Onboarding includes more than mechanical instruction, tooltips, and how-to guides. Its impact affects not only a user’s ability to interact but also the experience they take away after. Knowing what buttons to press does little to give deep meaning or greater context to the experience as a whole.
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Lenses of Experience
When dropped into a new and unfamiliar digital space, users will be looking for signifiers– cues on how to navigate and understand the space they are inhabiting. Not only how to interact, but also in what ways they can engage with the world and what impact they can make.
Each user will bring their own set of expectations and biases that will color how they perceive the world. Examine the onboarding experience through different lenses to identify the conventions and deviations present in the design.
System: relationship between human and computer, how to interact
World: the space they inhabit and its representation, where interaction occurs
Progress: what there is to do, why continue interacting
Onboarding’s job is to focus on and highlight the elements a user needs to adopt into their mental model of what is possible within the interactive experience. Viewed from these perspectives, onboarding tasks can guide users more holistically, encompassing the how, where, and why of their experience.
System
interacting → system
Users need to be familiar with rules and conventions of a game, as well as any options to alter the system’s behavior.
World
enviroment + setting
Information a user needs to know about the digital world in which they are interacting.
Progression
engagement loop ↔
The activities that incentivise play within the system and the mechanics that reward participation to build motivation.
Onboard user to:
- controls + keybindings
- operational rules
- accessibility options
- performance and gameplay prefrences
Let user get to know:
- worldbuilding
- characters
- role in story, stakes
- themes/tone
Make sure user understands:
- game systems
- interactive elements
- rewards
- motivation
Questions for Assessment
Examining interaction through these perspectives helps extract the working knowledge someone would need to have an optimal experience. Further questions refine the concepts into discrete pieces of information– the fundamentals . Next comes determining what methods might be used to explain to the user as well as reinforcing its adoption, and foreseeing any gaps along the way.
For each system, world, and progression, ask:
Fundamentals
What discrete knowledge is needed to properly interact or experience essential components of the system? What actions comprise the complete critical path?
Methods
How will that information be conveyed to the user? What indicators are used, and do they occur within appropriate time and context?
Enforcement
How do the disparate pieces contribute to the cohesion of the world/experience? Is the user’s comprehension tested in any way? Are there possible contradictory elements? Can the info be referenced again?
Gaps
What risks are associated with a user missing this information? What else can be affected if this does not work as intended? How will their experience be impacted if they miss this?
In Conclusion...
-Onboarding should introduce concepts to a user beyond what buttons to press. Ensuring the initial interactions both familiarize them with the world and prime expectations on things to come.
-How they come to understand the mechanics of interaction with the system, the rendition of the world it is happening in, and the goals set forth for them greatly color their overall impression.
-Viewing onboarding from a more holistic perspective will allow new users to more seamlessly immerse themselves in the experience.