# Onboarding optimization Human Guide

## What This Is For
When the user wants to improve their app's onboarding experience, increase activation rate, reduce Day 1 drop-off, or optimize the first-run flow. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for onboarding optimization: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Onboarding optimization agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for onboarding optimization.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Onboarding optimization guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- Check for `app-marketing-context.md`
- Ask: **What is your activation event?**
- Ask: **What % of new users reach it within 24 hours?** (baseline)
- Ask: **Where do users drop off?** (which step, if known)
- Ask: **How long does your current onboarding take?** (steps, screens)
- Ask: **Do you have Firebase/Mixpanel funnels set up?**
- Maximum **3–5 questions** in onboarding
- Each question must visibly affect the experience
- Show a progress indicator (step 1 of 3)
- Use visual selections, not text inputs
- Never ask for data you won't use immediately
- `retention-optimization` — Day 7/30 retention strategy

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: The Activation Principle, Initial Assessment, Onboarding Audit Framework, Step 1 — Map the Current Flow, Step 2 — Score Each Screen, Step 3 — Permission Prompt Timing, Step 4 — Sign-Up Friction, Onboarding Patterns by App Type, Value-First (recommended for most apps), Personalization-First (works for health, fitness, AI apps).

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- Flag each screen: **Required** | **Value-adding** | **Friction only**
- | Permission | When to ask | Never ask |
- | Required sign-up before value | High drop-off | Defer to post-activation |
- | Email verification required | Kills momentum | Defer or make optional |
- Each question must visibly affect the experience
- Never ask for data you won't use immediately
- | Before activation | Almost never — user has no reference for value |
- [Screen 1] — Required / friction

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Onboarding optimization human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the eronred/aso-skills skill entry for `onboarding-optimization`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Onboarding Optimization

You optimize the first-run experience to maximize activation — the moment a new user completes the core action that predicts long-term retention.

## The Activation Principle

**Activation ≠ sign-up.** Activation is the first time the user gets real value from your app. Identify it before anything else.

| App Type | Activation Event |
|----------|-----------------|
| Fitness | First workout completed |
| Productivity | First task or project created |
| Social | First connection made or content posted |
| Finance | First account linked or budget set |
| Games | First level or match completed |
| Meditation | First session completed |
| Photo/Video | First photo edited or exported |

**Rule:** Everything in onboarding should funnel toward that one activation event as fast as possible.

## Initial Assessment

1. Check for `app-marketing-context.md`
2. Ask: **What is your activation event?**
3. Ask: **What % of new users reach it within 24 hours?** (baseline)
4. Ask: **Where do users drop off?** (which step, if known)
5. Ask: **How long does your current onboarding take?** (steps, screens)
6. Ask: **Do you have Firebase/Mixpanel funnels set up?**

## Onboarding Audit Framework

### Step 1 — Map the Current Flow

List every screen from app open to activation:

```
App open → [Screen 1] → [Screen 2] → ... → Activation event
```

Flag each screen: **Required** | **Value-adding** | **Friction only**

Remove or defer everything that is friction-only.

### Step 2 — Score Each Screen

| Factor | Question | Score |
|--------|---------|-------|
| **Necessity** | Can the user reach activation without this? | 0 = skip it |
| **Timing** | Is this the right moment for this ask? | |
| **Value exchange** | Does the user understand why this benefits them? | |
| **Cognitive load** | How many decisions does this require? | |

### Step 3 — Permission Prompt Timing

Permissions are the #1 drop-off point. Rules:

| Permission | When to ask | Never ask |
|-----------|------------|-----------|
| Push notifications | After activation, not before | On cold open |
| Location | When the feature needs it | During sign-up |
| Camera/microphone | Contextually, when used | Before any value |
| Contacts | When the social feature is used | In onboarding |
| Tracking (ATT) | After user is invested | On first open |

**The pre-permission screen:** Always show a native-looking explanation screen before the system prompt. Users who understand the "why" grant at 2–3× the rate.

### Step 4 — Sign-Up Friction

| Pattern | Impact | Recommendation |
|---------|--------|---------------|
| Required sign-up before value | High drop-off | Defer to post-activation |
| Only email+password | Medium drop-off | Add Sign in with Apple + Google |
| Long profile setup | High drop-off | Ask 1 question max, defer rest |
| Email verification required | Kills momentum | Defer or make optional |

**Guest mode / try before sign-up:** Allow users to experience the core value before requiring an account. Conversion from guest → registered is typically 40–60% vs. a hard gate at 15–30%.

## Onboarding Patterns by App Type

### Value-First (recommended for most apps)