Pebble app for iOS first time user experience
The good bits:
- The design of the app itself is more polished and readable.
- It replaces the older slideshow instructions into breakout screens with setup information. This makes information easier to find and recall.
- The test message/phone call at the end of the setup flow was simple and provided a friendly interaction with the watch. I especially loved the friendly “Welcome to the future!” text.
To be improved:
Unfortunately, this version of the app does a few things that are considered FTUE overkill, including:
- Forcing users to create an account before they can use any portion of the app. And there is no ability to log in using a shortcut like Facebook or Google. Although I understand the need to have an account to download (and later purchase) other Pebble apps, this requires users to log in with an account before they can even get to the watch setup flow. If we look back to the earlier version of the app, account information was not required for setup.
- Overuse of coachmarks. When I entered the app post-setup, I was forced through 4 coachmark screens. There was no way to cancel this flow, and I could not visit these screens at my own speed. The app should consider not auto-progressing the coachmarks. It should also consider reducing the number of coachmarks, especially for left-side navigation which is rather commonplace and likely doesn’t need explanation.