Checklists are helpful.
They keep your onboarding process organized.
They make sure you’re not forgetting any steps.
They help your team move fast.
But here’s the truth most SaaS teams learn too late:
✅ A checklist is not a strategy.
It won’t tell you what matters most.
It won’t adapt to different users.
And it won’t solve your activation problem on its own.
Here’s why — and what to do instead.
A user onboarding checklist is a list of tasks or milestones designed to help new users complete setup and get started with your product.
Common examples:
These are useful steps — but they’re often built around what your product can do, not what the user actually needs.
🧩 They assume every user follows the same path
Your users don’t all have the same job title, goal, or experience. A rigid checklist treats them like they do.
⚙️ They focus on feature completion
You might be checking off tasks, but if those tasks don’t drive value, they’re noise.
⛔️ They create dead-ends
Many checklists get users part of the way, then leave them stuck — with no clear next action or reward.
✅ Centers on outcomes, not tasks
Instead of asking “Did they upload their logo?” ask “Did they achieve something meaningful?”
✅ Adapts based on context
Good onboarding adjusts to the user’s role, goal, or plan — even if it’s subtle.
✅ Builds a value loop
It gets users doing something useful, then reinforces that behavior until it becomes sticky.
Checklists do have value when used intentionally:
But they should always support the bigger strategy — not replace it.
Here’s a lightweight framework we use with clients:
If your onboarding checklist isn’t working, it’s probably not because it’s incomplete.
It’s because your users don’t need steps — they need success.
Start with outcomes.
Then build the experience that gets users there — checklists included.
