B2B SaaS Onboarding Experiment
A project management company wanted more new customers to finish setting up their first project. I tested a step-by-step checklist and found that it helped smaller teams, but made the experience worse for larger companies.
Overview
The Problem
New customers were signing up, looking around, and leaving before they created their first project. The company wanted to make those first few steps easier without adding unnecessary friction.
What We Tested
For 90 days, half of the 2,000 new customers used the regular setup screen. The other half received a checklist that walked them through creating their first project. I compared how many people got started, how quickly they did it, and which types of customers benefited.
The checklist helped some customers and slowed down others
Smaller, self-serve teams got started more often with the checklist. Enterprise customers did better with the original, higher-touch experience.
That difference changed the decision: give the checklist to smaller teams, but keep enterprise customers on the experience that already worked for them.
Key Findings
At First, the Checklist Looked Like a Win
With the regular setup, 32 out of every 100 customers got started within seven days. With the checklist, that increased to about 37 out of every 100.
But It Did Not Work for Everyone
Smaller teams benefited because they were setting up the product on their own. Larger companies often had help from a sales or support team, so the extra checklist became another step in their way.
Customers Moved Faster
People who received the checklist created their first project sooner and tried more features during their first week. That showed the checklist was useful, but only for the right customers.
The Answer Was Not One-Size-Fits-All
Instead of giving every customer the same setup, the better decision was to show the checklist to smaller teams and keep the existing experience for larger companies.
How I Reached the Decision
The Work Behind the Recommendation
Recommendation
Show the walkthrough only to small teams under 20 people. Leave larger companies and sales-led accounts on the old experience. That way the company keeps the upside where the checklist clearly helped, without forcing it onto the customers it slowed down.