'Get Started' onboarding checklist for free trials: +127% paid
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsA new onboarding flow built around a central 'Get Started' checklist lifted free-trial-to-paid conversions in VWO by 127%.
Wingify, the company behind VWO, ran this 25-day split test on its own product, and it was published as a VWO case study.
The checklist shipped with various other UX changes, so the result belongs to the whole new flow, not the checklist alone.
- Free-trial-to-paid conversion: +127% versus the old onboarding.
- More trial users set up tracking and campaigns across the platform, testing and insights products. Exact figures were not given here.
- Negative signal: fewer users went back to view heatmap reports or session recordings several times, so the flow got people set up but not back to their reports.
- Sample size and confidence level were not shared.
The change
Scattered setup tasks are replaced by a central step-by-step 'Get Started' checklist.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Free-trial users landed on a dashboard where setup tasks were spread across different parts of the product. A sign-up form for individual capabilities sat on the dashboard.
Variant
A central 'Get Started' tab gave trial users a step-by-step checklist: account setup such as data center and privacy settings, installing the tracking code, and discovering advanced features. Other UX changes shipped with it.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Research showed users didn't know what to do next because setup tasks were scattered. One checklist gives a clear path.
- Installing the tracking code is the step that makes the product useful, and the checklist put it up front.
- Ticking off tasks gives visible progress, which can keep trial users moving.
- much of the work customer success managers did by hand moved into the product itself.
Caveats: Bundled: the checklist shipped with various other UX changes, so no single element can take the credit. The vendor tested and reported on its own product, and sample size was not shared.
Who ran it
VWO ran this test and published the results (VWO case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on VWO →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we give new trial users one central checklist that walks them through the key setup steps, then more will convert to paid because they reach the product's value sooner.
- Primary metric
- Free-trial-to-paid conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Completion of the key setup step (for example, code installed)
- Repeat usage of core features after setup
- Support or onboarding call volume
- Who should test it
- SaaS products with a free trial where users must complete technical setup before they see value. It matters less for simple tools that work right after sign-up.
Questions
Do onboarding checklists improve SaaS trial conversion?
They can. Wingify saw trial-to-paid conversion rise 127% after adding a 'Get Started' checklist, though other UX changes shipped at the same time.
What should go in an onboarding checklist?
The few steps a user must finish before the product is useful, in order.
For VWO that meant account settings, installing the tracking code and finding key features.
What should I watch after launching a checklist?
Check whether users come back to use the product after setup.
Wingify found fewer users returning to their reports, which became its next test.