Donorbox User Onboarding Guide

Case Study: SaaS Onboarding Flow Redesign

Role
Product Manager

Year
2023

Dashboard design prior to the onboarding guide implementation – lacked clear guidance for new users on how to onboard and receive their first donation.

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Overview

Donrobox is an high-traffic Fintech SaaS platform that serves nonprofit organizations and it is used by thousands of daily users.

The onboarding flow was one of the most critical parts of the product: it guided new users through their first interactions with the platform. However, the legacy version was outdated, confusing, and misaligned with user goals. As Product Manager, my role was to lead the redesign initiative — from discovery through planning, execution, and iteration — to improve usability, reduce drop-offs, and drive higher activation.

The Challenge

  • User misalignment: Most users wanted to embed a form on their website, but the onboarding flow prioritized other actions, causing confusion.
  • Efficiency: Too many clicks and unclear steps slowed users down.
  • Resources: Limited development capacity meant improvements had to be incremental rather than a full rebuild.

Product Management Approach

1. Discovery & Research

  • Conducted user interviews and gathered feedback from customer-facing teams to identify pain points.
  • Reviewed behavioral analytics and session recordings to map where drop-offs occurred.
  • Analyzed competitor onboarding flows to benchmark best practices.
  • Defined success metrics for the redesign (activation, conversion, completion of key setup steps).

2. Requirements & Planning

  • Created a user journey map outlining the personas, goals, and friction points for each onboarding step.
  • Prioritized improvements based on impact and development effort (RICE framework).
  • Aligned with stakeholders on the roadmap and phased delivery, given resource constraints.

3. Execution & Delivery

  • Collaborated with design to create wireframes and interactive prototypes.
  • Partnered with engineering to ensure feasibility and smooth handoff.
  • Coordinated QA to validate changes before rollout.
  • Managed timelines, tracked progress, and removed blockers for cross-functional teams.

4. Testing & Iteration

  • Ran internal testing and pilot sessions with a small group of users.
  • Collected feedback and iterated on ordering of steps (e.g., moving the “embed form” earlier).
  • Monitored funnel analytics post-launch and iterated further to optimize drop-offs.

Outcomes & Impact

  • Increased completion of key onboarding steps (form creation, payment setup, and embedding).
  • Higher activation and conversion rates among new users.
  • Improved user sentiment around clarity and ease of use.
  • Created a scalable blueprint that informed improvements in other areas of the product.
First onboarding step
Third onboarding step
The final step creates a sense of completion and accomplishment.

Key Learnings

  • Aligning onboarding flows with the real user goal is critical to early activation.
  • Incremental improvements, guided by data and user feedback, can deliver outsized impact even with limited resources.
  • Investing in funnel analytics and journey mapping ensures continuous improvement beyond the initial launch.

My Contributions as Product Manager

  • Led discovery (research, interviews, analytics review)
  • Defined requirements and success metrics
  • Prioritized roadmap with RICE framework
  • Coordinated design, engineering, and QA
  • Delivered phased improvements on time
  • Set up tracking for ongoing measurement and iteration