From form to conversation: increasing onboarding completion to 78.4%
We redesigned the first-time experience with multiple sign-in options, conversational profile setup, and a contextual location permission prompt on the map.
Product overview
Bumpin is a social discovery app for dating, socializing, networking, and new connections. It helps people find others who are not just nearby, but at the same place. Users can see who is around, start chatting, or arrange to meet.
The product's core idea is to turn everyday places into hubs for real-world social interaction.
Context
Bumpin was losing users during the first-time experience: only 62.15% completed onboarding. Some dropped off while entering their phone number, others at the location permission prompt, and still others during the remaining profile setup steps.
The flow felt too formal for a product centered on social interaction. A phone number was the only sign-in option, profile setup felt like filling out a form, and location access was requested before users had seen the map or understood its value.
We redesigned the first-time flow by adding multiple authentication methods, turning profile setup into a conversation, and moving the location permission prompt to the map-based home screen. This made onboarding more engaging, easier to understand, and more aligned with the Bumpin experience.
Outcome
Problem
1. Authentication was limited to one method
A phone number was the only way to sign in. For some users, this added unnecessary friction: they had to enter a number, wait for an SMS, and verify a code instead of signing in through a familiar service.
Without alternative authentication methods, some users dropped off at the very first step.
2. Profile setup failed to engage users
After signing in, users moved through a sequence of profile fields. The flow was functional, but it did little to reflect Bumpin's focus on socializing, dating, and discovering people nearby.
Onboarding felt like a mandatory step before the product experience rather than part of it. As a result, some users lost interest before completing their profiles.
3. Permissions were requested too early
Some permissions appeared before users understood why they were needed. Location access was the clearest example: it was requested before users reached the home screen, even though its value becomes apparent on the map, where nearby places and people are visible.
These early prompts made onboarding feel longer and more demanding. Sensitive permission requests felt like barriers rather than a logical part of the experience.
Research
Onboarding funnel analysis
To understand why users did not complete onboarding, we analyzed the first-time funnel and reviewed session recordings from the highest-friction steps.
Only 62.15% of users completed onboarding. The rest dropped off before reaching the home screen:
- 10.87% left during authentication;
- 18.68% did not enable location access;
- 8.3% dropped off during the remaining profile setup steps.
Session recordings revealed how this played out in practice. Some users stopped at phone number entry, others spent longer on profile setup, and permission prompts frequently became drop-off points.
The drop-off was not caused by a single screen, but by the overall structure of the flow: authentication lacked flexibility, profile setup did little to engage users, and some requests appeared before users had enough context.
Metrics are visualized for presentation purposes and do not represent a screenshot of the actual analytics dashboard.
UX audit of the existing flow
We audited the existing onboarding experience as a sequence of user decisions, from selecting a sign-in method to reaching the home screen.
Beyond the number of steps, we evaluated how well each step helped users maintain momentum:
- Does the user have a choice;
- Is the purpose of the action clear;
- Does the step reflect the product's tone;
- Does the request appear in the right context;
- Where might the user lose motivation to continue.
The existing flow functioned as a separate technical stage before the product. Users authenticated, entered profile information, and granted permissions without seeing Bumpin's core value: nearby people, places, and opportunities to start a conversation.
Three problem areas stood out: limited sign-in options, low engagement during profile setup, and premature permission prompts. These findings shaped the redesign strategy—add alternative authentication methods, make onboarding feel more conversational, and move the location request into the context of the map.
Hypotheses
- Multiple authentication methods would increase first-step completion by allowing users to choose a faster, more familiar way to sign in.
- Conversational onboarding would increase flow completion because the format better reflects Bumpin's social tone and helps sustain user attention.
- Using the user's name in the conversation would make the first-time experience feel more personal and less like filling out a form.
- Making the profile photo optional would increase onboarding completion by letting users move through the flow faster and add a photo later.
- Moving the location permission prompt to the home screen would increase opt-in by showing users the map and clarifying why Bumpin needs location access.
- Reducing permission prompts before the home screen would make onboarding feel shorter and help users reach the product's core value faster.
Solution
A more flexible sign-in screen
We redesigned the first screen as a clearer entry point into the product.
Instead of a bare form, users see a welcome message, a glimpse of the community, and several authentication methods. Phone sign-in remains available, but no longer feels like the only path forward.
This reduces friction at the first step and lets users choose a more familiar way to sign in.
Conversational onboarding
We reframed profile setup as a conversation with Bumpin. This brought the first-time experience closer to the product's social tone and made it more engaging: instead of simply entering data, users gradually became familiar with the app through dialogue.
The flow still covered the essential profile details: name, photo, occupation, connection goals, and interests. The difference was in the presentation—each question became part of a coherent introduction rather than another field in a form.
We also made the experience more forgiving by explaining why profile information was needed, using the user's name in the conversation, and allowing users to skip less essential steps.
Contextual permission prompts
Previously, some permissions appeared during onboarding and made the first-time flow feel longer. We moved these prompts to logical points in the experience, where they are triggered by a clear user need.
Location is the clearest example. The prompt now appears on the map-based home screen, where the request feels relevant rather than like another onboarding step.
Other permissions also appear only after a corresponding user action, when the requested access is genuinely required.
Post-launch results
After launch, the redesigned onboarding experience improved the product's key metrics.
The results confirmed that the issue was not simply the number of steps, but the quality of the first-time experience. More flexible sign-in, engaging profile setup, and contextual permission prompts helped more users reach the core experience and begin interacting with the product sooner.