Documentation Types — Onboarding Documentation for New Users and Contributors

In this tutorial, you will learn about Documentation Types. We cover key concepts, practical examples, and best practices to help you master this topic.

Onboarding documentation helps new users and contributors get started with a product or project. It includes getting-started guides, setup tutorials, first-contribution guides, and orientation materials. This documentation type is the first experience users have with your product.

In this lesson, you will learn how to write onboarding documentation that reduces time to first success and creates positive first impressions.

What You'll Learn

You will understand the onboarding documentation type, write effective getting-started guides, and design onboarding flows for different user types.

Why It Matters

The first experience a user has with your product determines whether they continue using it. A confusing onboarding experience drives users away before they see the product's value.

Real-World Use

DodaTech redesigned the DodaZIP onboarding to get users compressing files in under two minutes. The time from install to first successful compression dropped from 15 minutes to 90 seconds.

flowchart LR
  A[New User] --> B[Install]
  B --> C[First Command]
  C --> D[See Result]
  D --> E[Understand Value]
  E --> F[Continue Using]
  A:::current
  classDef current fill:#f90,color:#fff,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Getting-Started Guide Structure

Every getting-started guide should achieve one thing: get the user to a successful first outcome as quickly as possible. Strip everything unnecessary. The guide should have no more than five steps.

Start with installation. One command if possible. Follow with the simplest possible usage example. Show the exact command and the exact expected output.

End with a link to next steps. The user should know exactly what to do after their first success. Do not overwhelm them with options.

# DodaZIP Getting Started
# Complete this guide in under two minutes.

# Step 1: Install
pip install dodazip

# Step 2: Compress your first file
echo "Hello, DodaZIP!" > test.txt
dodazip --compress test.txt

# Expected output:
# Compressed: test.txt -> test.txt.gz (25.6% ratio)

Onboarding Different User Types

Different users need different onboarding. A developer integrating a library needs different content than an end user configuring a desktop application.

Create separate onboarding paths for each user type. Label them clearly so users self-select. Developer onboarding should include code examples. End-user onboarding should include screenshots and UI paths.

Contributor onboarding explains how to set up the development environment, understand the codebase, and make a first contribution. Include a list of good first issues.

# Developer onboarding: first API call
# This example gets a developer to a successful API call in under a minute.

import requests

# Step 1: Make your first API request
response = requests.get("https://api.dodatech.com/v1/health")
print(response.status_code)

# Expected output:
# 200

# Step 2: Parse the response
if response.status_code == 200:
    data = response.json()
    print(f"API is {data['status']}")

Common Mistakes

1. Too Many Steps

Onboarding with 15 steps before the first success. Users lose interest. Keep it to five or fewer steps.

2. No Clear Outcome

Users complete onboarding but do not know what they accomplished. State the outcome explicitly.

3. Ignoring Prerequisites

Onboarding that assumes software or permissions the user may not have. List everything needed before starting.

4. One-Size-Fits-All

A single onboarding path for developers, end users, and contributors. Create separate paths for each audience.

5. No Verification

Users complete steps but cannot verify they succeeded. Include expected output and verification steps.

6. Outdated Instructions

Onboarding that references old versions or changed APIs. Test onboarding with every release.

7. No Next Steps

Users finish onboarding but do not know what to do next. Always link to the next logical resource.

Practice Questions

1. What is the primary goal of onboarding documentation?

To get the user to a successful first outcome as quickly as possible. Time to first success is the key metric.

2. How many steps should a getting-started guide have?

Five or fewer. Each step should take under 30 seconds. The entire guide should take under five minutes.

3. Why create different onboarding paths for different user types?

Developers, end users, and contributors need different information to get started. One path cannot serve all audiences effectively.

4. What should a user see after completing onboarding?

A clear indication of success, such as expected output from a command or a confirmation message.

5. Challenge: Design onboarding documentation for a project you know. Create separate paths for developers, end users, and contributors. Each path should have five or fewer steps to first success.

FAQ

Mini Project

Analyze the onboarding experience for a product you use. Time how long it takes to achieve first success. Identify friction points. Write an improved onboarding guide with five or fewer steps, clear prerequisites, expected output at each step, and a verification step. Test your guide on a new user.

What's Next

Next: Documentation Types Mini Project