Redesigning the Onboarding Experience for Trustloop
TrustLoop helps businesses turn customer feedback into social proof, amplifying reviews to boost credibility and drive growth. Sounds great, right? Except we had one small problem: not enough people were signing up.
Claremont, California
Product design & Research
2006
Reputation Management (SaaS)
Context
As the sole designer (with no room for experimentation), I was tasked with figuring out why our onboarding flow wasn’t converting visitors into users. After chatting with Zack (the product owner), it became clear that while we had traffic and user interest, the signups weren’t happening as expected.
Oh, and did I mention the UI needed a visual overhaul too? The design components were inconsistent, and we had no proper design system in place—making future iterations messy. So, it was time to fix the onboarding flow and establish a more standardized, user-friendly design.
How might we design an onboarding experience that fosters user trust and reduces drop-off rates ?
Results
Post-redesign, engagement improved significantly, with a 30% reduction in onboarding time and a 45% increase in completion rates. Drop-off rates decreased from 40% to 18%. The streamlined flow and redesigned UI led to a higher connection rate to review platforms, helping businesses gain better insights.
30%
Improved onboarding process
25%
faster onboarding with a streamlined 3-step process.
-22%
Drop-off rate reduced from 40% to 18%
Before
After
The Onboarding Maze
Getting started with Trustloop felt scattered. With no clear path, exploring the product before signing up led to hesitation and drop-offs. The trust rating appeared too late to build confidence, and a generic flow lacked industry-specific guidance. Friction from unnecessary loading screens only added to the frustration. Instead of smoothly leading to value, the experience left users uncertain, hurting conversions.
Before
Here’s a look at how the onboarding flow evolved. The old process left users without clear direction—after calculating their TrustRating, they either signed up with no next steps or left without engagement. The redesign flips this by starting with sign-up, introducing industry-specific onboarding, and providing context at every stage. Now, users not only understand their TrustRating but also see how it compares to industry benchmarks, making the experience more informative and action-driven.
Unearthing the Root Issues ⛏️
The old UI presents an overwhelming number of review platforms without prioritization, making it difficult for users to determine which ones are most relevant to their business. The lack of industry segmentation forces all users into a one-size-fits-all experience, leading to irrelevant recommendations. Additionally, there is no contextual guidance explaining why specific platforms are suggested, leaving users without a clear decision-making framework. The absence of strong branding and visual hierarchy further reduces clarity, making the interface feel cluttered and unengaging.
Problem 2
The TrustRating score but failed to provide users with actionable steps to improve it. The three improvement areas—Outdated Reviews, Negative Feedback, and Lack of Engagement—were presented vaguely, leaving users uncertain about their next steps. Additionally, the weak visual hierarchy made it difficult to distinguish key actions, and the absence of a strong call-to-action (CTA) led to user drop-offs. The redesign introduces a structured, action-oriented UI that clearly outlines steps for improvement. Stronger visual hierarchy, with distinct icons and concise descriptions, enhances clarity, while a clear CTA now guides users towards actionable follow-ups.
Problem 3
Lacked a structured onboarding flow, leading to a disjointed user experience. Users were dropped into the platform with no clear guidance or progressive steps, making it difficult to understand what to do next. There was no email confirmation step, meaning users could proceed without verifying their identity, increasing the risk of incorrect or fake accounts. Additionally, industry selection was missing early on, leading to irrelevant review platform recommendations later in the process. The input method for review platforms was inconsistent, with some requiring location lookup while others needed a URL, creating unnecessary friction. Furthermore, error handling was inadequate, providing no feedback when users entered invalid URLs. These issues collectively made the onboarding experience confusing and inefficient.
Redesign: A More Intentional and Guided Experience
The previous experience lacked structure and clarity, leading to early drop-offs. We reimagined the flow to prioritize user guidance, relevance, and commitment—resulting in stronger engagement and conversions.
🏷️ Industry Selection First
Users now select their industry upfront, ensuring that their TrustRating is tailored and actionable from the start—unlike before, when ratings felt generic.
💡 Contextual Onboarding
A new onboarding sequence introduces the platform, explains the importance of the rating, and builds user confidence—replacing the confusing, context-less entry.
✍️ Earlier Signup
Signup now happens before value is revealed, increasing user investment and retention. Previously, delayed signup led to low conversions.
🧭 Intuitive, Interactive UI
The interface now features:
• Clear hierarchy for key actions
• Step-by-step guidance through the flow
• Interactive loading states that reduce friction
These changes replaced the static, cluttered layout and improved user progression.
📊 TrustRating That Drives Action
The rating now includes industry benchmarks, a breakdown of review sources, and next steps—transforming it from a vague number to a growth tool.
Let me know if you’d like a light or dark mode color cue set, or if this will be split across sections in your Framer layout.
Closing Thoughts: A More User-Centric TrustLoop Experience
The redesign addressed early engagement friction, lack of personalization, and unclear onboarding by restructuring the flow around user needs. Iterative testing validated our hypothesis: a clearer, more relevant experience increases activation and retention. Early results show improved engagement, with further optimization planned based on user behavior.
Key Impact & Learnings
-22%
Drop-off rate reduced from 40% to 18%
25%
faster onboarding with a streamlined 3-step process.
30%
Improved onboarding process
Key Learnings
Clarity in Onboarding Flow
Clear step indicators and contextual guidance reduced user hesitation and drop-off.
Reducing Cognitive Load with Progressive Disclosure
Breaking tasks into smaller steps improved engagement and completion rates.
Data-Driven Iterations for Continuous Improvement
Tracking drop-off points and A/B testing will help refine the onboarding process over time.
