Onboarding checklist: Mural's A/B test

The bottom line

Mural replaced confusing pop-ups and banners with a five-step onboarding checklist and lifted one-week retention by 10% relative. Guiding new users to key first actions makes onboarding more engaging and effective.

Key takeaways

• A five-step checklist beat pop-ups and banners for onboarding. The old pop-ups and banners were confusing, and the checklist gave a clear path through the first session.
  • The checklist guides new users through their first session.
• The checklist pushed users toward actions that predict long-term engagement. Those actions are strong indicators that a user will stay.
  • Examples are creating a board and adding a sticky note.
• The change raised one-week retention by 10% relative. Retention is the outcome the simpler onboarding was meant to improve.

The test

Mural swapped pop-ups and banners for a five-step checklist to guide new users and improve retention.

• The old onboarding relied on pop-ups and banners that confused users.
  • The new version replaced them with a single, clear checklist.
  • The checklist covers a new user's first session.
• The checklist was built around key actions tied to long-term engagement.
  • Creating a board is one of the steps.
  • Adding a sticky note is another.

The result

The checklist produced a 10% relative increase in one-week retention.

• The streamlined flow made onboarding more engaging and effective.
  • The measured gain was in retention after one week.