I doubled my onboarding success rate by hiding features from users

r/indiehackers

7/12/2025

Content Summary

The author developed an AI filmmaking tool but observed high drop-off rates during onboarding. By tracking funnel metrics, they discovered only 30% of users created a storyboard and 20% rendered a video. The problem was an overwhelming first screen with too many advanced features. The solution was implementing a 'Beginner View' that hides complex functionality, guiding new users through a simplified flow. This doubled storyboard creation rates (30% to 65%) and more than doubled video rendering rates (20% to 44%). Conversion to paid increased slightly to 5%, with expectations of further growth. Key takeaways include tracking onboarding steps, automating bottleneck alerts, and simplifying interfaces for new users.

Opinion Analysis

Mainstream Opinion: The post author's approach of simplifying onboarding by hiding advanced features is widely supported. Commenters agree that reducing time-to-value is crucial for SaaS products. u/No_Dragonfruit3391 explicitly endorses optimizing for the moment when users experience core value.

Conflicting Views: No significant conflicts appear in the comments. All responses are positive, with u/noregretonlychance calling it 'good advice' and u/yourtoosweetforme expressing interest in trying the approach.

Debates & Perspectives: The discussion lacks debate but highlights a shared focus on onboarding optimization. The author implies that feature-rich interfaces can backfire with new users, while commenters reinforce the importance of guiding users to quick wins. The monetization strategy (gating advanced features behind paywalls) isn't challenged.

SAAS TOOLS

SaaS	URL	Category	Features/Notes
AI Filmmaking Tool	Not provided	AI Video Creation	Script generation, character generation, location generation, AI voices, aspect ratio settings, AI image/video model selection