The devtools startup
nobody was
activating on.
Strong signups, terrible activation — 80% of free trials never completed setup. We redesigned the onboarding flow, ran eight experiments, and built an activation scoring model that turned signups into paying customers.
The challenge
The product was strong. Developers who got through setup loved it. The problem: most never got through setup. The onboarding flow had seven steps, two of which required API key configuration with zero guidance.
Signup numbers looked healthy on the investor deck. The activation cliff behind them did not.
What we did
- Redesigned the onboarding flow from seven steps to three, with contextual help at every friction point.
- Implemented behavior-triggered email sequences at the three key dropoff points identified in funnel analysis.
- Ran eight onboarding experiments — testing setup wizards, interactive tutorials, and sandbox environments.
- Built an activation scoring model that flagged at-risk trials for targeted intervention within 24 hours of signup.
The outcome
Activation more than doubled. Time to first value dropped from 4.2 days to 1.1 days. The trial-to-paid funnel tightened by 44%, and the cohort data kept improving month over month as the scoring model learned.
The CEO stopped talking about top-of-funnel growth in board meetings and started talking about activation economics. That was the real win.
№004 —
Fitness Subscription.
A retention and churn modeling engagement that cut monthly churn by 27% and lifted LTV by 38%.