Twitter onboarding couldn’t be more straightforward

In the 30 seconds it takes you to tie your shoe, you could have signed up for a Twitter account and sent your first tweet. That’s how dead simple Twitter’s user onboarding process is.

The social media platform has made its onboarding easy by letting users skip nearly every setup decision.

By making nearly every setup decision optional, Twitter gives new users a quick way to start tweeting. Your bio? Optional. Your handle? Optional. Your interests, you guessed it, are optional.

One of the only things Twitter makes mandatory is following someone. Forcing you to follow at least one account enables Twitter to fill your feed with relevant stories.

Unlike the thousands of onboarding experiences we've studied, Twitter stands out for never actually explaining how to use their product during their onboarding. This is partly because most people have a general understanding of what Twitter does, but it’s more that Twitter’s clear and intuitive UI needs no explanation. Just tell Twitter “what’s happening” or scroll for more stories—it’s as easy as that!

Why this is really good UX:

• Twitter knows its products are easy to use and doesn’t waste time detailing how everything works during onboarding. So if you’ve got a product that a grade-school kid could figure out faster than they can tie their shoe, spare your audience the nitty-gritty details of onboarding.
• By making nearly every setup decision optional, Twitter fast-tracks account setup and shortens time to value. (Users can always come back to finish setting up their account later, too.)
• Twitter’s UX copy follows an effective pattern that encourages and informs. Their bold header stands out and tells you precisely what to do at a glance. And just below the header, persuasive copy explains why you’re being asked to create a bio and select interests.