How Notion encourages onboarding through progressive profiling

OverviewWalkthrough
Context
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Onboarding
Category
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Productivity
Goals
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Registration
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Drop-off
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Data collection
Biases identified
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Authority Bias
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Effort Justification
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Framing Effect
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Mere Exposure Effect
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Paradox of Choice
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Peak-End Rule
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Progressive Disclosure
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Social Proof
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Status Quo Bias
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Zeigarnik Effect

Onboarding is more than just sign-up, it's a first impression, a silent tutor, and a behavioural funnel. Notion's onboarding journey is polished, pacing users through setup and customisation with clarity and calm. It smartly employs psychological tactics like progressive disclosure, effort justification and social proof to keep users moving. However, even thoughtful flows stumble. From too many early choices to a slightly anticlimactic ending, we explore the nudges that shape this experience, and where it could sharpen its behavioural edge.

The flow

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What works

  • Uses progressive disclosure to avoid overwhelming new users
  • Employs social proof and authority cues to build credibility and motivation
  • Simplifies early decisions with smart defaults
  • Creates a sense of progress with visual milestones and goal framing
  • Repeated visual exposure helps acclimatise new users to interface patterns
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What doesn't work

  • Some stages (like workspace purpose selection) suffer from choice overload
  • Defaults occasionally make assumptions that may not suit all user types
  • Later walkthrough stages feel bloated, risking friction
  • Final moments don’t reinforce value or reward effort clearly

Screen-by-screen review

notion-onboarding-1-1-sign-up

Email entry

Progressive Disclosure
Only one input field is shown, making the form feel lightweight and manageable to encourage flow entry.
Status Quo Bias
Prefilled email field nudges returning users to stick with their existing account, reducing decision friction.
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Idea
Add a subtle progress indicator to give users a sense of structure early on.
notion-onboarding-1-2-sign-up

Account creation verification

Paradox of Choice
Users face several account creation options without guidance, which can increase decision anxiety.
Social Proof
Google and Microsoft login buttons are visually prioritised, leveraging familiarity and perceived popularity.
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Idea
Highlight a recommended option (e.g. Google) with a label like "Most popular" to guide quicker decisions.
notion-onboarding-2-1-profile-setup

Create profile

Effort Justification
Entering a personal name invests the user in the setup process, increasing commitment to continue.
Mere Exposure Effect
Repetition of Notion’s design style builds familiarity and comfort through subtle brand reinforcement.
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Idea
Add a microcopy line on how names will be used (personalisation cue).
notion-onboarding-2-2-profile-setup

Usage reason

Social Proof
Placeholder avatar gives a subtle social cue that uploading a photo is a common behaviour.
Progressive Disclosure
Photo upload is positioned as optional, letting users skip friction-heavy steps early in their journey.
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Idea
Clarify that this can be skipped and changed later, reducing unnecessary friction.
notion-onboarding-2-3-profile-setup

Who it's being used by

Framing Effect
Lack of goal-based framing means users aren’t steered by outcome-focused prompts.
Paradox of Choice
Presenting many workspace use cases without framing can overwhelm users unsure of where to start.
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Idea
Pre-select the most common option or frame options as user goals ("I want to...").
notion-onboarding-2-4-profile-setup

Profession

Effort Justification
Naming a workspace builds a feeling of ownership, reinforcing commitment to use it actively.
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Idea
Reinforce this moment with a microcopy reminder of team impact.
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Role in company

Authority Bias
Language suggests inviting teammates is recommended, which may push users to comply with 'expert' advice.
Progressive Disclosure
Clear skip button reduces pressure, allowing users to defer decisions without losing flow.
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Idea
Consider adding context: "You can always invite others later" to reduce pressure.
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Company size

Status Quo Bias
The default solo setting suggests solo use is expected, which nudges users not to invite others.
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Idea
Allow users to edit this decision immediately after skip confirmation.
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Areas of interest

Zeigarnik Effect
Progress bar signals proximity to finishing setup, motivating users to complete the remaining steps.
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Idea
Emphasise the benefit of tailoring setup to role.
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Preparing account

Progressive Disclosure
Team size question is framed in simple, sequential flow to keep users from feeling overwhelmed.
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Idea
Add visual examples or definitions of team sizes to aid quick choice.
notion-onboarding-3-1-usage

What Notion is being used for

Paradox of Choice
Wide range of templates is shown without recommendation, risking decision paralysis.
Framing Effect
Templates are listed without outcome-focused framing, making it harder for users to identify what fits them.
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Idea
Group templates by user goals ("Plan a project", "Manage notes") for easier scanning.
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Invite others

Mere Exposure Effect
Repeated layout and structure of templates build user comfort through consistent interface cues.
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Idea
Provide microfeedback like "Popular" or "Time-saving" to aid decision.
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Walkthrough: Notes and tasks introduction

Mere Exposure Effect
Familiar elements introduced repeatedly help users feel more confident navigating the interface.
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Idea
Reduce walkthrough length or add a "skip" prompt with clear benefit.
notion-onboarding-4-3-walkthrough

Walkthrough: Sharing

Progressive Disclosure
Each interface element is revealed step-by-step, reducing cognitive overload from learning new features.
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Idea
Offer a "Try this now" prompt to convert learning into action.
notion-onboarding-4-4-walkthrough

Walkthrough: Devices

Peak-End Rule
Final walkthrough screen anchors the user’s memory of the onboarding journey—missing a celebration moment.
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Idea
Celebrate completion with a clear affirmation (e.g. "You're all set!").
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First use

Peak-End Rule
This final screen shapes the memory of the onboarding as a whole. Prompting action here helps end the journey on a meaningful high.
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Idea
Prompt a small first action (e.g. "Add your first page") to carry momentum.

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