When you first open Instagram, the sign-up process feels quick: enter your email, phone, or log in with Facebook, then confirm your birthday. Soon after, it asks to sync your contacts and suggests adding five friends. Even though this step is skippable, the request itself introduces friction—many users hesitate over privacy or commitment. This may make Instagram lose around 20% of users at such permission requests. Instagram prioritizes learning users’ social networks and interests, but by showing engaging content first and delaying data requests, it smartly balances information gathering with immediate value.
Notion offers a gentler, more instructive onboarding. During sign-up, it asks about your purpose—personal, team, or education—and automatically creates a customized workspace. This brief questionnaire doubles as a tutorial: while answering, users learn the product’s logic and see instant results. Notion prioritizes understanding intent and delivers value fast through editable templates, helping reduce early-stage churn.
Venmo, meanwhile, faces unavoidable friction as a fintech app. New users can browse a lively social feed before transacting, but must complete phone, ID, and bank verification to actually send money. These steps typically cause 20–40% drop-off, and research from Socure shows micro-deposit verification can reach 49% abandonment. Venmo mitigates this loss by showing real payment activity up front, turning trust-building into motivation to complete verification.
