How to Build a Self-Serve SaaS Onboarding Experience

User onboarding is an ongoing process that guides users to find value in a SaaS product. It involves creating compelling onboarding experiences, mapping the customer journey, and optimizing the path to "aha!" moments for each user profile. Examples of great self-serve onboarding experiences include Customer.io, Mixmax, Voxox, Zendesk, Clockshark, FullStory, Baremetrics, SendGrid, and Help Scout. To plan an effective self-serve onboarding experience, clearly define "aha!" moments for each user profile, map the steps users need to get there, gather user feedback continuously with microsurveys, and optimize the path to "aha!". Key best practices include reducing friction in the signup stage, leveraging multiple channels, using data-driven insight to test and iterate with agility, creating a process for product onboarding, keeping onboarding flows simple, and building SaaS user onboarding experiences fast.