est. 3-5 min read
Mobile app
Interaction Design
Visual Design
Feature Redesign
Progressive Disclosure
Agile
B2C
Design handed off
Onboarding Flow Redesign for Social Dining App Boost Initial Engagement
Dave redesigned user onboarding flow for Dynery app, which allows users to sign-up faster and setting up their dining taste profile easier. An overall more intuitive and welcoming experience.
My Role
Product Designer
collaborators
Product Manager
Frontend & Backend Developers
tIMEline
6 Weeks
Followed by rounds of continuous iteration
Product overview
Dynery
Don't trust the rating, trust your own taste
Trofimo's customer-facing digital dining app Dynery is a place for foodies to explore independent food & beverage businesses to dine-in, socialize, and coordinate group dining events.
From data and user feedback, I identified that the previous onboarding flow was unintuitive, causing high dropping off rate for new users.
Previous onboarding flow in the MVP
📜
Complex and lengthy (12 mandatory screens)
🕵️♂️
Too much personal info commitment from user
❓
Requesting device's permissions with little/no context
📉
Significant dropped off
In 6 weeks, I redesigned the solution with
🕊️
A modularized flow brings user clarity & efficiency
🗂️
Clearer info hierarchy to reduce user cognitive load
🤝
Meet users where they are & show values before asking
🎯
Tailored flow for invited users better serve users' intent
Skip to See Solution
What I did
Led the design of a complete redesign of the product's onboarding flow to avoid drop-off and spark engagement.
Create UX Artifacts to facilitate internal communication clarity
Iterate design from sketch, wireframes, to high-fidelity prototype
Conduct user testings, collecting feedback, and transform insights to actionable design optimizations
Compose design doc, feature spec sheet to guarantee a smooth design handover to Devs
The Impact
The optimized new flow not only achieved a 100% completion rate, and over 2X operation time reduction*, but also seamlessly guided new users towards the new group dining planning tools.
*Data measured in a controlled testing environment, compared to data from MVP
solution quick glance
What Does the Solution Looks Like
understanding the problem
How Did I Define the Problem
Problem Statement
The current onboarding process is lengthy, confusing, and failed to guide users effectively sometimes, which led to significant drop-off and losing new users.
Design Question
How might we make the onboarding process fast & intuitive and allow invited users to complete their desired tasks timely?
Insights
What Are Current Design's Problems
🧩
Insight #1
Too soon, too much
Asking for too much too soon creates friction. Users want to understand the value of the app before sharing personal details or giving device permissions.
🌀
Insight #2
Visually Clustered
Even motivated users drop off when the UI feels messy. A lack of structure made it too hard to find relevant dining preference tags.
📩
Insight #3
Users' Intent Not Met
Invited users arrive with context and intent. Supporting their social tasks early in onboarding can drive faster activation and stronger emotional connection.
previous design
What Could be Done Better
IDENTIFY ISSUES
How Users insights Informed me
design goal
What Should A Success Solution Achieve
Ideation process
How Did I Turn a Concept to Delivery
INTERACTION FLOW
How Did We Make the Process Intuitive, Effective & Seamless?
"What is the absolute minimum information and interaction needed for a user to understand and start using this product effectively?"
Interaction flow helped me strip away assumptions and led directly to the most intuitive solution for new users.
An example of interaction flows, please contact Dave for more detail
🎯
Focusing on the Real Goal,
Not Just Tasks
💡
Brainstorming the Solution Non-Digitally
iNFORMATION ARCHITECTURE (ia)
How Did I Inform Other Stakeholders About the Upcoming Design?
I use Information Architecture during ideation to establish a clear, logical structure for presenting information and tasks, ensuring the user's path to understanding and activation is efficient and intuitive from the solution, and also align with collaborators in the team to ensure a smoother design turnover.
An example of IA, please contact Dave for more detail
protoryping
How Did I Turn Artifacts into Screens
I started with hand sketches to communicate ideas, mid-fidelity prototypes for devs to evaluate the developing feasibilities, and high-fidelity prototype for design validation.
Besides, I wrote and edited design docs to better hand off designs to Developers.
Early stage sketches
Solution
How Does the Improved Solution Work
01
How Might We Reduce Completion Time?
Product value unclear
Cognitive overload
Modularized Flow with Progressive Disclosure
I initiated the solution by breaking the original single long, undismissible onboarding process into 3 modules:
ONB 1: Account sign-up
ONB 2: Invited users exclusive flow & quick actions
ONB 3: Building dining profile & engage when users want to do so
Users can immediately engage with the app's key features after their account created (ONB 1).
This approach enables users to effortlessly grasp the benefits upfront, fostering deeper engagement and allowing them to decide when they're ready to commit further activities.
Before
Complete account sign-up, basic info, app introduction, and setting up dining profile all-at-once.
Asking users to do too much causing users drop-off at this stage.
After
Users only need to do the bare-minimum to start exploring the app.
Providing guidance visuals for new users to walk through the optional steps seamlessly.
02
How Might We Improve Clarity in Communication
Visually clustered
Cognitive overload
Don't make users think
My redesigned experience is aiming to be simple and approachable with
intuitive interactions
clear visual feedback
proper color-coding
appropriate guidance
a well-defined information hierarchy
This clarity in design helps users effortlessly navigate the interface, reducing feelings of overwhelm and creating a smoother, more engaging first interaction.
03
How Might We
Build Trust Between Users & the Product?
Product value unclear
Be users' peer, not a lecturer
In improved onboarding flow, I acted on both the timing & presentation of the permission request messages.
By pairing friendly, jargon‑free prompts with clear explanations of the benefit each permission unlocks, we request access only when it’s contextually relevant.
This just‑in‑time, need‑based approach keeps the flow almost invisible, building trust while letting users experience the feature value before committing.
Before
A series of device permission requests pops-up at the end of on boarding process without additional context, leading a bad first impression of the product
After
Keeping permission asks contextual, benefit-oriented, and visually calm
04
How Might We Support Users Needs Based on Their Context & Intent?
Invited users goal is not met
Understanding Users Goals and Provide a Expedite Route
I incorporated a specific onboarding experience built exclusively for invited users.
The tailor‑made flow gives invited users a sense of exclusivity and belonging while letting them complete high‑value tasks in seconds: building momentum and engagement from the moment they enter Dynery.
By providing a expedite flow for them to respond to their friends invitation right at account signing-up, they do not need to go into the app and figure everything out mannually.
Before
❌ No tailored experience available for invited users
After
design validation
How Did I Make Sure the Solution is Effective
Designing a Usability Test that Helps Us Identify Room of Improvement
Heuristic usability testing with 10 Participants
Validate both the logical and visual adjustments
Test participants liked:
An immediate access to the app’s main experience
Tailored quick action options for invited users
The tests confirmed that the redesigned onboarding flows significantly improves user clarity and reduces friction.
Feedback collected & followup iteration
✨
iterated solution via testing
Streamlining the Repetitive Steps
“I feel like I’ve been keep seeing this screen many times” - P7
Painpoint
Extra clicks when user adding fav places and same info will be shown multiple times
Direction
Continuous adding flow without interuption
⚠️ Tested version
🌀 Several repeated clicks
✅ Iterated version
✨ Non-interrupted flow
🔍
iterated solution via testing
Providing Context Before Requiring User Acts
“I wanna see who’s in the group before I join” - P2
Painpoint
User expressed hesitancy when asked to join the group
Direction
Provide more clarity by incorporating a bottom-sheet modal
⚠️ Tested version
🚫 Lacks group chat context
✅ Iterated version
✅ A pop-up added to provide more context
Final outcome & impact
Does the Solution Work?
In Feb 2025, the improved new onboarding flows' design has been handed over to developers, and expected to be launched by summer. We are expect to iterate the design continuously over the long run.
⏱️
faster
Increased Efficiency
Significant reduced task completion time
24 Sec
100% of native sign-up test participants (not using third-party log-in) completed the basic onboarding (ONB-1) within 24 seconds and entered home page
70% Time Reduced
Over 70% time reduced compared to previous solution, which is expected leading a significant lower user drop off rate during onboarding.
50% Less Clicks
Number of clicks for users to enter the app experience (display homepage) reduced from 15-20 clicks to 4-10 clicks based on user's sign-up method.
🧭
easier
Improved New User Journey Expect to Boost More Engagement
Optimized flows are easier to follow
0 Hesitancy or Confusion
9 out of 10 test participants reports 0 issue, hesitancy, or confusion when interacting with the new onboarding process & user dining profile creation.
Efficiency ↑
3 of 10 participants offered feedback during design validation, and I made corresponding adjustment to address the user feedbacks, which further increased screen real estate efficiency & reduced cognitive load.
Made in Seattle with ❤️