Onboarding Prompts

Designing a clearer, more contextual first-time experience for new app users

The onboarding experience is a user's first interaction with an app, and it sets the tone for everything that follows. Previously, new users were met with a series of disjointed mandatory prompts (e.g. Terms & Conditions, tracking, and notifications), often presented without context or clear sequencing. This project set out to redesign that flow by introducing a more coherent, user-friendly sequence and adding context where it was missing. The goal was to build trust from the outset, increase opt-in rates, and create a smoother, more welcoming onboarding experience for the NOTHS app.

First, to make the first impression more engaging, we redesigned the splash screen to feel more colourful, vibrant, and visually rich. Our goal was to immediately capture the user’s attention and reflect the personality of the small, creative brands that make up the NOTHS experience.

To incentivise users to turn on notifications, we introduced a context screen that clearly communicates the benefits. Instead of asking for permission upfront, we first highlighted the value users would get, like discovering deals, contacting sellers, and receiving order updates.

We paired each benefit with a simple, friendly illustration. These values rotate in a subtle animation, giving users time to absorb each message and understand why enabling notifications enhances their experience with the app.

We wanted to ask users for tracking permission in a way that felt smooth, respectful, and non-invasive. Our aim was to be transparent without being overwhelming—clearly explaining how tracking helps us improve the app experience, while reassuring users that their data is never sold.

The design uses soft visuals and a friendly tone to create a sense of trust. We positioned this as a way for users to actively contribute to a better app, making the purpose both clear and positive.

To give users one last gentle nudge, we added a passive reminder in the "My Account" section for those who hadn’t yet enabled notifications. The message reinforces the benefits in a subtle, non-intrusive way—without disrupting their experience.

If users still didn’t want to proceed, they could easily dismiss the banner to ensure their journey remained smooth and uninterrupted. This respectful approach balances user autonomy with strategic encouragement, offering a final opportunity to turn on notifications after exploring the app.

Not all users accept notifications during onboarding, so we designed a set of contextual screens to re-engage them later in their journey. These prompts appear after key moments, like messaging a seller or completing an order, gently reminding users of the value of enabling notifications.

We ensured the tone remained helpful and non-intrusive, using relevant illustrations to guide users toward updating their settings. To support both iOS and Android users, we adapted the visuals to reflect each system’s interface, making the instructions feel intuitive and accurate for every platform.

These screens were designed to appear after the user has signed in, rather than during onboarding. While they’re visually similar to the onboarding prompts, the messaging is tailored to a different context, users who have now seen more of the app but haven’t yet enabled notifications.

By adapting the content to the post-sign-in moment, we aimed to gently encourage users to reconsider their preferences with clearer benefits now that they’ve had a glimpse of the value the app provides. The structure and illustrations remain consistent for visual continuity, but the copy focuses on practical, real-time benefits like enquiry updates and order tracking.

We also visually redesigned the layout and hierarchy of our Terms & Conditions and tracking policy. The original content was dense and hard to navigate, so we improved spacing, typography, and sectioning to make it more scannable and approachable.

This not only ensures legal compliance but also communicates care and professionalism, especially for the few users who do decide to read the details.