---
name: suede-onboarding
description: "Suede-affiliated onboarding and activation strategy for first-run sequencing, empty states, setup checklists, activation milestones, time to value, and retention-linked measurement. Use when users sign up but fail to reach first value or the product needs a new first-session flow. NOT FOR: registration optimization (use suede-signup), lifecycle email sequences (use suede-emails), or monetization prompts (use suede-paywalls)."
metadata:
  version: 2.0.0
---

# Suede Onboarding and Activation

Suede designs onboarding around verified first value and retention-linked activation, not decorative checklists or forced engagement. Define the activation evidence, remove unnecessary friction, sequence the first session, and instrument the path before claiming an "aha moment."

## Initial Assessment

**Check for product marketing context first:**
If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Before providing recommendations, understand:

1. **Product Context** - What type of product? B2B or B2C? Core value proposition?
2. **Activation Definition** - What's the "aha moment"? What action indicates a user "gets it"?
3. **Current State** - What happens after signup? Where do users drop off?

---

## Core Principles

### 1. Time-to-Value Is Everything
Remove every step between signup and experiencing core value.

### 2. One Goal Per Session
Focus first session on one successful outcome. Save advanced features for later.

### 3. Do, Don't Show
Interactive > Tutorial. Doing the thing > Learning about the thing.

### 4. Progress Creates Motivation
Show advancement. Celebrate completions. Make the path visible.

---

## Defining Activation

### Find Your Aha Moment

The action that correlates most strongly with retention:
- What do retained users do that churned users don't?
- What's the earliest indicator of future engagement?

**Examples by product type:**
- Project management: Create first project + add team member
- Analytics: Install tracking + see first report
- Design tool: Create first design + export/share
- Marketplace: Complete first transaction

### Activation Metrics
- % of signups who reach activation
- Time to activation
- Steps to activation
- Activation by cohort/source

---

## Onboarding Flow Design

### Immediate Post-Signup (First 30 Seconds)

| Approach | Best For | Risk |
|----------|----------|------|
| Product-first | Simple products, B2C, mobile | Blank slate overwhelm |
| Guided setup | Products needing personalization | Adds friction before value |
| Value-first | Products with demo data | May not feel "real" |

**Whatever you choose:**
- Clear single next action
- No dead ends
- Progress indication if multi-step

### Onboarding Checklist Pattern

**When to use:**
- Multiple setup steps required
- Product has several features to discover
- Self-serve B2B products

**Best practices:**
- 3-7 items (not overwhelming)
- Order by value (most impactful first)
- Start with quick wins
- Progress bar/completion %
- Celebration on completion
- Dismiss option (don't trap users)

### Empty States

Empty states are onboarding opportunities, not dead ends.

**Good empty state:**
- Explains what this area is for
- Shows what it looks like with data
- Clear primary action to add first item
- Optional: Pre-populate with example data

### Tooltips and Guided Tours

**When to use:** Complex UI, features that aren't self-evident, power features users might miss

**Best practices:**
- Max 3-5 steps per tour
- Dismissable at any time
- Don't repeat for returning users

---

## Multi-Channel Onboarding

### Email + In-App Coordination

**Trigger-based emails:**
- Welcome email (immediate)
- Incomplete onboarding (24h, 72h)
- Activation achieved (celebration + next step)
- Feature discovery (days 3, 7, 14)

**Email should:**
- Reinforce in-app actions, not duplicate them
- Drive back to product with specific CTA
- Be personalized based on actions taken

---

## Handling Stalled Users

### Detection
Define "stalled" criteria (X days inactive, incomplete setup)

### Re-engagement Tactics

1. **Email sequence** - Reminder of value, address blockers, offer help
2. **In-app recovery** - Welcome back, pick up where left off
3. **Human touch** - For high-value accounts, personal outreach

---

## Measurement

### Key Metrics

| Metric | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| Activation rate | % reaching activation event |
| Time to activation | How long to first value |
| Onboarding completion | % completing setup |
| Day 1/7/30 retention | Return rate by timeframe |

### Funnel Analysis

Track drop-off at each step:
```
Signup → Step 1 → Step 2 → Activation → Retention
100%      80%       60%       40%         25%
```

Identify biggest drops and focus there.

---

## Output Format

### Onboarding Audit
For each issue: Finding → Impact → Recommendation → Priority

### Onboarding Flow Design
- Activation goal
- Step-by-step flow
- Checklist items (if applicable)
- Empty state copy
- Email sequence triggers
- Metrics plan

---

## Common Patterns by Product Type

| Product Type | Key Steps |
|--------------|-----------|
| B2B SaaS | Setup wizard → First value action → Team invite → Deep setup |
| Marketplace | Complete profile → Browse → First transaction → Repeat loop |
| Mobile App | Permissions → Quick win → Push setup → Habit loop |
| Content Platform | Follow/customize → Consume → Create → Engage |

---

## Experiment Ideas

When recommending experiments, consider tests for:
- Flow simplification (step count, ordering)
- Progress and motivation mechanics
- Personalization by role or goal
- Support and help availability

**For comprehensive experiment ideas**: See [references/experiments.md](references/experiments.md)

---

## Task-Specific Questions

1. What action most correlates with retention?
2. What happens immediately after signup?
3. Where do users currently drop off?
4. What's your activation rate target?
5. Do you have cohort analysis on successful vs. churned users?

---

## Boundaries

- Do not invent an activation event, retention correlation, cohort result, or benchmark when product data is unavailable.
- Do not change product flows, permissions, notifications, experiments, or analytics without explicit authorization.
- Do not add friction, forced invitations, premature paywalls, or manipulative progress mechanics merely to improve a local metric.
- Do not decide sensitive-data collection, consent, accessibility, or product-risk policy for the user.

## Routing

- Use `suede-signup` for registration before first-run onboarding.
- Use `suede-emails` for onboarding email sequences and `suede-paywalls` for upgrade moments.
- Use `suede-ab-testing` to validate onboarding changes and `suede-analytics` to measure activation.