SaaS Onboarding Information Architecture Template

First-time user experience makes or breaks SaaS activation rates. This template helps you organize onboarding steps, features, and setup tasks in a way that matches how users think—not how your product is built.

Why SaaS Onboarding IA Matters

The stakes are high:

40-60% of users who sign up never return after first session
75% of users delete apps within first week
Good onboarding increases activation by 50%+

Card sorting reveals:

Which setup steps users expect first
How users prioritize features to learn
What onboarding tasks feel overwhelming vs. easy
Natural grouping of getting-started content

Template Overview

What's Included

Ready-to-use cards (35 onboarding elements):

Account setup tasks (Profile, Password, Billing, Team Invite)
Core feature tutorials (Dashboard, Analytics, Integrations, API)
Getting started content (Video Tutorial, Sample Data, Templates, Help Docs)
Configuration options (Notifications, Preferences, Branding, Permissions)

Recommended study type: Hybrid card sort

Suggested participants: 20-25 new users (signed up within last 7 days)

Time to complete: 8-10 minutes

Analysis time: 2-3 hours

The Template: SaaS Onboarding Card Sort

Cards to Sort (35 items)

Account Setup Tasks (10 cards):

Create Profile
Set Password
Upload Profile Photo
Add Company Information
Connect Email
Invite Team Members
Set Up Billing
Choose Plan/Subscription
Configure Notification Preferences
Set Time Zone & Language

Core Feature Setup (12 cards):

Import Existing Data
Create First Project
Set Up Integrations (Slack, Google, etc.)
Configure Dashboard Widgets
Set Up Reporting
Create API Keys
Customize Branding/Logo
Set User Permissions
Configure Automated Workflows
Connect Payment Gateway
Set Up Email Templates
Configure Security Settings (2FA)

Learning & Getting Started (8 cards):

Watch Welcome Video
Take Product Tour
Explore Sample Data
Use Pre-built Template
Read Getting Started Guide
Join Live Onboarding Webinar
Browse Help Documentation
Contact Support for Setup Help

Optional Advanced Tasks (5 cards):

Set Up Custom Domain
Configure SSO (Single Sign-On)
Set Up Webhooks
Create Custom Reports
Export Historical Data

Suggested pre-made categories (for hybrid sort):

Category 1: Must Do First
Category 2: Can Do Later
Category 3: Optional/Advanced
Category 4: Learn & Explore

Instructions for participants:

Welcome! You just signed up for [Product Name].

Please organize these onboarding tasks into groups based on when you'd want to complete them.

You can use the suggested categories or create your own.

Think about what you'd need to do first vs. what can wait. This helps us design a better onboarding experience!

Takes about 10 minutes. Thank you!

Real-World Example: Project Management SaaS

Before Card Sorting

Original onboarding flow (product team's view):

Step 1: Account Setup (name, email, password)
Step 2: Company Info
Step 3: Billing & Plan Selection
Step 4: Invite Team
Step 5: Create First Project
Step 6: Tour all features (15-minute tutorial)
Step 7: Set up integrations

Problem:

58% drop-off at Step 3 (billing too early)
72% skipped feature tour (too long, too early)
Only 23% activation rate (created actual project)

Card Sort Results

22 new users sorted 35 onboarding tasks. Key findings:

"Must Do First" group (85%+ agreement):

- Create Profile
- Create First Project
- Explore Sample Project
- Invite 1-2 Team Members

"Can Do Soon" group (70%+ agreement):

- Upload Company Logo
- Set Up Integrations
- Configure Dashboard
- Invite More Team Members
- Set Notification Preferences

"Do Later / Optional" group (65%+ agreement):

- Billing & Plan Upgrade
- Advanced Permissions
- API Keys
- Custom Branding
- SSO Configuration

Surprising insights:

Users wanted to create a real project BEFORE billing
Sample data was considered essential, not optional
Team invites should happen early but not block progress
Feature tour should be contextual, not upfront

Implemented Solution

New onboarding flow (based on card sort):

Step 1: Quick Setup (name, email, password) - 30 seconds
Step 2: "Create Your First Project" (with sample template option) - 2 minutes
Step 3: See your project in action (contextual tour) - 3 minutes
Step 4: "Invite your team?" (optional, skippable) - 1 minute
Step 5: Explore more features (checklist-based, self-serve)

Billing: Moved to when users hit free tier limits or choose to upgrade

Results after 60 days:

Activation rate: 23% → 61% (+165%)
Time-to-value: 45 minutes → 8 minutes
Drop-off at billing: 72% → 12%
Feature adoption: 31% → 54%

Best Practices for SaaS Onboarding Card Sorting

1. Test with Actual New Users

Don't test with:

Your team (you know the product too well)
Long-time users (they've forgotten onboarding)
Competitors' users (biased mental models)

Do test with:

Users who signed up in last 7 days (fresh experience)
Mix of activated and non-activated users
Different user personas (admin, team member, viewer)

2. Include "Aha Moment" Features

Identify your product's "aha moment":

Project management: Creating first task and checking it off
Analytics: Seeing first real-time data
Email marketing: Sending first campaign
CRM: Adding first customer and logging activity

Include cards that lead to this moment early in onboarding.

3. Separate "Required" from "Recommended"

Test perception of necessity:

What do users think is required before they can use the product?
What do they consider optional or advanced?
What creates friction if asked too early?

Insight: Just because you think billing is "required" doesn't mean users do. Let card sorting reveal true priorities.

4. Test Time Expectations

Add context to cards: Instead of: "Set Up Integrations" Try: "Set Up Integrations (5-10 minutes)"

Why: Users group tasks differently based on time commitment. Quick wins go in "do first," time-intensive tasks go in "do later."

5. Include Learning Resources

Don't just test features and tasks. Include:

Video tutorials
Sample data/templates
Help documentation
Webinars/training
Support contact options

Why: Users mentally group "doing" and "learning" tasks separately.

Common SaaS Onboarding IA Patterns

Pattern 1: Linear Wizard (Step-by-Step)

Step 1 → Step 2 → Step 3 → Step 4 → Done

Best for: Simple products with clear setup sequence

Pros: Clear, guided, hard to get lost Cons: Inflexible, feels restrictive, high drop-off if long

Example: Slack's team setup wizard

Pattern 2: Checklist (Self-Guided)

☐ Set Up Profile
☐ Create First Project
☐ Invite Team (optional)
☐ Add Integration (optional)
☐ Customize Settings (optional)

Best for: Products with flexible setup, power users

Pros: User control, shows progress, skippable tasks Cons: Can feel overwhelming, users may skip important steps

Example: Asana's onboarding checklist

Pattern 3: Progressive Disclosure (Contextual)

User signs up → Show core feature immediately
User completes first action → Offer related feature
User explores → Surface relevant tips

Best for: Complex products, multi-step workflows

Pros: Low cognitive load, feels natural, high completion Cons: Harder to build, requires good product analytics

Example: Figma's contextual onboarding

Pattern 4: Tiered Onboarding (Segmented)

"What brings you here today?"
├─ A: Start New Project → Onboarding Flow A
├─ B: Collaborate with Team → Onboarding Flow B
└─ C: Just Exploring → Onboarding Flow C

Best for: Products with multiple use cases, diverse audiences

Pros: Personalized, relevant, higher activation Cons: Requires more effort to build and maintain

Example: Notion's role-based onboarding

Using This Template

Step 1: Customize for Your Product (20 minutes)

Replace generic tasks with your specific features:

Generic template:

- Create First Project
- Set Up Integrations
- Invite Team

Your SaaS product:

- Create Your First Design (design tool)
- Connect Your Shopify Store (e-commerce)
- Import Your Email List (email marketing)

Include your "aha moment" as a card.

Step 2: Set Up Study (5 minutes)

Create study with this template →

Settings:

Type: Hybrid card sort (suggested categories + custom)
Cards: 30-40 (don't exceed 45)
Pre-made categories:
- Must Do First
- Can Do Soon
- Optional/Advanced
- Learn & Explore
Allow participants to create new categories

Step 3: Recruit New Users (1-2 days)

Email template (send to users who signed up 2-7 days ago):

Subject: Help us improve your [Product] experience (10 min, $15 credit)

Hi [Name],

Welcome to [Product]! We noticed you recently signed up.

We're redesigning our getting-started experience and would love your input.

Help us by organizing onboarding tasks into groups that make sense. It takes 10 minutes and you'll get $15 in account credit.

[Link to study]

Thank you!

Target: 20-25 participants

Step 4: Analyze Results (2-3 hours)

Look for:

Tasks consistently grouped in "Must Do First" (high priority)
Tasks in "Optional" (can be deferred or removed)
Surprising groupings (reveals user mental models)
Time-sensitive tasks (what users expect to do immediately)

Key metrics:

Agreement scores (70%+ = strong pattern)
Most common category names (use user language)
Tasks with low agreement (confusing or ambiguous)

Step 5: Design Onboarding Flow (2-3 days)

Based on results:

Phase 1 (Must Do First): Critical path to "aha moment"
- 3-5 steps max
- Takes 5-10 minutes
- Leads to core value
Phase 2 (Early Wins): Quick enhancements
- Checklist-based
- Optional but recommended
- Builds on Phase 1 success
Phase 3 (Advanced Features): Power user territory
- Discoverable but not intrusive
- Appears contextually when relevant
- Documentation and support available

Step 6: Test with Real Users (1 week)

Before full release:

A/B test new onboarding vs. old (if possible)
Run usability testing with 5-8 users
Monitor activation metrics closely

Metrics to Track Post-Launch

Activation metrics:

% of users completing Phase 1
Time-to-first-value
% reaching "aha moment"
Drop-off by onboarding step

Engagement metrics:

% completing onboarding checklist
Feature adoption in first 7 days
Return rate (Day 1, Day 7, Day 30)
Support tickets from new users

Business metrics:

Trial-to-paid conversion
Activation rate (however you define it)
Time-to-upgrade
Onboarding-related churn

Target improvements:

30-50% increase in activation rate
50-70% reduction in time-to-value
40-60% reduction in onboarding drop-off
20-30% increase in feature adoption

Related Templates

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Should I test different user roles separately (admin vs. member)? A: Yes! Admins and team members have different mental models. Run separate card sorts or analyze results by segment.

Q: How do I handle free vs. paid feature onboarding? A: Include both in the card sort. Users will naturally group paid features as "optional" or "advanced," showing you where to surface upgrade prompts.

Q: What if my onboarding is already live? A: Perfect! Use card sorting to validate your current flow and identify improvement opportunities. Compare card sort results to actual user behavior (analytics).

Q: Can I use this for re-onboarding existing users? A: Absolutely. Re-onboarding (for new features, plan changes, or re-engagement) benefits from the same user-centered approach.

Ready to Optimize Your SaaS Onboarding?

Use this template now (free) →

What you'll get:

Pre-configured onboarding card sort
Automatic analysis & priority rankings
Category agreement scores
Export to CSV for further analysis

No credit card required. 3 free studies.

Next Steps

Create free account (2 minutes)
Load SaaS onboarding template (1 click)
Customize with your features (20 minutes)
Send to 20-25 new users (2 days)
Analyze priority patterns (2 hours)
Redesign onboarding flow (1 week)
Increase activation rates (ongoing)

Start optimizing your SaaS onboarding today.

SaaS Onboarding IA Template | User Onboarding Card Sort