Improving JAKI's onboarding flow to enhance first-time user experience

Client
JAKI


Year

2025


Role/Category

UX Research, Product Design


Works

Improving Onboarding & Information Hierarchy for First-Time Users

WHY JAKI?

JAKI is the official Jakarta super app, providing services like COVID-19 tracking, public transport info, and citizen reporting. However, many users report confusion when first using the app due to overloaded information on the homepage, making it hard to navigate.

Key Problems Identified:

  1. Cluttered UI on the Home Screen

    • Too many features (Jakarta Smart City, citizen reports, flood maps, transportation info) are displayed upfront, making it overwhelming for first-time users.


  2. Unclear Onboarding for First-Time Users

    • No proper introduction to the app’s core features upon first launch.

    • Users struggle to understand what services they can actually use.


  3. Low Engagement in Some Features

    • Some features, like reporting road damage or complaints, have low engagement due to being hidden under multiple layers.

GOAL

Improving Overall Design

From redesigning the onboarding flow, improve homepage information architecture and also optimize accessibility for key services.

DESIGN AND RESEARCH

Redesigning Onboarding Flow

Introduce a quick tutorial when the app is opened for the first time, guiding users on key features.

CURRENT FLOW

BLANK

Entry Point

Splash Screen

Notifications

DONE

Before diving into the new flow, let’s first break down the current onboarding issues and why they need improvement.

Problems in the Current

Onboarding Flow

  1. Lack of Guidance for First-Time Users

    • Users are immediately thrown into the homepage without context.

    • Many features are available, but new users don’t know what’s most important.


  2. Overwhelming UI

    • Too much information is presented upfront, making it hard to focus on key features.


  3. No Personalization in the Experience

    • The app doesn’t ask users about their main needs (e.g., public transport, complaints, health services) to customize the experience.

PROPOSED FLOW

Entry Point

Splash Screen

Value Proposition

Since JAKI has multiple features, first-time users might not immediately understand its purpose. A value proposition page clearly communicates why the app is useful and how it can help users.


Instead of overwhelming users with too much information upfront, this page provides a quick and engaging preview. Helps set the right expectations before users proceed further into onboarding.


📌 Purpose:

  • Gives users a friendly introduction instead of dropping them directly into the homepage.

Onboarding 01

Onboarding 01

Onboarding 03

Initially, I didn’t plan to implement an onboarding carousel after designing the value proposition page. However, I realized that while onboarding carousels can help introduce app features, they often become ineffective and overwhelming for users.


With this in mind, the UX decision was to follow an approach similar to GOJEK’s design, where onboarding does not interrupt critical actions, allowing users to access what they need immediately.


Additionally, I noticed that in JAKI’s current flow, users are required to log in at a separate stage. Placing the Login button earlier in the flow can help users take immediate action—especially since most of JAKI’s key features require an account to proceed. This ensures a smoother and more intuitive experience without unnecessary friction.


📌 Notes:

  • This design will not appear when users do not have login information stored in JAKI's

Notifications

Personalize (Neutral State)

Personalize (Filled State)

Tooltip

DONE

Once users complete the onboarding flow, they transition into the personalized feature flow, which tailors the app experience based on their needs. The goal is to make the app feel more relevant and engaging right from the start.


Why This Approach Works:
✅ Reduces Cognitive Load – Users don’t have to explore the entire app to find what they need.
✅ Encourages Engagement – Personalization makes the app feel more relevant, increasing retention.
✅ Allows a Soft Login Approach – Users can still explore before committing to creating an account.

REFLECTIONS

Thoughts, Solutions & Insight

While working on this, several questions came to mind. One of the key challenges I faced was how to prioritize the many features within the app. To explore this further, I researched relevant articles and found that there are various frameworks that can help with feature prioritization, such as the Feature Priority Matrix and MoSCoW Analysis, which are commonly used to structure decision-making.


However, these frameworks come with certain conditions for effective implementation. This made me consider whether there might be a better approach than the personalized feature flow I initially proposed. For example, instead of relying solely on user-selected preferences, another method could involve analyzing real user behavior—tracking which features JAKI users interact with the most. This data-driven approach could then be used to automatically prioritize and arrange the interface, ensuring that the most frequently used features are given prominence.

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