OnboardingEmerging Pattern
Make bold product redesigns to fix critical activation metrics despite short-term backlash
When activation rates are critically low, incremental improvements may not be enough. A complete product redesign can dramatically improve activation, though it requires managing customer backlash through direct communication. The short-term pain of angry users is worth the long-term gain of better activation and growth.
When to use
When your activation rate is below 20% and you've identified fundamental UX problems that can't be fixed with small changes
Don't do this
Avoiding necessary product changes because you fear negative customer feedback, leading to permanently low activation rates
1 Founder Who Did This
1
lemlistby Guillaume Moubeche
Completely redesigned product with new wireframes when activation was 15%. Half of customers complained publicly. Spent nights on Zoom calls understanding needs and fixing issues.
Result:Activation jumped from 15% to 35%. Growth dropped to 0% during redesign month, then rebounded to 60% MoM the following month
Read full story →