Driving 80% Higher Engagement with Onboarding
DATAMINION
Overview
DATAMINION is an AI platform that streamlines document management and analysis, allowing users to upload files and ask questions about their content. As the product designer, I focused on improving the user experience by starting with a more effective onboarding process.
Problem
Users couldn’t navigate effectively or find its key reference feature, reducing engagement.
Solution
Introduced a two-phase onboarding to guide users quickly and enhance engagement long-term.
Outcome
These are some of the outcomes that I have created during my time at DATAMINON
2-Phase Onboarding Rollout
I introduced quick pop-ups first due to development constraints, then added an interactive experience, which boosted engagement.
Engagement Boosted by 80%
I redesigned onboarding, increasing the use of DATAMINION’s key feature from 30% to 80% and driving stronger user interaction.
Stakeholder Confidence Reinforced
I demonstrated the business value of UX design, influencing stakeholders to prioritize user-centered enhancements.
THE RESEARCH
Understanding Users and Goals to Define the Solution
To improve DATAMINION’s onboarding, I aligned business goals with user needs through research, uncovering hidden challenges and setting the foundation for a user-focused solution.
STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEW
Stakeholder’s Unrealistic Vision with Too Many User Groups
To clarify the product's direction, I conducted interviews with the stakeholder to understand their vision and business priorities. The conversation highlighted the challenges in resources and target audience definition. During the discussion, it was revealed that there was an unrealistic desire to cater to multiple user groups, anywhere from high school students to government sectors.
Obtained Solution
Narrowing the Focus for Impact - College Students
The stakeholder's broad vision made it difficult to prioritize key features. Through collaboration, I identified college students as a more practical target group with the greatest potential for onboarding success. The proximity of the University of Washington provided easier access to this demographic for research and testing.
USER INTERVIEW
Identified Navigation and Discovery Challenges with Users
After defining our target audience, I conducted interviews with college students to evaluate how well the product aligned with their needs. While users found file management straightforward, I uncovered significant issues with navigation and discovering the key feature that sets DATAMINION apart.
Proposed Solution
Overlooked Features and User Frustration
During the interviews, users found file management straightforward but overlooked the reference feature due to unclear icons and navigation. I proposed implementing an onboarding process to address these issues and improve user engagement.
THE Proposal
Proposing Ideas Amid Resource Constraints
Proposing an idea that required extra funding and development resources was challenging in a resource-constrained environment. I had to carefully justify the value of my proposal by demonstrating how it would address key user pain points and align with business goals to deliver measurable returns.
How I did it:
Conducted Independent User Interviews
I conducted user interviews independently and shared summaries and recordings with the stakeholder to highlight key user frustrations and improvement areas.
Proposed a Two-Phase Onboarding Process
I proposed a two-phase onboarding:
Quick solution for immediate guidance and
Long term solution, a detailed interactive experience for deeper engagement
Tied Design Back to Business Goals
I demonstrated how improving onboarding could reduce churn and make DATAMINION stand out. Using examples like Claude, I highlighted how the overlooked key feature could become a key differentiator.
.... and it was successful!
My Approach
Two-Phase Approach
Collaborating with Developers for Feasibility
I collaborated with the development team to confirm feasibility and efficiency of the proposed solutions. These were our important factors:
Prioritized quick implementation for Phase One to minimize strain on limited resources while addressing user pain points.
Ensured the quick fix could be deployed rapidly without delaying the second, more detailed phase of onboarding.
Phase One: Quick Fix for Immediate Results
To address usability challenges, I designed a straightforward onboarding solution with two animated pop-ups highlighting the reference feature. This simple implementation ensured users understood its importance without overload, leading to immediate improvements in engagement.
Phase Two: Enhancing Engagement with Personalization
Building on the foundation of Phase One, I introduced a more interactive and detailed onboarding experience. This second phase consisted of six concise steps that guided users through the platform, using highlights to explain icons and key features.
redesign
Redesigning Phase Two: More Friendly Approach
After the design of phase two, I gathered some feedback on this and the general feedback was that it was boring. To create a stronger connection with users, I incorporated a friendly, assistant-like personality into the design, which resonated particularly well with our target audience of college students. The users validated this second design through AB Testing.
Evolution of the ChatBot
I wanted something that would highlight the bot as friendly but something with a minimal and simplistic design to allow the user to focus more on the highlighted text or components on the page.
Version 1
Clean and simple layout
No option to skip or go back
Icon placement feels detached from the content
Lacks personality — feels robotic and bland
Version 2
Improved layout for better readability
Added "Skip" and "Next" buttons for control
Still lacks warmth and engagement
Buttons feel too small and lack visual prominence
Version 3
More polished and structured design
Cleaner, more modern look
No clear sense of progression through onboarding
Icon feels disconnected from the content
Final Version
Strong brand identity maintained
Friendly tone added with chatbot personality
Visually appealing color contrast
More engaging — evokes user connection
Evolution of the Page Layout
The chatbot itself is important, but the overall onboarding layout also needs to be intuitive, friendly, and simple.
Old Design
Clean and simple layout
Color contrast is distracting to users
Popup moves all over the screen
Feels transactional rather than engaging
New Version
Friendlier tone with chatbot icon
Enhanced color palette for warmth and engagement
Improved visual hierarchy and balance
Pop-up is integrated more naturally and fixed
More engaging — evokes user connection
THE Impact
Driving Engagement and Business Value
The redesigned onboarding process significantly improved user engagement and product adoption. By addressing key user pain points and aligning with business goals, I secured stakeholder support and positioned DATAMINION as a competitive leader in the AI space.
Engagement Boosted by 80%
Redesigned onboarding increased the use of DATAMINION’s key feature from 15% to 80%, driving stronger user interaction.
"Before the onboarding, I didn’t even realize the reference feature existed. I honestly didn't even see the icon there. Now it’s part of my regular workflow."
— College Sophomore
"It’s so much easier to navigate now. The onboarding helped me understand what the reference feature does and why it’s actually useful."
— College Senior
Stakeholder Confidence Reinforced
I managed to demonstrate the business value of UX design, influencing stakeholders to prioritize user-centered enhancements.
"I didn’t realize how much of a difference UX could make until I saw the engagement numbers. It’s clear now that good design isn’t just about making things look nice, [UX] can actually help drive real business results."
— CEO
Competitive Differentiation
Highlighting and emphasizing the reference feature helped position DATAMINION as a standout product in the crowded AI space, distinguishing it from competitors like Claude.
"DATAMINION’s reference feature actually gives me the answers I need without digging through files. That’s what makes it better than other tools I’ve used."
— College Senior
"I was using multiple AI tools, but after discovering the reference feature, DATAMINION is now my go-to."
— College Junior