Introduction

Short onboarding can hurt results. This article shows why adding steps can boost trust and lift conversions by building user confidence.

What's the problem it solves?

Teams think fewer steps always mean better conversion. This ignores confidence. Some users need more proof and clarity before they commit.

Quick Summary

At Sesame Care, a 3 step checkout was replaced with a 25 step intake. Instead of losing users, conversion grew by 40%. Each step explained the care, reduced fear, and made people feel safe with their choice.

The key idea is confidence engineering. The goal is not fewer steps. The goal is helping users feel sure when making a decision. Some steps remove doubt and add trust. Others only slow people down.

Short onboarding works when stakes are low, like swiping on a dating app. Long onboarding works when stakes are high, like health or money. What matters is matching the flow to how risky and unclear the decision feels.

Key Takeaways

• Not all friction is bad. Some friction builds trust.
• High risk decisions need more confidence, not speed.
• Short onboarding works only when stakes are low.
• Long onboarding works when it explains value and risk.
• Bad onboarding lives in the middle and does neither well.

What to do

• Define your main aha moment and build toward it
• Judge risk from the user point of view, not yours
• Remove steps that feel like busy work
• Add steps that explain value or reduce fear
• Decide clearly if your flow should be short or deep and commit to it

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