— PROJECT NAME
Desktop App
Onboarding
— ROLE
UX Designer
— DATE
05/2021
The problem
In the FTUE, we currently assume that most customers have all of their memories stored in two folders, Pictures and Movies. However, customers have content stored on many other folders, such as Desktop and Downloads.
Customers, who have taken the time to organize their folders into a specific structure, cannot select the folders they need to upload in the onboarding experience.
The solution
By providing customers with access to all the folders from their local drive, customers will have more control over choosing their content and upload more memories with us on Day 1.
We learned having a one-size-fits-all solution for all customers didn't work. Two personas were created (Mark and Maria) based on the different needs.
The new onboarding experience is currently in internal beta and will launch soon. We expect to see 90% to 100% usage compared to the current 80%.
Research
We sent out surveys to existing customers to understand how and why they were using the desktop app. Around the same time, we got access to DScout, a powerful research tool. We created a test plan to compare/contrast Amazon Photos vs. Dropbox. The feedback and data would not only impact this project but the future of the desktop app.
Spreadsheet with customer responses
Dscout testing plan
Competitive Analysis
I went through the onboarding of our direct competitors (Google Drive, Apple Photos, One Drive, DropBox) to see what folders and settings were included. I also looked at other backup apps (iDrive, Mylio, Exposure) for inspiration.
Competitor onboarding screens.
Early Concepts
I got to sketching out some initial ideas. While sketching, I wondered what other features should the onboarding have. Did we want to include a settings page with toggles for Auto-Save or video uploads? Having settings would solve some customer pain points like being over quota after the first upload. Since we wanted customers to upload all their content, should it include steps to upload from mobile and other external devices?
Then I moved to early mockups. I started creating flows with options to upload from mobile (it was “text me a link” page for the mobile app) and other external drives or SD cards. After user testing the flow and sharing it with stakeholders, we decided the flow was getting too long. We should focus on having a great experience for the folders and content on the computer.
Early sketches
DIfferent style iterations.
Personas
We started having internal debates on what folders should be included in the onboarding. From our previous design, a one size fits all solution doesn’t work. I came up with these quick personas from the collected data.
What we know about Mark
- • Has photos from old digital camera on laptop
- • Photos are not organized
- • Only uses iCloud for backup
- • Downloads photos shared by friends
- • Wants a “set it and forget it” backup solution
What we know about Maria
- • Amateur photographer
- • Takes photos on her Canon Rebel on a monthly basis
- • Organizes photos into specific folders
- • Uses different cloud backup services
- • Wants a backup solution she can control
User Testing
After some iterations, I got the flow to a good place to do one more user test. The feedback was overall positive with 73% of the participants finding the option to view more folders useful. 87% of the respondents were satisfied with the overall experience. My favorite quote from a participant is “This, I’m 100% for. It’s very helpful, very user-friendly. I won’t let up on the fact that my mom can use this. Which is truly a test to how user-friendly this is.”
Usertesting.com screens
Quotes from the participants.
The Design
Feeling confident after testing the flow, my PM and I shared the design with leadership. There was some feedback about not showing all the folders at once but it was something we could A/B test in the future. On the mobile end of Photos, there was a new design system being built. We saw this as an opportunity to introduce it to the app. Leadership agreed and it was time to hand the design off to the devs.
Video walkthrough of the flow. Check out the prototype
Concept motion video.
Old vs. new onboarding.
Results
The new onboarding experience is currently in internal beta and will launch soon. We expect to see 90% to 100% usage compared to the current 80%.
The biggest victory with this new flow was actually on the backend. With the current C# code, we had many limitations like the ability to view thumbnails and quickly show the folder structure. This new design helped to get approval to build in Electron. This is a major undertaking but with it comes unlimited possibilities for the future of the desktop app.
The data we received from user testing and DScout not only helped shape the onboarding but future changes to the Upload tab.
Upcoming changes to the Upload tab. More coming soon.