Instagram (social) prioritizes building a user’s social graph as quickly as possible. It requests a name, age, and contact access to suggest friends, but allows users to begin browsing content immediately. The early delivery of entertainment keeps drop-off rates low despite light friction. Contact syncing is estimated to cause roughly a 10% loss, as some users decline permission due to privacy concerns. Instagram’s focus is learning who the user knows to evoke engagement fast.
Notion (productivity) collects minimal information, only an email, workspace name, and intended use (“personal,” “team,” or “education”). It prioritizes understanding how the user plans to work, customizing templates accordingly. By letting users explore and create notes instantly, Notion offers near-immediate value. With few required steps and the option to skip setup, onboarding friction is minimal, with an estimated 5–10% user drop-off.
Venmo (finance) emphasizes trust and compliance over speed. It requires phone verification, bank linking, and sometimes ID verification before users can transfer money. The app prioritizes learning how to securely identify and connect a user’s financial information rather than offering early functionality. This high-stakes friction causes 25–40% of users abandon setup during bank verification, delaying or preventing conversion into active users.
