Creating an Engaging Onboarding Process for the Samsung Members App

01 INTRODUCTION

Overview

TEAM
1 x UX Designer
ROLE
UI/UX | User Research | User Testing | Wireframing | Prototyping | QA Testing
TIMELINE
Approx. 2 weeks
TOOLS
Figma | Adobe XD

Background

The Samsung Members App is a comprehensive support and community platform for Samsung device users. This application is pre-installed on every Samsung smartphone and provides a variety of features and services, including device diagnostics, product support and assistance, exclusive benefits and offers, community engagement, news and updates, and tutorials. This project originated from Samsung Electronics' European headquarters, which briefed our UX team to develop an onboarding process for the app. The aim is to introduce the app's contents and demonstrate its capabilities to users as soon as they start using it.

The Problem

Users don't understand or fully utilise the app
Despite the wealth of information and features available on the Samsung Members App, data from our client indicates that many Samsung mobile users do not understand the app's purpose. Most users open the app out of curiosity when they first purchase their phone but fail to explore or benefit from it fully. Additionally, many users are unaware that they are already Samsung Members by virtue of purchasing a Samsung phone. However, to access additional benefits, they need to register or log in.

The Approach

To address this issue, the clients requested a simple onboarding process for first-time users. This process aims to quickly and seamlessly educate users on the following:.
1) An introduction to the app.
2) How members can benefit from it.
3) How they can benefit from registering for an account or logging in.
I was the UX designer assigned to this project and was given a short two-week timeline to propose the idea to the client.

02 DEFINE & PLAN

Overview

  • App Contents
  • User Scenarios
  • Competitor Analysis

Samsung Members App Contents

To gain a better understanding of what the application offers, I explored the app myself to check and audit all the touchpoints and contents it holds. From this, I was able to comprehend the app's purpose and understand why users would enter the app to seek support, access benefits, engage with the community, and stay informed about updates and offers.

Development of User Scenarios and Goals

After exploring the app, I developed user scenarios outlining all the user tasks, stories, and goals I could identify for users entering the app and achieving their objectives.

Competitor Analysis

Here are some onboarding examples from other brands that I reviewed to understand their strategies for introducing users to their services. Based on our objectives, I found that a simple, short, and concise introduction with clear guidance is both straightforward and engaging. I learned that the onboarding process should be brief, focusing only on the essential information users need to get started.

03 DESIGN & PROTOTYPE

OVERVIEW

  • Wireframes
  • Prototype

Wireframes

I decided to focus on and showcase the main features of the app: Benefits & Offers, News & Tips, Support, Community, and Rewards. The onboarding process introduced first-time users to these key areas, starting with a welcome page and Terms & Conditions. I used overlays and tooltips to highlight membership benefits and guide navigation. Users were then shown informative content about Samsung products, support tools like live chat, community features, and exclusive member rewards.

Prototype

After the initial wireframe phase, I decided to settle on a solution between options 2 and 3, using simple iconography to grab users' attention and short, concise, eye-catching copy to ensure users immediately understand the information. The main feature is the use of overlays and tooltips to guide users to specific information within the app.
View Prototype

04 USER TESTING

OVERVIEW

  • User Testing Approach
  • Key Findings
  • Recommendations

User Testing Approach

We created a prototype to guide users through the onboarding process of the Members App and help them understand its key proposition. We then recruited ten users and conducted a 30-minute interview and test session with each.

Key Findings from User Interviews

Activating Members App

  • Most participants did not select the option to enable push notifications.
  • Participants carefully read the T&C and Privacy Policy of the app and proceeded to the next step by clicking the ‘Agree’ button.

Information Structure

  • Participants interacted with the "Next" / "Get Started" CTA before realising they could swipe to navigate through the onboarding steps.
  • Some participants immediately attempted to click on the benefits overlay, mistakenly thinking they had already entered the app. They needed to be instructed that the benefits overlay was not clickable and was part of the tutorial.
  • Most participants preferred to skip the onboarding and dive straight into the app. Key findings indicated that they would rather revisit the onboarding later if they encountered any confusion or difficulties.
  • Most participants were confused about whether they were in the tutorial or the actual app.
  • Some participants were confused about the difference between the "Login" button and the "Get Started" CTA, not understanding what each button was for.

Recommendations

  • Since some participants were confused about whether the onboarding was part of the tutorial or the actual app, I decided to redesign it to clearly distinguish it from the app's main colour themes and make the separation more obvious.
  • Change the "Next" / "Get Started" text to "Skip Tutorial".
  • Move the "Skip Tutorial" button to the bottom right corner to reduce its prominence and encourage users to continue with the onboarding process.
  • Increase the background opacity to make it darker, thereby drawing more attention to the onboarding elements.
  • Enhance the visibility of the highlighted content to ensure it stands out more effectively to the users.

User Testing Conclusions

The main issue and key finding from user testing was that all participants attempted to skip the onboarding tutorial. While some participants deliberately skipped the tutorial, most did so because there was a 'Get Started' CTA at the top right of the screen, which was the first interaction they noticed. Participants did not know where this 'Get Started' CTA would lead them. As a solution, we recommend removing the 'Get Started' CTA that links to the home screen and replacing it with a 'Skip Tutorial' button at the bottom right of the screen to reduce its prominence.
During user testing, there was also some confusion with the overlays that highlight the guides/tutorials. As a solution, we have changed and added some features to make these overlays clearer and help them stand out.

05 FINAL DESIGN

OVERVIEW

  • User Testing Approach
  • Key Findings
  • Recommendations

Final Design

After extensive research and user testing, the final design approved by the EU stakeholders was completed. Taking into account all the feedback received, the main changes made were:
1) Updated the design theme and background colour to a darker theme to make the onboarding elements stand out more.
2) Shifted the "Skip Tutorial" button to the bottom as a text link to reduce its prominence, encouraging users to engage more with the tutorial before proceeding.
3) Added brighter, flashing borders to the main elements highlighted in each step.

Next Steps

Unfortunately, as this brief was specifically requested and approved by our EU clients, the subsequent step was for them to present it to HQ Samsung Electronics in Korea, a process in which we (the Cheil UX team) were not involved. Consequently, we were unable to receive feedback on the status of the onboarding process. However, we were informed that it had been queued for development, with delays attributed to an extended wait on other ongoing projects.

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