Instagram's business onboarding
Businesses need to be where their customers are, and with over 800 million people on Instagram, most of them are on the picture sharing app.
To help businesses reach, inspire, and be discovered by customers on the network, Instagram launched “Business Profiles” in 2016. These dedicated profiles let companies add extra information, such as opening hours, location, and phone numbers, as well as offer access to real-time social media metrics.
The service is entirely free, so the only barrier to entry is to get set-up, which Instagram makes super easy with their business onboarding flow.
Why this is really good UX:
- To maximize motivation on the first step, Instagram leverages social proof: the social phenomenon where people assume the actions of others. They do this by telling the user that 104 of the people they follow are already on a business profile. This message adds credibility and provides the prompt the user needs to finish the process.
- To minimize the mental load, Instagram doesn't delve into the details on the user's first day. The onboarding flow visually highlights the key features and the associated value, so the user can get the lay of the land before they dive in.
- Instagram takes a minimalist UI approach to achieve an aesthetically pleasing, easily navigated, simple set-up process. Visual noise is minimal, with no more than 30 words per step. Every element serves a purpose to create a superior and simple experience.
- Anticipating a user error—or, potentially, user curiosity—Instagram includes a “Not a business” button on the top right to let nonbusiness users exit the flow quickly and easily when they've seen enough.
