iOS

Thumbtack Mobile Onboarding Flow

Summary of the good bits

A ton of steps! - Normally this would make onboarding painful, but they have opted for 1 clear action per screen. Setting up my first project and creating an account took less than 7 minutes.

Different types of screens - There are lots of high contrast screens, as well as focused workflow screens. It’s easy to tell what stage of the process you are in.

The onboarding is not separate from your goals - No need to sign up, create an account, then create a project. It all happens at once, in one fluid process.

Other good bits

No FB login - Thank goodness, or I would have quit. Also, the flow is such that you go through and understand the value of the service before you have to create credentials.

Well designed followup email - The welcome email comes after submitting your first project, and explains more about the service as well as provides a summary of your answers. You can also cancel your project right there.

Summary of the shitty bits

I’m not really sure what I signed up for - The onboarding flow lacked so much information, I made my own assumptions about the service (and I was wrong).

No viral loop - Nowhere was I offered the opportunity to share with friends or social. I know some people who would love to sign up as a professional.

No way to edit after submission - The system requires you to cancel the project if you need to make a change. It’s annoying and slows down my process of creating a project since I have to be more deliberate with my choices.

More shitty bits

Some functionality problems - the final screen after signup locked up, I had to close and reopen. And, I could view my project online but it wasn't showing up in mobile. Also, with the first question of “what service?” - ‘housecleaning’, ‘house cleaning’, & ‘house cleaner’ returned different results.

I left feeling anxious - after such a pleasant onboarding experience, I was startled when the project was submitted without allowing me to review.

Nice and clean with good contrast that puts focus on the phone. The ‘home, events, lessons, wellness, and more’

gives me an idea of the types of projects I can sign up for.

Ack! No Bail-out button!

The ubiquitous swipe -next tutorial pattern, Without an option to skip. Returning users

looking for the option to sign in will find this very frustrating.

Clear, concise copy lets me know the next screen will be starting the Thumbtack process. Existing users are finally given the option of

signing in.’Get Started’ button is blue and stands out, I know I only have 1 thing to do here.

Fields are clearly marked. There are only 2 things to do here. The contrasting colors aid my comprehension - I know

I’m going to find professionals in my area for the thing I need done.

After inputting both fields, ‘Start Your Project’ turns blue.

I know exactly what to press to move on.

Nice shift in color to signal that the process has evolved from getting started to doing something. Immediately, I know what the options are for ‘house cleaning’. Their use of the drill-in arrows are unconventional, but simple to understand with one poke. But, it’s

weird to see non-house cleaning items on the list. And I’m unsure what ‘Cleaning Out’ & ‘Process Serving’ pertains to. In fact, WTF is this list all about?

After choosing ‘House Cleaning’ I’m offered frequency options. There is an ‘I’m not sure yet’ so I’m not pigeon-holed into choosing an

option I’m not comfortable with (score!). Also, this list is fairly inclusive, there really aren’t any other options I could ask for (thank you).

The format has stayed the same since I moved from getting started to getting

something done. It’s very easy to glance-and-tap and drill-in.

The inclusion of this screen lends a sense of trust that Thumbtack is actually going

find the right professional for my space.

Ho-Hum. At this point, I’ve already chosen ‘Apartment’ and ‘Studio’. It feels like overkill to ask if I have 4+ bathrooms.

And, I pause here to read the options, when I really shouldn’t have to.

Are we still on this part? After ‘Apartment’ and ‘Studio’ and ‘1 Bathroom’ it seems redundant to answer footage. I’d suggest moving this to before the bathroom question, and modifying the

bathroom choices based on the answers of the previous three. What you can’t see, below the fold, is an option for ‘I’m not sure’ - which is great. So far, I’ve had an out for any question I don’t have an answer to.

Whoops, the drill-in arrows have disappeared. Am I

supposed to do something different with this list?

Ah, yes. It looks like I can choose more than one option right now. What a cute orange checkmark! And the‘Next’ button has gone from grey to

blue. Must be time to move on. It’s obvious I can either choose an additional extra or move on to the next step.

Woop, I wanted to add one more thing to my list. Sorry for the extra screen. I guess I can also point out my phone is

down to 19% and I should probably plug it in.

Uhh, is ‘Other’ not an option? My first thought was I couldn’t choose ‘Other’ but when I tapped it, it became an open field. While this caused me some pause once I clicked on it

and realized it was an open field, next time I create a new project I’ll instantly recognize what a grey field is. So far, this is pretty much the only ‘learning’ I’ve had to do.

I now have a place to type whatever I want. It’s also clearly stated this is an optional field (thanks!).

They’ve also added a grey explanation in the box that will disappear as soon as I start typing.

One of my favorite parts of this process. This is the first time Thumbtack has asked for my personal information. I LOVE THIS! There have been no speed bumps in the process of creating a project

and, it’s obvious by the ‘Submit’ button all they need is an email and name to get moving on my project. Sweet! Even sweeter? I don’t have to use Facebook to sign up. Because f*ck that.

So, I’ve only entered my first name and an error pops up. If first and last name are required, I’d prefer there be two fields so I know I have to input them both.

But the error pop-up very clearly states the problem, and I don’t have to guess at what went wrong on this screen.

Ok, fine. I do have a first and last name. I’ll play nice. But obviously Prince or Madonna

or Thumbtack would be screwed here.

Wait, whuuuuut?!?! Here is my first real problem. I’ve just submitted my project without getting to preview it?!? What a shock! After a super pleasant experience I’m now left feeling

anxious and wondering what I’ve submitted. Also, my keyboard got stuck here, so I couldn’t advance or change screens until I closed and reopened the app. *tisk *tisk Thumbtack.

iOS

Conclusion - Thumbtack Mobile Onboarding

The CTAs on every screen help users meet a goal - Traversing through screens was easy since the primary action was clear.

Extremely pleasant onboarding overall - I love the intuitive design and use of color contrast. The simplicity seems inherent, but very few companies do this well.

Thumbtack clearly shows me the value of the product without having to sign up - Only after investing in getting something done, I have the option to sign up.

Thumbtack can avoid onboarding-anxiety - Allow users to preview a new project before going live, and to edit an existing project. Otherwise, they nailed a clean, albeit long, onboarding experience.