What is good first-run and onboarding UX in a product?

Onboarding is how you get a new or returning user to their first success with your product. It is not a mandatory slideshow of every feature: the best versions reduce the gap between sign-up and a meaningful outcome (first project created, first export, first invite). Patterns include checklists with a few key steps, contextual empty states, optional product tours, and sample data. You measure activation and drop-off, then shorten. Blocking modals, unskippable 12-step tooltips, and 'rate us' before value all hurt trust. In B2B, team setup and permissions are part of the story; in consumer apps, do not make users read a manual in a sheet before they can try the core action.

1. goal  2. one path  3. optional tour  4. succeed
# metrics: activation %, TTFV (time to first value)

Start simple: try this concept in a tiny project before moving to advanced tools.