When I signed up for Instagram, the whole process felt super easy and almost effortless. I entered my email, picked a username, and within moments I was already scrolling through posts and watching Reels. The app didn’t try to learn much about me upfront and didn’t slow me down with a lot of questions. Thinking about now, it seems to cared more about getting me into the experience quickly so I could start exploring and enjoying the content. That immediate reward made me want to keep using it and figure out the rest later. Because there’s so little friction, I assume the number of people who drop off during this stage is pretty low, probably around 10%, mostly from people who just change their mind or forget to finish.
Notion took a slightly different approach. It asked me a few questions about how I planned to use it, like whether it was for personal projects or group work. At first, it felt like a small hurdle, but once I got to my workspace, everything was already set up with templates and features that made sense for my needs. It took a little more effort to get started, but that effort made the tool feel more personalized and useful from the very beginning. I’d assume around 20 to 25% because of users who don’t want to bother answering questions or verifying their email.
Venmo was the most demanding during onboarding. Before I could use it, I had to provide a lot of personal information, including my legal name, bank details, and parts of my social security number. It definitely made me pause and think about whether I wanted to continue. But because it handles money, the emphasis on security and trust made sense. It wasn’t as quick or enjoyable as the other two, but once I was set up, everything worked smoothly. That heavier process almost certainly leads to the most people dropping off, maybe around 30 to 40% because some users get nervous about sharing financial info or don’t want to link their bank right away. Once past that stage, though, the experience was smooth and fully functional.
Each app’s approach reflects what matters most to it: Instagram focuses on immediate fun, Notion focuses on personalization, and Venmo focuses on safety and trust.
