Building Dropbox's New User Experience for Mobile Part 1
Article Summary
Kat from Dropbox discovered that slowing down their signup flow actually increased conversions. Counter-intuitive? Here's why it worked.
Kat from Dropbox's growth team shares how they redesigned mobile onboarding for a mobile-first world. This 2014 case study reveals their approach to educating users who'd never used Dropbox before, moving beyond the desktop-first assumptions of their original mobile apps.
Key Takeaways
- Adding intro tour before login increased both signup rates and user engagement
- Interactive checklist guides two-way sync: photos up, desktop files down
- QR code plus meta-installer enables desktop setup without password reentry
- Context-aware UI adapts (camera upload off vs wifi off) to reduce friction
- Users completing two-way sync gained deeper understanding of Dropbox value
Critical Insight
Dropbox increased mobile activation by treating onboarding as education, not a race to signup, with smart flows that guide users through their first two-way sync.
