ACTIVATION / GORGIAS • 2024
Onboarding Redesign
This project highlights
ROLE
Product Designer
TIMELINE
Nov 2023 - Feb 2024
COLLABORATORS
Lenaig L., Product Manager
2 Engineers
CONTEXT
Intro
Current onboarding
THE PROBLEM
In practice, however, its impact is limited by an engagement problem. Only 5% of all chat interactions are funneled through the assistant.
And without engagement, even the smartest recommendations and checkout nudges can't influence purchasing decisions.
It's hidden and passive
Shopping Assistant is tucked away in the chat widget, competing with product-related content that's far more visually engaging and relevant.
NARROWED SCOPE
We started ambitiously to tackle both onboarding and content creation in a single because they're so intertwined for adoption.
We recognized scope bloat and narrowed the scope into phased projects so we could ship a focused ‘launch‑ready’ experience faster, lower delivery risk.
Phase 1: Essential setup
Get merchants almost live with minimal effort. The goal is to be ready to flip the switch, not to be perfect.
Later: Content expansion
Mature the knowledge base over time—add core FAQs, address top contact drivers, organize categories, and iterate continuously to make self-service truly effective.
THE SOLUTION: PHASE 1
A 3-step onboarding wizard that provides fast time-to-value
We transformed a perceived time-sink into clear, guided steps that show launch-ready setup can takes minutes, not days.
Core configuration
Basic setup essentials like subdomain and store connection, prefilled whenever possible to reduce friction.
Brand alignment
Logo, color scheme, and typography setup ensures the Help Center reflects merchant brand identity, which is critical for building customer trust.
Quick content creation
Editable templates for the most-searched topics let merchants populate their Help Center fast (later replaced with AI articles).
Unlock paid features
Merchants on paid plans get an additional step to turn on automation features, ensuring they leverage what they're paying for while building product awareness.
Nudge to publish
After setup, a contextual modal prompts merchants to either add more articles (create or import) or go live, depending on their current state.
RESULTS
This feature was released to all customers in February 2024.
15% increase
in Help Center adoption
5% increase
in merchants with >1 article
PROCESS IMPACT
Scaling research velocity through async testing
I used a new tool for async testing (Maze) to accelerate research on a tight timeline, cutting a typical 2–3 week interview cycle down to 1–2 weeks. Its success led to broader adoption across the product team.
After collecting interest from other designers, I wrote a proposal for senior leadership to secure a budget for a team subscription, and built documentation for the team to easily onboard to the tool.
LEARNINGS
Building AI features demand a different design mindset
The biggest uncertainties came from the scraping model, not the interface. Evaluating and shaping AI behavior became as central to the design work as designing the interface itself.
Chat complexity requires deep foundational understanding
Chat has countless configurations and edge cases. I invested in building on my foundational knowledge and worked closely with my PM and engineers to ensure we were covering all of the different use cases.