Firstrun runs onboarding checklists inside other people's products, so I can see where their users stop. Aggregated over 60 products, with permission.
The single biggest improvement I see is removing a step. Not rewording it. Removing it.
This matches every teardown I do. People defend step 3 as if it were their child. It is usually "tell us about your company".
THIS is my screen 3!! 40% leave!! It asks them to pick five habits. What if it only asked for one?!
One. Then let them add the others after their first tick. You are asking for the commitment before the reward.
Researcher's note: these are completion rates, not outcomes. Do you have retention at 30 days split by how many steps people finished? It is possible the people who quit at step 3 were never going to stay.
Fair. For the 22 products that share it with me: finishing step 1 only, 19% are active at day 30. Finishing all steps, 52%. But you are right that I cannot separate cause from keenness.
"Removing a step" is the only product strategy I have left. Deleted another feature on Friday. Recommend it.