Optimize user onboarding flows and activation rates

Helps optimize post-signup onboarding, user activation, first-run experience, and time-to-value, working from four core principles: time-to-value is everything (remove every step between signup and core value), one goal per session, do-don't-show (interactive beats tutorial), and progress creates motivation. It starts by defining activation - finding the "aha moment" action that correlates most strongly with retention, with examples by product type (project management: create a project and add a team member; analytics: install tracking and see a first report; design tool: create and export/share a design; marketplace: complete a first transaction) - then tracks activation rate, time to activation, steps to activation, and activation by cohort or source. For the immediate post-signup window it weighs three approaches (product-first for simple B2C/mobile products, guided setup for products needing personalization, value-first for products with demo data) against their overwhelm/friction/authenticity risks, always requiring a clear single next action, no dead ends, and progress indication for multi-step flows. An onboarding checklist pattern is recommended for multi-step setups or self-serve B2B products: 3-7 items ordered by value with quick wins first, a progress bar, a completion celebration, and a dismiss option so users aren't trapped. Empty states are treated as onboarding opportunities rather than dead ends - explaining what the area is for, showing what it looks like populated, and giving a clear primary action, optionally pre-populated with example data - and tooltips/guided tours are capped at 3-5 steps, dismissable, and not repeated for returning users. Multi-channel coordination uses trigger-based emails (immediate welcome, incomplete-onboarding reminders at 24h/72h, an activation-achieved celebration with next step, and feature-discovery emails at days 3/7/14) that reinforce in-app actions rather than duplicate them. Stalled users - defined by inactivity days or incomplete setup - get a three-tier re-engagement response: an email sequence addressing likely blockers, in-app "pick up where you left off" recovery, and personal outreach for high-value accounts. Measurement tracks activation rate, time to activation, onboarding completion rate, and day 1/7/30 retention, with funnel analysis identifying the biggest step-to-step drop-off to focus on. Recommendations are delivered as either an audit (finding, impact, recommendation, priority per issue) or a full flow design (activation goal, step-by-step flow, checklist items, empty-state copy, email triggers, and a metrics plan), and it checks for existing product-marketing context before asking questions the team has already answered.

Use it when someone wants to optimize onboarding flow, activation rate, first-run experience, empty states, an onboarding checklist, or time-to-value. For adjacent stages, defer to sibling skills: signup for the flow before onboarding, emails for the onboarding email series specifically, paywalls for converting to paid during or after onboarding, and ab-testing for testing onboarding changes.

Input is the product type, its defined activation event, and the current post-signup flow including where users drop off. Output is either an onboarding audit (per-issue finding, impact, recommendation, priority) or a full onboarding flow design with activation goal, step-by-step flow, checklist items, empty-state copy, email triggers, and a measurement plan.

Reads existing product-marketing context files before asking questions, and hands off to the signup, emails, paywalls, and ab-testing skills for adjacent parts of the funnel.

Product and growth teams who want users to reach their activation moment faster and stay retained, with a structured process for defining activation, designing the flow around it, and measuring where users actually drop off.