Leveling Up User Onboarding: Lessons from Video Game Design for Software Companies

Research shows that 80% of users will delete an app if they can’t quickly figure out how to use it. That’s a staggering statistic, and this is where user onboarding enters the picture.

User onboarding in UX guides users through a product’s features and functionalities. From interactive tutorials to progressive disclosure, the entire process of user onboarding should be as streamlined as possible to keep users engaged, reduce churn, and increase conversion rates. Video game designers and developers are experts in user onboarding as they introduce players to the game controls, mechanics, and overall gameplay. There’s a lot to learn, and we’ve got to pay attention.

Level up your user onboarding process with these crucial lessons and insights from the most effective and engaging video game designs.

Immersing the Player/User

In the video game landscape, the onboarding phase is the first contact between the player and the game. If you can’t immerse the player within the first few minutes, your game fails. If you can make your software product’s onboarding as good as video games, you’re on the right track. But how do you implement gamification into your software product’s onboarding process? There are a lot of proven and tested techniques, and we’re going to discuss them one by one.

1. Creating Player Personas

Before you get to immerse the player or user, you first need to define them. That way, you can create a user-centered approach based on their behaviors, preferences, and motivations. You need to think about the demographics and psychographics of your target audience. That way, you can better understand their pain points and desires.

1. Storytelling and context

Video games are no longer just a matter of graphics and gameplay, it has grown to be a powerful medium of storytelling. The player doesn’t just consume the plot but actually experiences it. It’s an art form in and of itself, and it’s something that software companies can learn from. The key is user engagement and immersion. You need to ask yourself, ‘how can you immerse the users in the product and make them feel connected to its value and purpose?”. Like how video games connect the player to the plot, you should see where you can connect your users to the brand’s story. It’s about creating an emotional connection that can leave a memorable impact.

1. Progressive disclosure of mechanics

Progression and pacing are also crucial both in game and in software apps. Things should unfold in a way that keeps the users engaged and encourages them to further explore. If the user or player experiences too much frustration in the process, they are likely to throw in the towel and abandon your product. Don’t overwhelm users with information straightaway. Reduce the cognitive load by gradually revealing features and information and allow users to learn the nitty gritty as they go.

1. Hands-on learning

Create interactive learning experiences or simulations instead of text-based or video walkthroughs. Interactive learning can help users retain information and learn more effectively. Get your users up-to-speed quicker by putting them in control. In games, players can see pulsing circles or sparkling items to give new players a cue on what to do next. You can do the same and create interactive walk-throughs to really reinforce the information.

1. Feedback loops

Feedback loop is important whether it’s a game or software development project. Understand user interactions and constantly assess whether or not you have successfully produced exactly what customers are looking for. Integrating feedback loops into your process can ensure software quality and better customer satisfaction. Create A/B testing, retrieve metrics, fail and learn fast, and don’t stop improving.

1. Rewards

As players progress, they win in-game rewards and achievements. You can replicate this in the form of user progress indicators. Users and players are more compelled to continue if they feel smart and capable. Thus, acknowledging and showing their achievements or progress can definitely make an impact.

1. Gamification of learning

Game mechanics, elements, and principles can be used in various contexts and applications, including software design. These elements include clear goals and objectives; points and rewards; levels and progression; challenges and missions; badges and power-ups; and unlockable content. It’s also important to make your content and interface inclusive and accessible to a wide range of users. You can consider integrating screen readers, voice recognition, readability enhancements, and so on. The goal is to make the user interface and overall content accessible and enjoyable to a wide range of audience.

Simplifying Complexity

To successfully refine the player’s experience, video games adopt intuitive controls, visual clarity, and narrative integration. From the graphical elements to the color coding to the visual cues, video games are designed for ease and immersion. To achieve the same in your software product, you can implement the following:

1. Clear user interfaces

This is a no-brainer, but it’s something that can’t be overstated. Go for a simple, uncluttered look and feel. Use clear, familiar, and concise language. Avoid unnecessary elements and make the visual design thematic and consistent.

1. Guided tours and tooltips

Create targeted popups to help new users understand your product’s features and seamlessly guide them to the next stage to improve product adoption. Whether you’re launching a product tour, announcing a new feature, or simply setting in-app contextual help for self-service, creating intuitive guided tours and tooltips is the way to go.

1. Analytics and Iteration

Both game and software developers can leverage analytics to track and analyze user behavior. Heatmaps and user flow analysis can help developers identify possible roadblocks during onboarding. Making data-driven improvements can ultimately improve adoption and customer satisfaction.

Conclusion

A successful user onboarding process makes users feel supported and confident in using the product. Paying attention to the onboarding phase can help create a striking first impression, promote user retention and engagement, and also reduce support burden as users get to navigate the product’s features and functionalities by themselves.

A lot of successful onboarding principles are derived from video game tutorials, and you can also level up yours by embracing the lessons from classic video game design. Focus on creating intuitive and memorable experiences from start to finish.

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