help the user to make the progress 

· Feedback a positive reinforcement for specific actions 

· Concept of space and presenting new content without the user feeling like they are “leaving a screen.” 

Test 

User onboarding is the first and foremost thing about the user. Therefore, the listening and acting upon users review can help you to identify or eliminate the issues' which you face in your onboarding process. So, once you have enough data, can try new things and test to see if users like them or not. 

The onboarding experience is something which needs more attention if companies want to increase overall user retention. Therefore, one of the biggest concern’ for the app development companies is the user retention rates because the true mobile app success is measured by the high retentions rates which shows the users to find continuous value using your app. Therefore, the user should be the center of all onboarding decisions to make sure you are collecting the feedback and modifying your onboarding process to suit the needs of your users. So, above are the given ways that will help you to create a highly effective process' which not only drive user engagement but will also help you to enhance the user experience.