Case studies

HEY Email: A Strong Signup, Then a Stalled First Run

+20 XP

Case study

HEY Email: A Strong Signup, Then a Stalled First Run

HEY, the email service from Basecamp, wins attention with a bold manifesto and a signup that feels like a conversation. Then the first run slows down under long explanations, and you will learn which onboarding moves built momentum and which ones spent it.

6 min read +20 XP when you reach the end

What you will learn

  • Use step by step signup and small rewards to lift completion
  • Keep promises about how many steps are left
  • Teach features at the moment people need them

Scroll to follow the story. The screen changes with you.

Based on the learnings from Growth.Design: User Onboarding: Is HEY Email Worth It?, presented in our own format.

The manifesto screen

Step 1 of 12

  1. The manifesto screenA story, not a pitch

    01

    The hook

    HEY opens with a letter about email, not a hero image and a feature grid.

    The home page is plain text that starts 'Hey everyone' and talks about how email lost its way. There is no big headline or product shot, and even though it is text heavy, it holds attention because it tells a story. Growth.Design notes the launch drew wide interest, with Basecamp's CEO sharing that more than 120,000 people signed up in under two weeks.

    TakeawayWhen you compete with giants, a distinct point of view beats a feature list.

    Differentiate when everyone looks the sameHEY cannot win against Google and Apple by claiming to be the best email service. Growth.Design cites branding advice from Marty Neumeier: stand apart by telling your own true story.

  2. Naming the pain screenTheir pain, in words

    02

    The copy

    Every line describes a frustration the reader already feels.

    Mail from strangers, lost control over who can reach you, and a flood of automated messages. The page names these problems in everyday words before it offers anything, so the reader feels understood and clicks 'Try it FREE'.

    TakeawayGood copy starts from the customer's pains, not from what the product does.

    Know your customer inside outGrowth.Design points to copywriting guidance from Growth Lab: people do not care what you think about your product. They care about what it can do for them, so start from their dreams, pains and barriers.

  3. No signup form screenOne clear action

    03

    The start

    Instead of a long form, a single welcome card explains what comes next.

    The visitor expects the usual signup form. HEY shows one card that says it will guide them through setting up an account and an @hey.com address, with one button: 'Let's get started'.

    TakeawayTelling people what will happen lowers the effort they expect to spend.

  4. Pre-filled address screenSuggested address

    04

    Step by step

    The new email address is already filled in, and three hands show the steps.

    Each screen asks one question. The three hand icons at the top show there are three steps, which sets expectations from the start. On the address step, HEY suggests an address built from the person's name, so they see something that already feels like theirs.

    TakeawayGive people a small win early, and they will want to finish.

    Endowment effectPeople value something more once they feel it belongs to them. Letting new users see a personalized result on their first visit can lift activation.

  5. Reward first screenStep 2 of 3

    05

    The order

    The address comes before the password, so the dull step feels like a formality.

    By the time the password screen appears, the person already has their new address. Setting a password now protects something they own rather than blocking something they want.

    TakeawayPut the reward before the chore, not after it.

    Deferred account creationGrowth.Design cites Appcues research on onboarding patterns: letting people experience value before they finish signing up tends to raise conversion. It works through reciprocity, since people feel a pull to give back after they receive something.

  6. A fourth step screenSaid this was last

    06

    Problem 1

    The third hand is already lit, yet a backup email step appears.

    The indicator promised three steps, and the password was the third. Then a new screen asks for a backup address. Three steps sound better than four, but breaking that promise costs more trust than showing an honest fourth step would.

    TakeawayNever let a progress indicator say something the flow does not deliver.

  7. Anticlimax screenUnexplained prompt

    07

    Problem 2

    The finish line repeats what just happened and asks for a decision with no help.

    'You're all set up' lists steps the person has just completed, which is redundant because they are only here if they finished. A paragraph then explains what happens next instead of showing it. Meanwhile the browser asks whether HEY may open email links, a big choice with no context at all.

    TakeawayThe end of signup should feel like arriving, not like reading a receipt.

  8. Original
    Fix: celebrate screenRedundant checklist
    Suggested
    Fix: celebrate corrected screenPrompt explained

    08

    Repair

    Celebrate the new address and explain the browser prompt right beside it.

    Growth.Design's suggested version drops the checklist, puts the new address front and center, and uses an arrow and one sentence to explain why HEY wants to open email links. The decision now has context at the moment it appears.

    What changed

    • The recap checklist is removed
    • The new address becomes the reward
    • An arrow and one line explain the browser prompt

    TakeawayReward effort, and give guidance exactly where a decision is made.

    Contextual onboardingGrowth.Design cites Nick Babich: show the right message to the right person at the right time, rather than asking people to remember everything up front.

  9. The Screener screenApprove HEY itself

    09

    Problem 3

    The key feature is taught with sticky notes full of text.

    The Screener lets you decide who may email you, and it is HEY's best idea. It is introduced through several yellow notes that explain it at length, then asks the person to approve HEY's own welcome email. Testing a feature on the product's own message feels artificial.

    TakeawayShow a feature working on real data instead of explaining it on sample data.

    A better momentGrowth.Design suggests merging the note steps and showing the Screener when the person's first real email arrives, the moment the feature actually matters.

  10. Read the manual screenInstructions here

    10

    Problem 4

    The first email teaches the product by describing it.

    'Getting started with HEY' explains the Screener, the Imbox and more in long paragraphs. It is clever to teach email with an email, but the words are far from the buttons they describe, so connecting instructions to the interface is hard work.

    TakeawayInstructions that live away from the interface are rarely read and rarely remembered.

  11. Flooded inbox screenSix lessons at once

    11

    Problem 5

    The new inbox opens with six tutorial emails at once.

    A product that promises a calm inbox starts with a list of unread lessons on Clips, the Feed, the Paper Trail and more. The person has not yet felt the core value, and the first run now looks like homework.

    TakeawayLead people to the moment the product clicks, then teach the rest over time.

    Prioritize your aha momentGrowth.Design cites Appcues: helping people realize the product's value is central to onboarding. Study what engaged users do and build it in early. One suggestion here is to send one lesson a day for six days, which also gives people a reason to return.

  12. Start
    The whole journey screenStrong start
    First run
    The whole journey corrected screenMomentum lost

    12

    The result

    Momentum builds through signup, then fades in the first run.

    Sharp copy, one question per screen, a personalized address and a deferred password make signup feel easy. After that, long explanations, instructions cut off from the interface and a list of tasks drain the energy. The core features are strong; the first run needs to let people feel them sooner.

    What changed

    • Keep the step promise honest
    • Replace recaps with a reward
    • Teach features when they are first needed
    • Spread lessons out over days

    TakeawayOnboarding is judged by where it leaves people, not by how well it starts.

Every takeaway, in one place

  1. The hookWhen you compete with giants, a distinct point of view beats a feature list.
  2. The copyGood copy starts from the customer's pains, not from what the product does.
  3. The startTelling people what will happen lowers the effort they expect to spend.
  4. Step by stepGive people a small win early, and they will want to finish.
  5. The orderPut the reward before the chore, not after it.
  6. Problem 1Never let a progress indicator say something the flow does not deliver.
  7. Problem 2The end of signup should feel like arriving, not like reading a receipt.
  8. RepairReward effort, and give guidance exactly where a decision is made.
  9. Problem 3Show a feature working on real data instead of explaining it on sample data.
  10. Problem 4Instructions that live away from the interface are rarely read and rarely remembered.
  11. Problem 5Lead people to the moment the product clicks, then teach the rest over time.
  12. The resultOnboarding is judged by where it leaves people, not by how well it starts.

Source: Growth.Design: User Onboarding: Is HEY Email Worth It?

Make the first ten minutes count.

Onboarding is where people decide whether a product is worth learning. Zyxware can map your signup and first run step by step, find where momentum drops, and redesign the moments that teach, reward and lead people to real value.

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