Papers please: onboarding fix

* * * Design work presented reflects my specific contributions during the project tenure. All trademarks and final production implementations remain the property and responsibility of the respective owners.

Post-rebrand, our onboarding was the first touchpoint for the platform’s new identity, but the existing flow was broken. Support logs showed players were getting blocked by an early paywall, stuck on the FIDE ID verification, or finishing registration without understanding the core product.

I took ownership of the end-to-end redesign. The objective was to strip away these technical blockers and build a logic that actually guided players toward features they cared about, rather than just dumping them into a lobby.

The Goal

Legacy onboarding interface of the platform, showing the rigid FIDE ID verification step causing high drop-offs during early user registration.
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The Process

I started with support team reports to define the fix. The plan was simple: postpone the FIDE ID step until after registration, stop leaving users to figure things out for themselves, and collect only the minimal data needed for tournament eligibility.

My first prototype was an ambitious personalisation engine. Users selected interests from groups like Play, Learn, or Compete. The system would then generate a tailored highlight reel of their potential achievements. Internally, the concept was well-received but proved too heavy for an MVP. The six-step flow was too long, and the backend wasn't ready for that level of data segmentation. I decided to simplify.

The final, production-ready flow prioritised social logins and moved FIDE connection to post-signup. We simplified the "experience" step to just federation and gender, using inclusive copy for tournament rules. After account confirmation, users land on a "Your move" screen with four clear paths: Game Screen, Puzzles, Tournaments, or the PRO Pricing page.

Clickable wireframe interface built for internal user flow testing and early logic validation.
Low-fidelity interactive prototype mapping out the primary structural steps of the user registration journey.
Final high-fidelity user interface design for the desktop login screen with integrated social authentication options.
Final high-fidelity user interface design for the desktop signup screen showcasing the streamlined input fields.
UI layout designs focusing on the redesigned registration screen with prominent social login integration.
Clean form design layout for the streamlined experience step, showing simplified federation and inclusive gender selection inputs.
Interface copy exploration layout showcasing microcopy variations designed to explain tournament eligibility rules clearly.
High-fidelity desktop UI design of the post-signup "Your Move" welcome dashboard, featuring four clear directional feature paths.
Responsive mobile UI layout mockups demonstrating the adaptive scaling of the final, production-ready onboarding sequence.
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The Result

The project delivered a streamlined, scalable onboarding framework designed to remove the primary friction points killing conversion. By moving the paywall and FIDE verification to post-signup, I provided the team with a blueprint for a friction-free entry point. This logic established the foundation for future personalisation and served as the technical specification for resolving the platform’s most persistent registration blockers.

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