Redefining Onboarding to Drive Growth

Background

Zapier is a no-code automation platform that connects thousands of apps, helping users automate workflows without developer assistance. However, onboarding new users and guiding them to create their first automation (or “Zap”) effectively was a major challenge.

My role as a Product Designer on the Activation Team was to bridge this gap—ensuring new users could quickly understand Zapier’s value, discover relevant use cases, and take meaningful first steps.

Challenges

We identified key friction points in the onboarding experience:

  • Multiple entry points: Users signed up through various paths, making a one-size-fits-all approach ineffective.

  • Unclear use cases: Without specifying their preferred apps, users struggled to see how Zapier could help them.

  • Low initial engagement: Users who didn’t create a successful Zap in their first session were significantly less likely to return.

  • Complexity: Zapier’s wide-ranging capabilities often overwhelmed first-time users.By leveraging these strategies, our team aimed to enhance user satisfaction and drive adoption of the Zapier platform.

Approach & Design Process

To tackle these challenges, we adopted a rapid experimentation and iterative design approach:

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User Research & Insights

  • Conducted user interviews, Jobs-to-be-Done analysis, and data analysis to identify pain points.
  • Mapped the user journey to uncover drop-off points in the onboarding flow.
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Rapid Prototyping & Testing

  • Designed and tested multiple onboarding flows using A/B experiments.
  • Developed an “Inspiration Gallery” MVP, showcasing automation examples tailored to users’ needs.
  • Iterated on use-case-driven onboarding, prompting users to select their work tools upfront to deliver personalized recommendations.
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Strategic Product & Business Alignment

Beyond design execution, I played a key role in product discovery and strategic decision-making.

I worked closely with product managers, engineers, and cross-functional teams to prioritize features that aligned with both user needs and business objectives.

Impact and Results

Our data-driven, iterative design approach led to significant improvements:

  • +3% increase in new users successfully creating their first Zap.

  • Reduced onboarding drop-off rate by 6%, improving long-term retention.

  • Enhanced user understanding of Zapier’s value, as seen in improved qualitative feedback and user satisfaction scores.

  • Accelerated experimentation cycles by shifting to two-week design sprints, allowing us to validate hypotheses faster.

Other Contributions

  • Led the creation of an Opportunity Tree to map out potential improvements, helping the team prioritize high-impact areas.

  • Redesigned the Zapier homepage to clarify the value proposition and improve navigation, increasing engagement.

  • Enhanced the design system by adding reusable components, ensuring UI consistency across the product.

  • Revamped the email newsletter, optimizing for responsiveness and better usability across devices.
Key Takeaways
All these efforst reinforced the power of user-centered design and data-driven iteration in driving business impact. By balancing discovery with execution, we transformed Zapier’s onboarding from a friction-filled experience to a structured, engaging journey—empowering more users to unlock the full potential of automation.

Solutions & Deliverables