The new onboarding wizard aims to make the onboarding experience pleasant for new merchants, making it easier and quicker for them to set up their online stores.
Timeframe
The designs are being finalized and we aim to ship the first iteration in Q3 2023.
Summary
The improved onboarding wizard is designed to provide clear and concise steps, while removing any unnecessary or redundant ones. Our objective is to save users time and minimize confusion, ultimately streamlining the setup process for online stores using WooCommerce.
By simplifying the onboarding process, we aim to make it easier for users to get started with WooCommerce and start selling their products online quickly and easily. Our goal is to provide a seamless experience for all users, regardless of their technical expertise, and enable them to establish a successful online store with minimal effort.
Background
The onboarding wizard was introduced in WooCommerce 2.4. Before that, setting up an online store using WooCommerce required a fair bit of technical know-how, which could be a barrier to entry for non-technical users. The onboarding wizard aimed to simplify the setup process and make it easier for users to get up and running with their online store.
Over the years, the onboarding wizard has undergone several changes and improvements. In WooCommerce 4.0, the wizard was streamlined further to reduce the number of steps required to set up a store.
What is changing?
We’ll be focusing on several key improvements to enhance the onboarding wizard, including:
- Streamlined Steps
Currently, some steps in the onboarding process may not be immediately relevant or useful for new merchants. Our aim is to simplify the process by removing or deferring such questions until they become necessary. For instance, the theme selection step will be deferred to the task list since it can be a time-consuming process.
- Updated Interface
We’re striving for a fresh, simplified interface that is easy to navigate, reduces clutter, and is more mobile-friendly. Our goal is to create a consistent look and feel across the entire user experience that adheres to Woo’s design language.
- Extension Installation Issues
Approximately 40% of users encounter at least one extension installation issue during the free features step. In addition, the installation process can be slow, and the onboarding wizard lacks helpful error messages to assist users with debugging.
To address these issues, we’ll have the installation process run in parallel when possible, provide more descriptive error messages for commonly encountered issues, and create a more intuitive screen to manage retries when failures occur.
Why are we doing this now?
Our primary motivation for improving the onboarding wizard is to ensure that new merchants can set up their online stores quickly and successfully. By reducing the time it takes to set up a store, we hope to foster the growth of successful WooCommerce businesses and contribute to a thriving ecosystem overall.
In addition, the e-commerce industry is becoming increasingly competitive, and it’s important for WooCommerce to stay ahead of the curve and provide the best possible experience for its users. By continuously improving the onboarding wizard, we aim to attract and retain more new users to the platform.