Coursera Mobile App
Breaking Barriers: Browsing Before Signup
Understanding the Core Experience Challenges
Mobile app users were required to create an account before browsing content on the mobile app, which we hypothesized was causing friction during onboarding.
Who Are Our Target Users?
How Users Experience Mobile Onboarding
New User Experience
Goal
Easily explore and discover relevant courses without needing to create an account.
Current Barrier
Users may feel forced to sign up before understanding the value.
The onboarding wizard is mandatory, with no option to bypass or edit recommendations.
Potential Solution
Enable browsing without login, providing curated recommendations and search functionality.
Allow users to skip the onboarding wizard entirely.
Make the wizard’s recommendations editable, giving users more control over their learning preferences.
Existing Users Using the Mobile App for the First Time
Goal
Allow returning logged-out users to log in without clicking “Enroll.”
Skip onboarding for users who already have an account.
Current Barrier
Users who try to access their enrolled courses may get redirected to the enrollment flow instead of a direct login.
Existing users might be forced into an onboarding flow that assumes they are new.
Potential Solution
Provide a persistent sign-in prompt on key screens for easy login access.
Detect existing users and direct them to “My Courses” after login instead of the course discovery page.
Bypass onboarding for users with an existing account or provide a “Skip onboarding” option.
What Users Are Saying
“I think this should be something I could find by browsing. Having to sign up for my email and give a little bit of information is a turnoff, especially since I'm not aware of how many different options there are.”
“Okay, now I feel like it didn't customize this content based off my selection of web development, because here it has art and science, business, computer science, it's very general. Earn your degree. It has health, public health. So, these things are not really customized to my selection. So why did it ask me what do I want to learn?”
“I would like to browse and then if I find something that's interesting, then make me log in in order to enroll/create an account in order to enroll. Why are you hiding your courses behind a login on your app? ”
“I didn't really feel that that onboarding component was necessary. It actually confused me. So if you can take that out or make it functional and actionable, that would be great.”
“It was cool that I was eventually able to find a course for me, but it was frustrating on what it took to get there. Had I not been doing this for a usability test, odds are pretty high I would have bounced.”
“I have to create an account? Oh, you won't even let me search the courses before I ... Really? Why would I have to create an account just to view if you have my course available?”
Key Insights from User Behavior
Sign Up Later
Show the login screen at launch with a skip option to continue without signing in.
New users can explore before signing up, while existing users can log in seamlessly.
Skip Onboarding Wizard
Remove onboarding from the sign-up process, regardless of sign-up method.
Trigger it only if users opt in for recommendations, aligning with the current behavior on the Recommended tab.
Browse First
Make this page the default for first-time users who skip login, allowing immediate course catalog exploration.
Show the login screen when users tap ‘Enroll’ on the Course Description Page.
Defining the Goal
Streamline access to Coursera’s mobile offerings and enhance onboarding to boost app registrations and course enrollments
Design Process & Solution
The New Onboarding Experience
Sign Up Later
Show the login screen at launch with a skip option to continue without signing in.
New users can explore before signing up, while existing users can log in seamlessly.
Outcome & Impact
Reflections & Learnings from the Process
Focus on Activation
Prioritize getting users into courses quickly by reducing unnecessary onboarding steps.
Streamline Onboarding
Show the Explore screen first to minimize friction and encourage engagement.
Address UX Issues
Users faced friction and confusion, highlighting the need to improve clarity, consistency, effort reduction, and user control.