Turning Onboarding into a Value-First Experience for B2B SaaS
Redesigned a complex B2B onboarding flow by shifting it from data collection to value demonstration, helping leads understand the product before committing and reducing early-stage friction.
Arquivei ( Qive) is a B2B SaaS that helps Brazilian companies monitor and store fiscal invoices (NFes) automatically.
To access real value, users had to:
- Create an account
- Complete multi-step registration
- Register a company digital certificate
This made time-to-value long and cognitively heavy for new leads.
New users had to invest significant effort before seeing any proof of value.
The onboarding was optimized for data collection rather than value demonstration, prioritizing internal needs over user understanding.
This created real business risk:
- Drop-offs before activation
- Lower perceived product value
- Heavy reliance on sales to explain the product
As a Product Designer in a cross-functional squad, I worked closely with the PM and engineers to reframe the problem and redesign the experience.
I drove:
- Problem framing
- UX strategy
- End-to-end onboarding redesign
1. Show value before asking for commitment
We introduced a demo account with realistic sample data so leads could experience the product before registering their company.
This reduced perceived risk and increased clarity.
2) Separate exploration from full activation
Instead of forcing certificate registration upfront, we allowed users to:
- Explore invoices
- See dashboards
- Understand core value
Activation became a next step, not a barrier.
3) Optimizing sign-up to balance business data needs and real user behavior
We reduced sign-up to three essential steps to capture only what sales truly needed. Behavioral data showed strong mobile traffic, so onboarding was made responsive despite the product itself not being mobile-ready.
This decision protected conversion while still supporting sales qualification.
Qualitative impact
- Faster understanding of product value
- Reduced early friction
- More confident and qualified leads entering trials
- Better alignment between product and sales funnel
Business Impact
- Increased funnel conversion from lead to trial users by 56%
- Increased the number of leads reaching activation with clearer intent.
In B2B SaaS, onboarding is not just account creation, it’s the first proof of value. Designing for perceived value before commitment can be as important as reducing form friction.