MappingSpace | September 2024
Overview
MappingSpace is an B2B DevOps tool for managing complex workflows, but users often felt lost due to a dense interface, leading to low feature adoption. I designed an interactive, gamified Onboarding Hub that offers step-by-step guidance, progress tracking, and instant rewards, transforming the steep learning curve into a more engaging experience.
Impact
35%
Increase in onboarding completion rate
25%
Reduction in customer support tickets
12%
Increase in time spent on website
My Role
Product Designer
Ownership
UX design
Feature Scoping
Accessibility Design
A/B Testing
Design System
Duration
3 months (2024)
Cross-functional Team
1 UX researcher
1 Product Manager
3 Software Developers
Problem
Research
To understand why the existing onboarding failed, I conducted 8 user interviews and 3 heuristic evaluations. I found that users can learned the content, yet couldn’t apply it in context—revealing a critical gap in the current onboarding flow.
User Manuals
Informative but too long and detached.
YouTube Tutorials
Clear but not integrated into users’ workflows.
Email Announcement
Timely but easily ignored and not interactive.
Key insight
Existing onboarding are scattered and out of context. Users need contextual, step-by-step guidance instead of long, disconnected tutorials.
Embed Learning in Workflow
Integrate learning materials directly into users’ workspace to eliminate searching effort and guide them through a clear roadmap.
Teach in Context, Reveal Progressively
Deliver learning step by step based on users’ goals and experience level — avoiding overload while keeping guidance relevant.
Motivate Through Micro-Achievements
Encourage engagement by connecting task completion with instant feedback and small rewards that reinforce learning.
Design 01 - Layout exploration
Embed Learning in Workflow
In order to help users discover tutorials and guidance without leaving their workspace. I compared three layouts to test how users discover and consume content.
Comparing Layouts Through A/B Testing
We conducted an A/B test (n=40). Users in the toggle group completed tasks 25% faster, confirming it as the most efficient layout.
Design 1
Grid Layout
Too Long or Overwhelming
Hard to locate the right tutorial.
Design 3
Accordion
Provides detailed explanations
Cluttered when expanded
Final Direction: Centralized Onboarding Hub
Onboarding Hub integrates YouTube tutorials and user manuals into a single, organized list, presented in a logical learning order with estimated completion times.
Design 02
Transform user manual into bite size
Research showed that the user manuel is to long an dull. They preferred learning in smaller, actionable steps rather than watching long tutorials. So I designed a step-by-step guided flow where users can click “Try it now” to follow interactive, in-product instructions.
Before
User Manual
A long and text-heavy user manual that makes onboarding slow and tiring.
After
Step by Step Guidance
Step-by-step guided card helps users quickly understand how to do.
Design 03 - Motivation Design
Motivate learning through small wins
Progress tracker and reward system to make learning feel lighter and more game-like, significantly boosting engagement.
Final Design
The new Onboarding Hub redefines how MappingSpace supports new users. By turning onboarding into a contextual, rewarding, and continuous journey, it transforms initial confusion into confident engagement.
Impact
Aligning user needs with business outcomes
The redesigned onboarding experience delivered measurable impact—helping users complete tasks more efficiently, reducing support needs, and increasing overall engagement.
“Having tutorials and manuals in one place changed everything. Our onboarding time dropped instantly because teammates always know exactly what to do next.”
Customer Success Lead
Customer Success Lead
“The new step-by-step guidance finally made our team confident using advanced features. It feels like having a patient coach built right into the product.”
B2B Tool User
Research Lead, DataNest
Take Away
What I learned
1. Rethinking onboarding as part of product growth
I used to see onboarding as a one-time tutorial. Through this project, I learned that effective onboarding is a continuous product strategy — it connects learning, activation, and long-term retention. Designing with data in mind helped me see how UX directly shapes business impact.
2. Designing delight that scales
When building gamified interactions, I learned that excitement must coexist with sustainability. The real challenge wasn’t how to make it fun, but how to ensure these small delights remain maintainable and adaptable as the product evolves.
3.Collaborating like a product thinker
Working closely with PMs and engineers taught me to align design with technical feasibility and business priorities early on. This experience helped me grow from focusing on “interface polish” to shaping how the product itself delivers value.