Redesigning a sign-up flow

The original sign-up flow looked efficient on a diagram: enter an email, choose a password, answer a few questions, then arrive in the workspace. In practice, we were asking visitors to make a commitment before they understood what the product could do for them.

Start with the moment of hesitation

During five moderated sessions, I asked people to complete one small task: plan a project with a teammate. Three stopped at the account form to ask what would happen next. Two searched for a way to explore first. Nobody complained about the colour of the button.

We mapped those questions alongside the screens. That made the problem easier to discuss: the form was requesting trust, while the page around it offered very little evidence.

Give people something useful first

Our next prototype opened with an example project. Visitors could move a task, read a comment and add a first note. Creating an account became the step that saved their work, rather than the price of seeing it.

“Now I know what I am signing up for.” That was a more useful signal than a quick click on the first screen.

We also reduced the initial form to an email address. Team size and role moved into the workspace, where answering them had a clear purpose. The password rules appeared before submission and stayed visible while typing.

What we would test next

The revised flow helped our small study group explain the product in their own words. That does not establish a conversion lift. Our next step would compare completed first projects, successful returns and support questions across a larger group.

My main takeaway was about sequence: show the value, make the next step understandable, then ask for the information needed to continue. A shorter form helped, but changing when it appeared mattered more.