Onboarding Redesign
Streamlining the onboarding experience to support rapid user growth.
Role // UI/UX Designer
Duration // 6 months
Tools // Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Zeplin, Miro, Google Suite
Overview
Context
Digbi Health is a precision digital care platform that leverages personalized insights from DNA, gut-microbiome data, and lifestyle factors to address chronic health challenges like diabetes and IBS. Their wellness app offers a tailored program combining digital coaching, AI-driven analysis, and healthcare tools to support long-term health improvements.
The aim of this project was to create a more scalable onboarding flow to accommodate our rapidly growing user base—from 500 users in 2023 to nearly 14,000 users in 2024—while simultaneously solving for existing onboarding pain points.
My Role
This was my first solo project after being promoted from Product Design Intern to UI/UX Designer. I independently led and completed all aspects of the project, including user research/analysis, ideation, prototyping, documentation, testing, and refinement.
Project Brief
The Problem
Onboarding is a user’s first impression of our app, and ours wasn’t meeting expectations.
With a higher-than-desired drop-off rate (17%), it became clear that improvements were needed. Additionally, our onboarding flow was neither scalable nor personalized to accommodate the unique needs of different user groups. At the time, all users followed the same generic onboarding experience, which didn’t align with our two personalized programs that users purchased beforehand: Digbi Cares (for diabetes patients) and Digbi Digests (for IBS patients). We were also simultaneously introducing a new user group, Digbi Fit (for weight loss users), which required an entirely new set of onboarding requirements.
Existing Challenges
Navigating Ambiguity in a Startup Environment - Working in a fast-paced and ambiguous startup environment meant dealing with frequent gaps in information, unanswered questions, and a lack of clear product definition or specificity. Despite these uncertainties, I had to meet tight deadlines while still delivering a strong solution that could be presented confidently to stakeholders.
Balancing Business and User Needs - Designing an effective onboarding flow required balancing the business’s need to collect extensive user data with users’ desire for a quick and painless experience. The data collection process included gathering medical, personal, and legal agreement information—essential for meeting compliance and operational goals but often overwhelming for users.
UX Research
Methodologies
User surveys
Data analysis
Competitive analysis
User Surveys
Due to the rapid timeline of the project, Digbi asked me to prioritize using existing user surveys rather than conducting new ones. Fortunately, Digbi conducts highly detailed annual surveys for existing users. I dug through each response and found key information regarding the onboarding experience.
Through affinity mapping our user feedback, I discovered three key themes, represented by up to four key quotes:
It’s important to recognize that some of these issues go beyond the onboarding user flow (from initial login to dashboard access). When users mention “onboarding,” they often mean the entire setup process, including steps after completing the flow. Regardless, a clear lack of context and next steps emerged as a significant issue.
Data Analysis
I had a general understanding of how users who completed onboarding felt about the process, but I wanted to gain insights into the experience of those who dropped off. To do this, I used Mixpanel to track user behavior and pinpoint where they were disengaging, identifying key ‘sticky points’ in the process. Two types of screens posed problems:
Address input
Medical data input
Hba1c
Blood sugar
Competitive Analysis
Next, I identified areas for improvement by analyzing three apps on the market, Noom, myfitnesspal, and Flo, which collect similar data during onboarding. I went through their onboarding flows to understand how these apps balanced business objectives with user needs.
Inisghts
Through user surveys, data analysis, and competitive research, I identified and organized the insights into these five categories:
Ideation
Methodologies
User Personas
User Flows
Sketches
User Personas
I developed three user personas to represent our three programs, targeting individuals aged 30-65 with chronic health conditions.
User Flows
First, I needed to define the boundaries of the onboarding experience. For this project, it begins when a user first opens the app and ends upon reaching the dashboard.
I then restructured the onboarding flow into a modular design, incorporating two new sections—‘Overview’ and ‘Motivate’—to address issues with context and unclear next steps. Each section was designed with a specific goal in mind, directly contributing to the achievement of the project’s objectives. This new structure ensures scalability, making it easier to integrate additional programs, such as the recently added Digbi Fit.
The ‘Data Collection’ section for new ‘Digbi Fit’ members required more strategic planning, as these users had the added option to check their eligibility for weight loss medications. To address this, I developed a more detailed flow to better conceptualize and refine this part of the onboarding process.
Design Solution
Methodologies
Wireframes
High-fidelity screens
Prototype
Wireframes
I worked extensively with screens from our existing flow, making adjustments where needed. However, I identified opportunities to enhance the user experience by designing additional wireframes.
Among the new screens I developed were:
Mission Statement Screens: Highlighting Digbi’s unique value and core purpose.
Personalized Health Insights: Delivering tailored information to improve user engagement.
Outro Screens: Providing a clear and motivating conclusion with defined next steps.
These additions were designed to reinforce Digbi’s value, enhance personalization, and guide users effectively through the onboarding process.
These additions were designed to reinforce Digbi’s value, enhance personalization, and guide users effectively through the onboarding process.
High-Fidelity Screens
I developed new high-fidelity screens while refining existing ones. By working within our pre-existing design system and brand standards, I leveraged our UI component and element library to ensure consistency across the product.
Prototype
This hi-fidelity prototype demonstrates a potential flow for our new GLP-Fit user group.
User Testing
Methodologies
I tested the product at various stages of the project to ensure usability and functionality:
Prototype Testing: Weekly lo-fi and hi-fi testing sessions with stakeholders provided feedback on the product’s functionality, content, and interactivity. These iterative sessions helped align design improvements with business goals.
A/B Testing: Collaborated with the engineering team to run A/B tests in both staging and production environments, comparing different variations of key onboarding elements to optimize user engagement and retention.
Unmoderated User Testing: Conducted testing with 8 new users (4 IBS, 4 diabetes), who were tasked with completing hypothetical onboarding scenarios. Digbi Fit users were initially excluded due to pending business agreements, but were included in later rounds of user testing to ensure the design met their specific needs.
Findings
User testing provided valuable insights into the onboarding process, uncovering new perspectives on user behaviors, preferences, and pain points.
Iterations
Clearer messaging → Improved error handling for inputs like weight with more specific messages to clarify issues. Added contextual text (e.g., “You’ll be able to change this later”) to reduce user anxiety.
Data outline page → Introduced a new screen that clearly outlined the information users would need to check their GLP-1 medication eligibility. For those without the necessary data on hand, the stratification process could be completed later within the app.
Accessibility improvements → Enhanced color contrast by replacing light green backgrounds with darker shades, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards.
Skip options → Collaborated with the science and business teams to identify essential data collection questions. Non-critical questions were made skippable.
It’s important to recognize that some of these issues go beyond the onboarding user flow (from initial login to dashboard access). When users mention “onboarding,” they often mean the entire setup process, including steps after completing the flow. Regardless, a clear lack of context and next steps emerged as a significant issue.
Results
Outcome
The onboarding redesign was a success, meeting the metrics we established. It was delivered on time, and the integration of Digbi Fit into the flow enabled us to fulfill our business contract with that client.
Success Metrics
Onboarding drop-off rate decreased from 17% to 3% in the following month.
User base scaled successfully from 500 users (2023) to over 14,000 users (2024), achieving a 28x increase in enrollments.
Our NPS score improved from -80 (“needs improvement”) to 30 (“good”) within four months following the onboarding re-launch.
Real-world Impact
The redesigned onboarding flow is now used by all Digbi Health users. The collected data and users’ health goals play a critical role in shaping their personalized health journeys, ensuring they begin with a clear, tailored path. This aligns with our core belief: we succeed when our users succeed, helping users start their experience with the right foundation for achieving their health goals.
Future Improvements
Enhanced Support → I plan to input-specific help pages in place of a generic helpline, differentiating our onboarding flow from competitors lacking tailored support options.
Dashboard Walkthrough → I’m currently improving our existing dashboard walkthrough (immediately after onboarding) by adding detailed explanations and highlighting new features, helping users feel more confident and grounded in the app after completing onboarding.
Learning Modules → The design team’s next major project involves creating a modular learning system that provides users with clear next steps at all times, displayed through a dynamic ‘to-do’ section on the dashboard.
Project Learnings
Challenges
As a recent graduate, working within a live app introduced challenges I hadn’t faced before. I initially struggled to adapt to an existing design system, as I was accustomed to creating my own systems that reflected my personal design aesthetic. However, by closely studying the app’s colors, typography, cards, and flows, I gained a deeper understanding of how these elements embodied our theme of “the quiet, helpful kid in class.” I discovered that I could express my design style through subtle touches, like friendly messages and playful interactions, while staying true to the company’s themes. This insight allowed me to design an improved onboarding flow that aligned with the app’s identity.
Additionally, working in a fast-paced and ambiguous startup environment meant dealing with frequent gaps in information, unanswered questions, and a lack of clear product definition or specificity. Despite these uncertainties, I had to meet tight deadlines while still delivering strong solutions that could be presented confidently to stakeholders.
Lessons
The Importance of a Strong Pitch → Pitching to our stakeholders and CEO taught me that a design is only as impactful as the pitch behind it. Effectively presenting your ideas and framing your solution in a way that demonstrates its value to stakeholders is crucial for gaining buy-in and ensuring your work moves forward. A strong pitch doesn’t just explain the design—it tells a compelling story about how it meets user needs while driving business outcomes.
Balance Business and User Needs → While addressing user pain points was key to creating a great user experience, aligning solutions with company goals—such as ensuring compliance through the collection of medical, personal, and legal information—was equally essential for operational efficiency. This required ongoing collaboration with cross-functional teams to ensure designs were both user-friendly and aligned with critical business needs.
Prioritization is Everything → When working with client deadlines, it’s crucial to develop a strategic plan for launching an MVP. This approach helps manage out-of-scope requests that could derail the project, ensuring the focus remains on delivering a high-quality product on time.
Recognition
Digbi was listed in Forbes’ America’s Best 500 Startups in 2023, post-release of the onboarding redesign. My work is also showcased on the App Store page for Digbi Health.