Confidence: medium-high Segment: new workspace admins Last updated: not provided

# Should onboarding start with a checklist or inline tips?

Recommend a short activation checklist that unlocks contextual tips after the first task is complete. The evidence points to blank-start anxiety more than lack of feature discovery.

5/8 Interviewed admins described the first workspace setup as unclear.
31% Activation drop noted after project creation, before inviting teammates.
2 Contradictory signals suggest power users prefer less guided setup.
Recommended move

Ship a reversible checklist experiment for first-time admins, capped at four steps and dismissed after activation.

What could be wrong The drop may come from permission anxiety rather than onboarding structure.
Measure next Invite completion, first task created, and checklist dismissal within 24 hours.
Reversible step A/B test a local checklist panel against current empty state for one sprint.

## Evidence ledger

Filter by source type. Quotes are shown only where the source material supplied them.

I-02 interview strong

### Admins do not know what a "ready" workspace looks like.

> "I created the project, then stared at the empty board because I wasn't sure what counted as done."

I-05 interview medium

### Users accept guidance when it is tied to the next visible outcome.

> "If it told me the next thing to do with my team, I would follow it. I don't want a tour."

T-11 support strong

### Support tickets mention setup order more than feature location.

> 24 tickets tagged onboarding; 11 ask what to configure first.

M-01 analytics medium

### Drop-off clusters before the invitation step.

> 31% drop after project creation; sample size not provided.

T-18 support medium

### Teams ask for examples, not more tooltips.

> "Can you show a sample project setup for a marketing team?"

S-03 stakeholder weak

### Sales wants fewer setup questions during demos.

> Stakeholder belief: guided setup will reduce demo friction.

I-07 interview medium

### Power users want a bypass.

> "I would close a checklist immediately if I already know the workflow."

M-03 analytics weak

### Inline tips have unknown effect in this product.

> Existing tips were not instrumented; impact not provided.

## Theme map

The strongest themes explain behavior, not just requested UI components.

High confidence

### Blank-start anxiety blocks activation.

New admins need a visible definition of progress before they explore advanced features.

I-02 T-11 M-01
Medium confidence

### Outcome-tied guidance beats generic tours.

Participants rejected walkthroughs but welcomed instructions that create a real workspace outcome.

I-05 T-18
Medium confidence

### Guidance needs an escape hatch.

Experienced admins may see persistent onboarding as friction unless it is dismissible and state-aware.

I-07 M-03

## Opportunity matrix

Scores use a 1 to 5 scale. Higher implementation-risk score means lower delivery risk.

Opportunity | Evidence | User pain | Business leverage | Low risk | Total | Decision note
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Four-step activation checklist | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 17 | Best fit because it directly addresses blank-start anxiety and can be A/B tested.
Contextual inline tips only | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 | Useful later, but current evidence says users need sequence before feature hints.
Sample project generator | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 13 | Promising, but larger product and data-model surface than a checklist experiment.
Long onboarding wizard | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 9 | Likely too rigid for teams with different setup styles.

## Decision memo

1. Recommended move: Test a four-step checklist for first-time admins.
2. Why now: Activation drops before team invite and users describe uncertainty in setup order.
3. Evidence: I-02, T-11, and M-01 point to progress-definition gaps.
4. What could be wrong: The drop may be caused by invite anxiety or permissions, not the empty state itself.
5. Measure next: Invite completion, first task creation, and time to first shared project.
6. Reversible step: Ship to 25% of new workspaces for one sprint with a dismissible panel.

## Contradictions

1. Power users want less guidance, so the checklist must disappear after activation or explicit dismissal.
2. Support data overrepresents users who ask for help; silent churn remains under-instrumented.
3. Inline tips might still matter after first progress, but the current dataset does not prove it.

## Experiment queue

Each test is designed to validate a decision, not to decorate the interface.

01

### Checklist A/B

Expose a four-step checklist to 25% of new admin workspaces for one sprint.

Owner
  Growth product manager
Metric
  Invite completion within 24h
Threshold
  +8% relative lift
Learning
  Does progress framing beat current blank state?

02

### Dismissal study

Track whether experienced admins dismiss the checklist and whether dismissal predicts higher activation.

Owner
  Activation analyst
Metric
  Dismissal then activation
Threshold
  No negative activation delta
Learning
  Is an escape hatch enough for power users?

03

### Example project probe

Prototype one sample project card in moderated testing before committing to generation.

Owner
  User research lead
Metric
  Task completion confidence
Threshold
  6 of 8 users explain next step
Learning
  Do examples solve the same anxiety better?

## Assumptions and limitations

Sample size, dates, and acquisition channels were not provided. Support tickets may overrepresent confused users. Stakeholder input was used for framing only, not as proof. The recommendation should be treated as a reversible product experiment, not a roadmap commitment.