Mobile onboarding UI and flow examples

Duolingo: connect setup choices to a starting recommendation

Five selected moments from a January 2026 recording cover expectations, a language choice, daily effort, reminders and a proposed starting score.

Evidence limit: Recorded excerpt, not the complete onboarding journey. Other questions and purchase choices occur between these frames. The recording ends before the first lesson, so neither first value nor retention is established.

1. Reference 1 · 0:09

   Explain the setup effort

   The introduction names seven questions and the first lesson as the destination; a single Continue action is visible.

   Adapt it: Tell the person what setup is for and how much work to expect. Test whether every required answer changes the first session.

2. Reference 2 · 0:16

   Make the consequential choice visible

   French is highlighted in a language list beneath a progress bar. This answer determines the subject, rather than a cosmetic preference.

   Adapt it: Ask for the choice that changes the task early. In your implementation, expose the selected state through a labelled control, not color alone.

3. Reference 3 · 0:53

   Frame effort in understandable units

   The daily goal is expressed in minutes, with ten selected. The action changes from Continue to a commitment-oriented label.

   Adapt it: Make the consequence of the choice clear and keep revision available. A visible progress bar does not prove that the amount remaining is understood.

4. Reference 4 · 1:01

   Separate the reminder explanation from permission

   Reminder copy sits above a system-style permission preview with an arrow toward Allow. The bottom action asks for a practice reminder; this frame does not establish a live operating-system grant.

   Adapt it: Explain the benefit in context, but keep app preferences and system permission as separate states. Test denial and continuation instead of assuming that a reminder choice grants notification access.

5. Reference 5 · 1:24

   Reflect an earlier answer back

   The recommendation refers to knowing a few words and proposes Score 10. It shows the result of an earlier proficiency answer.

   Adapt it: Show how an answer changes the recommendation. Treat arriving at this screen separately from successfully completing a first lesson.

Structured: turn a planning promise into specific task details

Four September 2026 still references show a welcome, a wake-up time, task entry and a duration choice. They illustrate different setup decisions, not verified transitions.

Evidence limit: Still-image set, not a recorded journey. Display order is editorial. These images do not prove answer persistence, scheduling success, screen-reader behavior or what happens after Continue.

1. Reference 1 · Still reference · Editorial display order

   Keep new and returning paths distinct

   The welcome screen has three introductory markers, Skip, a forward control and a separate returning-user login link.

   Adapt it: Let the person bypass an introduction without confusing that choice with account sign-in. Markers can describe an introduction without measuring the entire setup.

2. Reference 2 · Still reference · Editorial display order

   Give a time question visible context

   The wake-up question shows 8 AM highlighted among neighboring times. A progress bar, back action and Skip remain visible.

   Adapt it: Keep the selected value and its purpose together. Test time editing, large text and assistive technology in a real picker; the screenshot cannot establish those behaviors.

3. Reference 3 · Still reference · Editorial display order

   Offer suggestions without removing custom input

   A custom task field is shown above suggested activities such as answering emails and taking a walk.

   Adapt it: Suggestions can help someone begin, but preserve their own task. Check the keyboard-open layout and retained input after going back.

4. Reference 4 · Still reference · Editorial display order

   Put the duration beside the task

   A Clean Up task card displays a fifteen-minute interval; the duration selector highlights 15m and offers a different-duration route.

   Adapt it: Keep a preset's effect visible next to the task. Confirm that custom durations and changed start times are reflected in the final plan.

Notion Mail: distinguish identity, setup and mailbox access

Three September 2026 still references separate the account prerequisite, a setup waiting state and a Gmail connection explanation.

Evidence limit: Still-image set, not a recorded journey. These historical screens do not establish transition order, waiting time, the permission scopes granted, or current service availability.

1. Reference 1 · Still reference · Editorial display order

   Name the account prerequisite

   The welcome screen explicitly names a Notion account before the Get started action, with terms and privacy copy below.

   Adapt it: Explain an existing-account dependency before authentication. Do not treat accepting terms as permission to access another service.

2. Reference 2 · Still reference · Editorial display order

   Recognize setup as its own state

   A browser sheet shows a spinner and a setup message. Close, navigation and reload controls belong to that browser context.

   Adapt it: Define a recoverable path for cancellation, timeouts and rejected requests. This still does not show how long the wait lasts or whether a retry succeeds.

3. Reference 3 · Still reference · Editorial display order

   Explain the separate mailbox connection

   A sheet names the Gmail address connection and offers its own continuation action over the welcome view.

   Adapt it: Treat product identity and mailbox authorization as different decisions. Explain needed access and preserve a clear way to cancel or return.

Mobile onboarding questions