2023–2024 / MGID · ADTECH
Helping new advertisers succeed from day one
Senior Product Designer · Advertisers team
First-time user journey · Signup and login · Verification · Onboarding strategy · User activation
User research · CJM · User flow redesign · UX/UI · Prototyping · A/B testing · Post-release analysis
After MGID launched its modernized advertising platform, feedback and behavioral data revealed friction across signup, verification, and early product exploration. Users were dropping off before they could understand the platform’s value.
USERS
New advertisers onboarding to MGID.
BUSINESS CONTEXT
Early drop-off was limiting activation on the new platform.
CONSTRAINTS
Simplify onboarding without compromising verification requirements.
I redesigned the first-time journey from signup to activation, reducing friction and helping users reach product value sooner.
Understanding where activation broke down
Friction extended across the first-time journey: from account creation to early product exploration. Working with UX research, I combined interviews and think-aloud usability tests with funnel drop-offs and session recordings to understand where users lost momentum.
OBJECTIVE
Identify friction across account access, verification, and early product exploration.
INTERVIEW FORMAT
Open-ended interview and think-aloud usability test (~1 hour).
PARTICIPANTS
25 users migrating from MGID’s legacy platform.
The synthesis revealed three recurring barriers to activation: friction in account access, premature verification, and a lack of guidance during early exploration.
Approach Instead of treating onboarding as a short product introduction, I approached it as a guided path toward activation.
The experience needed to reduce friction, explain what was required, and help users make progress without overwhelming them. It also had to support both first-time advertisers and existing customers moving from the legacy platform.
01 / ACCOUNT ACCESS
Reducing friction before users entered the product
Friction:
Signup, login, and account recovery created unnecessary barriers before users could access the platform.
What I did:
- Simplified signup, login, and account recovery flows
- Removed unnecessary fields and clarified validation
- Improved navigation and access to support
- Added lightweight segmentation to tailor onboarding
02 / VERIFICATION
Reordering verification to preserve momentum
Friction:
Verification appeared before users had enough context or product value, interrupting their path to activation.
What I did:
- Moved verification later in the activation journey
- Reduced unnecessary steps and clarified requirements
- Added progress indicators and real-time status updates
- Improved transitions to the third-party verification flow
03 / EARLY EXPLORATION
Guiding users through early exploration
Friction:
New and migrating users lacked clear guidance on where to begin and what to do next.
What I did:
- Created guided onboarding with progress indicators
- Personalized content based on user type
- Added a Get Started checklist for essential tasks
- Designed a dedicated feature overview for legacy-platform users
Post-launch data showed measurable improvements across the activation journey.
lower signup drop-off
higher user activation
faster verification
KEY LESSON Activation is shaped by the entire journey. Account access, the timing of required steps, and early guidance all influence whether users continue and experience value.
Post-launch behavioral data and direct feedback helped me continue refining the journey and identify where further improvements could have the most impact.
