Learning / Knowledge

Headway onboarding flow

97 screens · Screen Recording · recorded Jun 2024

Learning / KnowledgeSoft paywall · trial optionalpaywall: post onboarding quizquiz drivengoal settingsocial proof heavyannual default with trialone plan onlypricing anchor strikethrough

Headway pricing and paywall terms

Try 7 days for free then $7.49/mo (billed yearly at $89.99) + View other plans

Headway onboarding screen 1: Continue with Apple is the first thing they show, account before any value — Continue with Apple is the first thing they show, account before any value. Apple sign-in lowers the friction of asking upfront, but you're still gating the whole flow on signup before anyone's felt the product. I'd test pushing this past the first quiz.

Headway onboarding screen 2

Headway onboarding screen 5

Headway onboarding screen 6

Headway onboarding screen 8

Headway onboarding screen 10

Headway onboarding screen 11

Headway onboarding screen 12

Headway onboarding screen 13

Headway onboarding screen 14

100% free

87 more screens

See the rest of this flow.

You are 10 screens into Headway. Enter your email to unlock the remaining 87, plus every other teardown in the library.

Headway onboarding screen 15

Headway onboarding screen 16

Headway onboarding screen 17: The quiz hands you a 'Star Shooter' achievement for setting your goals — The quiz hands you a 'Star Shooter' achievement for setting your goals. Gamifying the quiz itself keeps completion up, and it gets you used to earning badges before the streak mechanics show up later.

Headway onboarding screen 18

Headway onboarding screen 19: Side by side: a typical book is 300+ pages and 8-10 hours, a Headway summary is 15 minutes — Side by side: a typical book is 300+ pages and 8-10 hours, a Headway summary is 15 minutes. That's the price-value setup. They're framing the product as time saved, so the subscription feels cheap against the hours you'd otherwise spend reading.

Headway onboarding screen 20

Headway onboarding screen 21: A streak ladder (7-day 'promising' up to 50-day 'unstoppable') before you've read a single summary — A streak ladder (7-day 'promising' up to 50-day 'unstoppable') before you've read a single summary. Planting the streak loss-aversion early so the habit framing is already in your head by the time the paywall hits.

Headway onboarding screen 22

Headway onboarding screen 23: Notifications pitched by specific benefit: morning reminders, daily microlearning, streak nudges — Notifications pitched by specific benefit: morning reminders, daily microlearning, streak nudges. Framing the ask around what you get beats a bare 'allow notifications.' I'd still want this firing after they've felt value, not mid-quiz.

Headway onboarding screen 24: A 5-star user quote dropped into the quiz: 'never have time to read a full book.' Social proof that mirrors… — A 5-star user quote dropped into the quiz: 'never have time to read a full book.' Social proof that mirrors the exact objection they're building the pitch around. Cheap to add and it reinforces the time-saved angle.

Headway onboarding screen 25

Headway onboarding screen 26

Headway onboarding screen 27

Headway onboarding screen 28: '30M users' with a Sensortower citation — '30M users' with a Sensortower citation. A big round number plus a named source reads more credible than a bare claim. Standard trust-building before they start asking about specific books.

Headway onboarding screen 29: Thumbs up/down on real book covers ('How interested are you in this book?') — Thumbs up/down on real book covers ('How interested are you in this book?'). A swipe-style micro-commitment that quietly builds a library you're invested in before the paywall. Every tap is buy-in and zero-party data on what to show you later.

Headway onboarding screen 30

Headway onboarding screen 31

Headway onboarding screen 32

Headway onboarding screen 33

Headway onboarding screen 34

Headway onboarding screen 35: 'Book summaries you're interested in were saved to the library.' This pays off all those thumbs-up taps, so… — 'Book summaries you're interested in were saved to the library.' This pays off all those thumbs-up taps, so the library feels like yours before you've paid a cent. Investment they can point back to at the wall.

Headway onboarding screen 36: Free preview of a real summary (Atomic Habits) before any wall — Free preview of a real summary (Atomic Habits) before any wall. Letting you feel measurable progress on one book builds the trust that justifies the price. This is the value-before-paywall move.

Headway onboarding screen 37

Headway onboarding screen 38

Headway onboarding screen 39

Headway onboarding screen 40

Headway onboarding screen 41: After one key point: 'finish setup to unlock full learning experience.' The teaser cut — After one key point: 'finish setup to unlock full learning experience.' The teaser cut. You've felt the value, now the rest is gated, right when you want more.

Headway onboarding screen 42: 'We are crafting your goals' loading screen with a 30M-users rating, and they slip yes/no questions in while… — 'We are crafting your goals' loading screen with a 30M-users rating, and they slip yes/no questions in while it 'works.' The loader sells the personalization effort, and the embedded questions keep you tapping instead of staring at a spinner.

Headway onboarding screen 44

Headway onboarding screen 45

Headway onboarding screen 46

Headway onboarding screen 47

Headway onboarding screen 48

Headway onboarding screen 49: A commitment pact you confirm with a tap-and-hold (the fingerprint UX Headway helped popularize) — A commitment pact you confirm with a tap-and-hold (the fingerprint UX Headway helped popularize). A physical micro-commitment in first person right before the ask, which nudges buy-in up.

Headway onboarding screen 50

Headway onboarding screen 51: A letter 'from future you' dated a year out, thanking you for the choice you're 'about to make.' Pure… — A letter 'from future you' dated a year out, thanking you for the choice you're 'about to make.' Pure aspiration and a soft push toward the purchase, timed right before the paywall.

Headway onboarding screen 52: The 3-step trial timeline: full access today, reminder on day 5, cancel by day 7 — The 3-step trial timeline: full access today, reminder on day 5, cancel by day 7. Spelling out the cancel path lowers trial anxiety, which lifts trial starts. 'No payment now' does the heavy lifting.

Headway onboarding screen 53

Headway onboarding screen 54

Headway paywall with pricing, onboarding screen 55 — The paywall: 7 days free then $7.49/mo billed yearly at $89.99, one plan with 'view other plans' tucked below. Annual-default-with-trial keeps the headline number small. 'super easy to cancel' under the CTA is there to take the last bit of hesitation off.

Headway onboarding screen 57

Headway onboarding screen 59

Headway onboarding screen 60

Headway onboarding screen 61

Headway onboarding screen 62: Hit the X and you get a second offer: 44% off, $89.99 struck through to $49.99, no trial — Hit the X and you get a second offer: 44% off, $89.99 struck through to $49.99, no trial. Most people don't buy on the first paywall, so a discounted annual with a strikethrough anchor picks up some of the leavers. Note they drop the trial here and go straight to a cheaper commitment.

Headway onboarding screen 63

Headway onboarding screen 64

Headway onboarding screen 65

Headway onboarding screen 66

Headway onboarding screen 67

Headway onboarding screen 68

Headway onboarding screen 69

Headway onboarding screen 70: Invite friends to 'enjoy the world's best ideas side by side,' baked into the home screen — Invite friends to 'enjoy the world's best ideas side by side,' baked into the home screen. A referral loop surfaced right after activation while motivation's high. If even 15% invite someone, that's CAC down 15%.

Headway onboarding screen 71

Headway onboarding screen 72: A second paywall variant: same $89.99/year but anchored as 'only $1.73/week.' Reframing the annual price as a… — A second paywall variant: same $89.99/year but anchored as 'only $1.73/week.' Reframing the annual price as a tiny weekly number is the standard way to make it feel trivial. Different art, same plan, testing which framing converts.

Headway onboarding screen 73

Headway onboarding screen 74

Headway onboarding screen 75

Headway onboarding screen 76

Headway onboarding screen 77

Headway onboarding screen 78

Headway onboarding screen 79

Headway onboarding screen 80

Headway onboarding screen 81

Headway onboarding screen 82

Headway onboarding screen 83

Headway onboarding screen 84

Headway onboarding screen 85

Headway onboarding screen 86

Headway onboarding screen 87

Headway onboarding screen 88

Headway onboarding screen 89

Headway onboarding screen 90

Headway onboarding screen 92

Headway onboarding screen 93

Headway onboarding screen 94

Headway onboarding screen 95

Headway onboarding screen 96

Headway onboarding screen 97

Headway onboarding screen 98

Headway onboarding screen 99

Headway onboarding screen 100

Headway onboarding screen 101

Headway onboarding screen 102

Headway onboarding screen 103

Headway onboarding screen 104

Headway onboarding screen 105