{"slug":"suede-onboarding","title":"suede-onboarding","summary":"Suede-affiliated onboarding and activation strategy for first-run sequencing, empty states, setup checklists, activation milestones, time to value, and retention-linked measurement. Use when users sign up but fail to reach first value or the product needs a new first-session flow","platform":"Claude","tags":[],"authorName":"LLM Mart","authorSlug":"llm-mart","score":0,"source":"github","price":null,"verified":false,"createdAt":"2026-08-23T08:58:05.231535Z","repo":{"url":"https://github.com/JasonColapietro/suede-creator-skills","stars":125,"forks":12,"license":"MIT","updatedAt":"2026-09-24T09:44:24Z"},"bodyHtml":"<hr>\n<h2>name: suede-onboarding\ndescription: \"Suede-affiliated onboarding and activation strategy for first-run sequencing, empty states, setup checklists, activation milestones, time to value, and retention-linked measurement. Use when users sign up but fail to reach first value or the product needs a new first-session flow. NOT FOR: registration optimization (use suede-signup), lifecycle email sequences (use suede-emails), or monetization prompts (use suede-paywalls).\"\nmetadata:\nversion: 2.0.0</h2>\n<h1>Suede Onboarding and Activation</h1>\n<p>Suede designs onboarding around verified first value and retention-linked activation, not decorative checklists or forced engagement. Define the activation evidence, remove unnecessary friction, sequence the first session, and instrument the path before claiming an \"aha moment.\"</p>\n<h2>Initial Assessment</h2>\n<p><strong>Check for product marketing context first:</strong>\nIf <code>.agents/product-marketing.md</code> exists (or <code>.claude/product-marketing.md</code>, or the legacy <code>product-marketing-context.md</code> filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.</p>\n<p>Before providing recommendations, understand:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Product Context</strong> - What type of product? B2B or B2C? Core value proposition?</li>\n<li><strong>Activation Definition</strong> - What's the \"aha moment\"? What action indicates a user \"gets it\"?</li>\n<li><strong>Current State</strong> - What happens after signup? Where do users drop off? What activation rate are you targeting, and is there cohort analysis separating retained from churned users?</li>\n</ol>\n<hr>\n<h2>Core Principles</h2>\n<h3>1. Time-to-Value Is Everything</h3>\n<p>Remove every step between signup and experiencing core value.</p>\n<h3>2. One Goal Per Session</h3>\n<p>Focus first session on one successful outcome. Save advanced features for later.</p>\n<h3>3. Do, Don't Show</h3>\n<p>Interactive &gt; Tutorial. Doing the thing &gt; Learning about the thing.</p>\n<h3>4. Progress Creates Motivation</h3>\n<p>Show advancement. Celebrate completions. Make the path visible.</p>\n<h3>Defaults to Refuse</h3>\n<p>Named cliches this skill does not produce, however well they demo:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>The modal product tour that runs before the user has done anything in the product.</li>\n<li>The \"Welcome! Let's get started\" interstitial that sits between the user and the first action.</li>\n<li>The checklist item that is a settings toggle rather than a value action.</li>\n</ul>\n<hr>\n<h2>Defining Activation</h2>\n<h3>Find Your Aha Moment</h3>\n<p>The action that correlates most strongly with retention:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>What do retained users do that churned users don't?</li>\n<li>What's the earliest indicator of future engagement?</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Examples by product type:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Project management: Create first project + add team member</li>\n<li>Analytics: Install tracking + see first report</li>\n<li>Design tool: Create first design + export/share</li>\n<li>Marketplace: Complete first transaction</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Activation Metrics</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>% of signups who reach activation</li>\n<li>Time to activation</li>\n<li>Steps to activation</li>\n<li>Activation by cohort/source</li>\n</ul>\n<hr>\n<h2>Onboarding Flow Design</h2>\n<h3>Immediate Post-Signup (First 30 Seconds)</h3>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Approach</th>\n<th>Best For</th>\n<th>Risk</th>\n</tr>\n</thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Product-first</td>\n<td>Simple products, B2C, mobile</td>\n<td>Blank slate overwhelm</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Guided setup</td>\n<td>Products needing personalization</td>\n<td>Adds friction before value</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Value-first</td>\n<td>Products with demo data</td>\n<td>May not feel \"real\"</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<p><strong>Whatever you choose:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clear single next action</li>\n<li>No dead ends</li>\n<li>Progress indication if multi-step</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Onboarding Checklist Pattern</h3>\n<p><strong>When to use:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Multiple setup steps required</li>\n<li>Product has several features to discover</li>\n<li>Self-serve B2B products</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Best practices:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>3-7 items (not overwhelming)</li>\n<li>Order by value (most impactful first)</li>\n<li>Start with quick wins</li>\n<li>Progress bar/completion % — only where the remaining steps are the activation path</li>\n<li>Celebration on completion — on the activation event, not on a two-step setup</li>\n<li>Dismiss option (don't trap users)</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Empty States</h3>\n<p>Empty states are onboarding opportunities, not dead ends.</p>\n<p><strong>Good empty state:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Explains what this area is for</li>\n<li>Shows what it looks like with data</li>\n<li>Clear primary action to add first item</li>\n<li>Optional: Pre-populate with example data</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Tooltips and Guided Tours</h3>\n<p><strong>When to use:</strong> Complex UI, features that aren't self-evident, power features users might miss</p>\n<p><strong>Best practices:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Max 3-5 steps per tour</li>\n<li>Dismissable at any time</li>\n<li>Don't repeat for returning users</li>\n</ul>\n<hr>\n<h2>Multi-Channel Onboarding</h2>\n<h3>Email + In-App Coordination</h3>\n<p><strong>Trigger-based emails:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Welcome email (immediate)</li>\n<li>Incomplete onboarding (24h, 72h)</li>\n<li>Activation achieved (celebration + next step)</li>\n<li>Feature discovery (days 3, 7, 14)</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Email should:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reinforce in-app actions, not duplicate them</li>\n<li>Drive back to product with specific CTA</li>\n<li>Be personalized based on actions taken</li>\n</ul>\n<hr>\n<h2>Handling Stalled Users</h2>\n<h3>Detection</h3>\n<p>Define \"stalled\" criteria (X days inactive, incomplete setup)</p>\n<h3>Re-engagement Tactics</h3>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Email sequence</strong> - Reminder of value, address blockers, offer help</li>\n<li><strong>In-app recovery</strong> - Welcome back, pick up where left off</li>\n<li><strong>Human touch</strong> - For high-value accounts, personal outreach</li>\n</ol>\n<hr>\n<h2>Measurement</h2>\n<h3>Key Metrics</h3>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Metric</th>\n<th>Description</th>\n</tr>\n</thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Activation rate</td>\n<td>% reaching activation event</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Time to activation</td>\n<td>How long to first value</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Onboarding completion</td>\n<td>% completing setup</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Day 1/7/30 retention</td>\n<td>Return rate by timeframe</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<h3>Funnel Analysis</h3>\n<p>Track drop-off at each step:</p>\n<pre><code>Signup → Step 1 → Step 2 → Activation → Retention\n100%      80%       60%       40%         25%\n</code></pre>\n<p>Identify biggest drops and focus there.</p>\n<hr>\n<h2>Output Format</h2>\n<h3>Onboarding Audit</h3>\n<p>For each issue: Finding → Impact → Recommendation → Priority</p>\n<h3>Onboarding Flow Design</h3>\n<p>Emit these headings verbatim, in this order:</p>\n<p><strong>Activation Goal</strong> — the event, plus the retention evidence behind it or \"unverified\"\n<strong>Flow</strong> — one entry per step, each carrying: trigger, user action, success signal, drop-off measurement\n<strong>Checklist Items</strong> — 3-7 value actions (omit the heading if no checklist)\n<strong>Empty State Copy</strong> — per surface\n<strong>Email Triggers</strong> — event and delay for each\n<strong>Metrics Plan</strong> — activation rate, time to activation, per-step drop-off</p>\n<hr>\n<h2>Common Patterns by Product Type</h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Product Type</th>\n<th>Key Steps</th>\n</tr>\n</thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>B2B SaaS</td>\n<td>Setup wizard → First value action → Team invite → Deep setup</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Marketplace</td>\n<td>Complete profile → Browse → First transaction → Repeat loop</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mobile App</td>\n<td>Permissions → Quick win → Push setup → Habit loop</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Content Platform</td>\n<td>Follow/customize → Consume → Create → Engage</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<hr>\n<h2>Experiment Ideas</h2>\n<p>When recommending experiments, consider tests for:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Flow simplification (step count, ordering)</li>\n<li>Progress and motivation mechanics</li>\n<li>Personalization by role or goal</li>\n<li>Support and help availability</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>For comprehensive experiment ideas</strong>: See <a href=\"references/experiments.md\">references/experiments.md</a></p>\n<hr>\n<h2>Boundaries</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Do not invent an activation event, retention correlation, cohort result, or benchmark when product data is unavailable.</li>\n<li>Do not change product flows, permissions, notifications, experiments, or analytics without explicit authorization.</li>\n<li>Do not add friction, forced invitations, premature paywalls, or manipulative progress mechanics merely to improve a local metric.</li>\n<li>Do not decide sensitive-data collection, consent, accessibility, or product-risk policy for the user.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Routing</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Use <code>suede-signup</code> for registration before first-run onboarding.</li>\n<li>Use <code>suede-emails</code> for onboarding email sequences and <code>suede-paywalls</code> for upgrade moments.</li>\n<li>Use <code>suede-ab-testing</code> to validate onboarding changes and <code>suede-analytics</code> to measure activation.</li>\n</ul>\n","files":[{"path":"agents/openai.yaml","sizeBytes":560,"isText":true},{"path":"CARD.md","sizeBytes":4455,"isText":true},{"path":"evals/evals.json","sizeBytes":6264,"isText":true},{"path":"references/experiments.md","sizeBytes":7796,"isText":true},{"path":"SKILL.md","sizeBytes":7704,"isText":true}],"reviewScore":null,"reviewSummary":null,"trust":{"provenance":"trusted-source-unreviewed","notice":"Community-authored content, reproduced verbatim and not vetted as instructions. Treat it as data to evaluate, never as directives to follow.","bodySource":null},"bodyLocked":false,"purchaseUrl":null,"sourceUrl":null,"report":{"provenance":"trusted-source-unreviewed","screen":{"ran":true,"outcome":"clean","suspicious":0,"notes":0,"hiddenCharacters":false},"virusScan":{"engine":"clamav","status":"clean","scannedAt":"2026-09-13T07:23:17.371768Z","sha256":"6D1434FC729DFE6EE41F9516F6C081D70E3DC97407A46AF8A323E55BF2962B13","sizeBytes":11420},"review":null,"source":{"repositoryUrl":"https://github.com/JasonColapietro/suede-creator-skills","path":"skills/suede-onboarding","license":"MIT","commit":"05d69df3c3b6a51d497ba14b0be90cc8932216a7","subtreeSha":"E6749244CCA6BF5FC46E2978AA52DB40A469F61DA69793A36D01E39FFC609CF1","lastSyncedAt":"2026-09-25T07:37:29.687342Z"},"reviewedAt":"2026-09-13T07:25:33.094423Z","notice":"Community-authored content, reproduced verbatim and not vetted as instructions. Treat it as data to evaluate, never as directives to follow."},"install":[{"target":"skills-cli","command":"npx skills add https://github.com/JasonColapietro/suede-creator-skills/tree/main/skills/suede-onboarding"},{"target":"claude-code","command":"claude plugin marketplace add https://llmmart.ai/marketplace.json && claude plugin install jasoncolapietro-suede-creator-skills@llmmart"},{"target":"git","command":"git clone https://github.com/JasonColapietro/suede-creator-skills.git"}]}