First-Run Experience Template for Product Growth

Individual steps should be skippable. The overall FRE should not be forced. Let power users who know what they are doing skip ahead to the product. But make the guided path the default and the easiest option. Most users who skip onboarding do not activate. Track skip rates by step to identify which steps feel like unnecessary friction.

Under 5 minutes for simple products (note-taking, task management). Under 15 minutes for complex products (analytics platforms, development tools). Anything over 15 minutes should have a "quick start" option that gets users to first value fast, with advanced setup deferred to later. The [Product Analytics Handbook](/analytics-guide) covers time-to-value benchmarks by product category.

Both. Offer templates and sample data as the default path, with a "start from scratch" option for users who prefer it. Sample data reduces the blank-canvas problem and shows users what the product looks like when it is working. The key is making sample data editable and deletable so it feels like a starting point, not clutter.

Tooltip tours that walk users through the UI step by step have low completion rates (typically 20-30%). They teach users about buttons, not about value. Better approach: guide users through their first real action. Instead of "This is the Create button," say "Let's create your first project together" and walk them through the actual workflow with inline guidance.

Ask a segmentation question early (during signup or as the first FRE step) and branch the experience. Keep it to 2-3 paths maximum. The branching should change content (which templates, which empty states, which checklist items) not structure (the number of steps and overall flow should be similar). The [self-serve onboarding template](/templates/self-serve-onboarding-template) covers multi-persona onboarding design. ---