Canny’s engaging widget assistant

Customer feedback management tool Canny helps product managers collect and manage user feedback to inform their development strategies.

Canny gets new users ramped up on its platform quickly with a widget assistant named Ned that functions as an onboarding coach.  Ned chills at the bottom-right corner of each page and takes users through the account setup process every step of the way.  

As users move through setup, the widget’s progress bar fills in, and tasks are crossed off as they’re completed. Talk about satisfying! Users have to complete each action before continuing the onboarding tour.  

When users reach the post creation stage of the onboarding guide, Canny doesn’t just instruct users to create one post—they ask for three. This requirement gives users several rounds of practice to get more familiar with the product.

In the final step of the onboarding guide, Ned offers a video tutorial within the widget that explains how users can install Canny in their products.

What makes this really good UX:

• Canny’s onboarding widget masters the goal gradient effect. The “Set up Canny” progress bar and crossed-off checklist items give users a feeling of accomplishment that motivates them to finish onboarding.  
• We like that the widget requires users to engage with the product at every step. This learn-by-doing approach reinforces the information users are learning throughout onboarding.
• Canny’s widget stays out of the way on the page, so users can see their progress and watch video tutorials as they set up their first board.
• Having cartoon Ned in the widget humanizes the onboarding experience. If users get lost at any point during setup, Ned is always there to assist them. Users can even schedule a demo with human Ned (he’s a real person!) directly on the widget.

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