Email App Onboarding

Simplifying professional email setup for every user

Project

An onboarding experience for Umbler that helps new and existing customers configure professional email accounts through clear, scenario-based flows.

The Goals

Support multiple customer scenarios without creating separate experiences
Help users understand where they were in the process
Reduce setup friction for first-time users
Keep experienced customers moving quickly

Overview

Users approached email setup with different needs: some already had accounts or domains, while others needed to start from scratch.

I redesigned onboarding around these scenarios, creating relevant paths, clearer navigation, and guided setup.

The challenge

One onboarding. Different starting points.

A single linear flow would create unnecessary steps for experienced users while leaving beginners without enough guidance.

The challenge: How might we adapt onboarding to different user needs without adding complexity?

Understanding user scenarios

Different starting points. Different paths.

Research with 30 users helped identify six onboarding scenarios.

Although the starting points differed, every journey shared the same end goal: getting a professional email working as quickly as possible.

New customers

Already own a domain.
Need to register a domain.
Want to create professional email.

Existing customers

Need a domain.
Already own a domain.
Manage multiple domains.

Key Takeaway

Email setup wasn't one workflow. It depended on account status, domain ownership, and user intent.

Mapping the experience

Define the journey before designing screens

I mapped six scenarios into user flows, identifying dependencies between account creation, domain registration, and email configuration.

These flows helped validate the experience and align UX decisions with technical requirements.

Design decisions

Theme	Problem	Decision	Why
Separate customer journeys	New and existing customers had different requirements.	Create distinct onboarding paths.	Avoid unnecessary steps while guiding new users.
Adapt to domain ownership	Domain registration wasn't required for everyone.	Adjust steps based on domain ownership.	Keep each flow relevant.
Clarify progress and navigation	Multi-step setup made progress harder to understand.	Add custom progress indicators and return options.	Make navigation predictable and transparent.
Optimize mobile interactions	Important actions needed better accessibility on smaller screens.	Refine button placement and hierarchy.	Make the next step easier to identify.

The final experience

One consistent experience. Six relevant paths.

The final concept connected account access, domain selection, and email configuration into a structured onboarding.

Scenario-based flows

Relevant steps for new and existing customers.

Guided setup

Account and domain requirements in logical order.

Clear progress

Navigation and return options throughout.

Consistent UI

Familiar interactions across different paths.

Outcome

One cohesive onboarding

The redesign translated six onboarding scenarios into structured user flows and a consistent interface.

By adapting steps to account status and domain ownership, the concept reduced unnecessary complexity and created a clearer foundation for email setup.

30

Users researched

6

Scenarios mapped

2

Customer journeys

1

Unified onboarding

What I learned

Good onboarding doesn't require everyone to follow the same path. It requires relevant steps, clear decisions, and consistent interactions.

Mapping flows early also helps connect UX decisions with technical requirements before development.