In-product guides: it's the number one priority for SaaS products today. How you communicate to your users the value of your product is everything to encourage successful adoption. With contextual walkthroughs that show users how to navigate your product, in-product guides help users move smoothly through the user journey and reach their 'aha' moment faster. 

So, let's talk about in-product guides. We'll dive into what they are, why they matter, and how to create effective interactive guides. Plus, we'll list a few recommendations. 

What Are In-Product Guides?

In-product guides provide step-by-step instructions to users directly within your software. They can be modals, tooltips, or onboarding checklists that help users learn how to use your product. Instead of reading a separate user manual or watching long tutorials, users get the guidance they need right where they need it.

They improve user engagement, reduce friction, and make it easier for users to see the value of your product. This is why they're essential for onboarding new users, introducing new product features, and ensuring that existing users are making the most of your SaaS product. 

Common In-Product Guide UI patterns 

As we mentioned, in-product guides can come in various formats. But these are the ones that you'll see most frequently. 

Modals and Pop-Ups

Modals and pop-ups are probably the most common UI pattern for in-product guidance. They highlight important information or prompt users to take specific actions. They make up a large part of walkthroughs and onboarding tours. For instance, a series of modals could be shown to demonstrate how to perform a basic task. 

However, they can also be used in more targeted ways  For example, a modal can appear to inform users about a new feature to improve adoption, or to encourage them to complete their onboarding checklist. 

Tooltips

Tooltips are small pop-up messages that appear when users hover over or click on specific elements in the product. They provide quick, contextual information that helps users understand what a particular feature does. Tooltips are ideal for providing on-the-spot help without interrupting the user’s workflow.

Onboarding Checklists

Onboarding checklists are a great way to keep users on track. They provide a clear list of tasks that users need to complete, such as setting up their profile, adding team members, or exploring key features. As users check off each item, they can see their progress, which provides a sense of accomplishment and encourages further engagement.

Banners

Banners are usually shown at the top or bottom to announce important information, such as product updates, upcoming events, or onboarding tips. Like tooltips, they’re a non-intrusive UI pattern to communicate with users without disrupting their flow. They can also include links to additional resources for users who want to learn more.

Self-Serve Widgets

Self-serve widgets, usually located in the bottom right corner, provide users with easy access to help resources, tutorials, or FAQs directly within the app. These widgets act as a built-in help center, allowing users to find answers to their questions or learn more about specific features without having to leave your product. This lets users get their answers more quickly and improves the overall user experience.

Why In-Product Guides Matter

In-product guides are invaluable for enhancing the user experience and ensuring users quickly find value in your product. Here are the numerous benefits that in-product guides can give. 

Improve User Onboarding

In-product guides streamline the onboarding process by walking new users through the core features of your SaaS product. Tooltips, modals and walkthroughs help users get up to speed quickly, reducing the initial learning curve and helping them reach the "aha moment" faster, which is crucial for retaining new users and boosting conversion. 

Enhance User Engagement

By providing contextual assistance and prompts through tooltips and in-app messaging, in-product guides encourage users to explore and interact with more features. This increased engagement can lead to higher adoption rates and a deeper understanding of your product's value.

Reduce Support Tickets 

In-product guides can answer common user questions and provide real-time assistance during the onboarding process. This reduces the need for users to contact support teams. Tooltips and app messaging not only save time for users but also decrease the volume of support requests, allowing your team to focus on more complex issues. 

Personalized User Experience

In-product guides can be tailored to different user segments based on their roles, behaviors, or previous interactions within your SaaS product. This personalization ensures that each user receives guidance that is relevant to their needs, making their experience more meaningful and effective. 

Increase Feature Adoption

If your users are unaware of all the features your product offers, in-product guides can help. Tooltips and walkthroughs can highlight underutilized or newly released features, encouraging users to explore more of what your product can do. This helps drive deeper product adoption.

Boost User Retention

When users know how to use your product effectively and thoroughly understand its value, they are more likely to stick around. In-product guides, such as onboarding checklists and in-app messaging, help users maximize the value they get from your product, which means they'll be less inclined to churn. 

Provide Data-Driven Insights

With in-product guides, you also get analytics on user interactions, such as which guides are being used, where users drop off, and what features are most accessed during the onboarding process. These insights can inform product decisions, highlight areas that need improvement, and help refine the user journey within your SaaS product.

Best Practices for Creating In-Product Guides

Now is good time to go over what makes a great in-product guide that genuinely upgrades the user experience and promotes customer success. Here are four best practices to keep in mind:

Keep It Short and Relevant

Too much of a good thing can be bad. Overwhelming users with too many guides, tooltips, or walkthroughs can lead to frustration and confusion. Instead, focus on providing just the right amount of information without overwhelming users. Break down complex processes into smaller, manageable steps. Start with essential tasks like setting up an account or exploring core features, and introduce more advanced functionalities gradually. This way, users won’t feel overloaded, and they can learn at their own pace.

Provide Contextual Guidance

Contextual guidance means delivering the right information at the right time. For example, if a user is setting up a project, a guide can appear to show them how to add team members or set deadlines. This allows users to learn by doing, which is much more effective than just reading a manual. Plus, it provides value in a timely manner and unblocks users just when they need help. 

Listen to User Feedback

User feedback is invaluable for refining your in-product guides. If users find a guide confusing or unhelpful, take their input seriously and make necessary adjustments. Regularly updating and improving your guides based on feedback ensures they stay relevant and useful over time.

Personalize User Experience

Not all users are the same, so a personalized approach to in-product guides is essential. Tailor your guides based on user roles, behaviors, and needs. For example, new users might need basic setup instructions, while experienced users may be more interested in exploring advanced features. This customization enhances user satisfaction and engagement, as well as gives each user just what they need in order to get value out of your product.

How to Measure the Effectiveness of In-Product Guides

So once you put your in-product guides to work, how do you know that they're successful? How can you be sure that they're driving adoption, successfully onboarding users, and contributing to overall customer success?  Here are three ways to evaluate their impact:

User Engagement Metrics

Track how many users interact with your guides, such as modals, walkthroughs, and checklists, and how often they complete the steps. High engagement indicate that users are finding the guides helpful and relevant. If engagement is low, it could mean that the guides are not visible enough or aren’t meeting the needs of your users. Also, look at where users are dropping off during the onboarding process. Analyzing these metrics helps you pinpoint areas for improvement that better support user adoption.

Conversion Rates

Measure how effective your in-product guides are at driving desired actions, like completing onboarding steps, signing up for a paid plan, or using key features of your SaaS product. If users who go through the walkthroughs or modals are more likely to convert or adopt features, it’s a clear sign that the guides are working. Regularly tracking conversion rates can help you optimize your onboarding process and improve overall customer success.

User Feedback

Collect direct feedback from users about how helpful they find the guides and what improvements they suggest. This can be gathered through in-app surveys, modals, or follow-up emails after users complete a walkthrough. Analyzing this feedback alongside your analytics provides a deeper understanding of what’s working and what needs refinement. Incorporating user feedback into your guide improvements ensures they remain effective and aligned with user expectations.

Best Tools for Creating In-Product Guides

There are several tools available for building effective in-product guides that enhance user experience and engagement. We'll introduce you to four to begin with. 

Userflow

Userflow makes it easy to create and manage in-product guides with its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. It’s particularly beneficial for teams looking to implement in-app tutorials and onboarding checklists that can be customized for different user segments. Userflow is known for its flexibility, ease of use, as well as its speed, which means even non-technical team members can deploy onboarding flows in a matter of minutes.

Userflow is Best For:

• Rapidly and easily deploying onboarding flows and interactive walkthroughs. 
• Creating highly customizable UI patterns 
• Teams looking to find an affordable tool that can scale with their growth. 

Appcues

Appcues allows you to create user onboarding experiences and in-app messaging without any coding. Appcues's strength lies in its ability to quickly deploy and iterate on user flows, as well as its extensive list of 40+ integrations. Though we should mention that Appcues does come at a higher price, and it lacks when it comes to fine tuning your onboarding flows. 

Appcues is Best For:

• Teams with a complex tech stack. 
• For building onboarding that doesn't require much customization. 
• Teams with higher budget.

Whatfix

Whatfix is more geared towards providing enterprise organizations with onboarding, training, and walkthroughs for both employees and customers. Its closest competitor is WalkMe, and while it is much cheaper than WalkMe, it does lack quite a bit when it comes to focusing on building a user journey that is geared toward adoption. 

Whatfix is Best For:

• Enterprise companies looking for both internal and user-facing onboarding tool 

Userpilot

Userpilot is a flexible no-code tool for creating user experiences. Userpilot’s strength lies in its ability to segment users based on their behavior and provide relevant, contextual guidance. However, it does lack integrations which means it struggles when a complex tech stack is involved. Like Appcues, Userpilot also lacks when it comes to customization. Lastly, while it is reasonably priced, it's still more expensive than Userflow. 

Userpilot is Best For:

• Teams looking for a well rounded toolset with no need for advanced customization. 
• For specific user segmentation and targeting. 
• For companies with simpler tech stacks.

Drive Adoption With Better In-Product Guides 

So there you have it. In-product guides are a powerful tool for improving user onboarding, engagement, and retention. By providing clear, contextual guidance, they help users see the value of your product quickly and easily. Whether you’re looking to reduce churn, boost feature adoption, or improve overall user satisfaction, in-product guides can make a significant impact.

Remember also to always experiment and iterate on your in-product guides. Play around with where you place tooltips or onboarding checklists. See how many steps your onboarding needs (fewer the better). Try different copy in your modals to make it more concise and effective. 

Now, are you ready to make in-product guides? Well we've got the perfect toolset for you. Userflow makes it easy to create and implement guides that keep your users engaged and help your product stand out in a competitive market. And there's no technical knowledge required. Launch your in-product guides within minutes by trying out Userflow for free.