The Unexpected Success of Aggressive Onboarding
Can you run a country like a startup? Before we delve into countries, let's discuss something seemingly unrelated - onboarding. Inspired by aggressive onboarding paywalls common in mobile apps, I implemented a similar strategy for our app a few months ago, including a paywall at the end of the onboarding process.
Initially, I had low expectations. I debated whether it would degrade our user experience, as the process was quite long and personalized. My main concern was higher bounce rates.
To my surprise, when I recently checked our onboarding coupon usage rate, it was nearly 40% of our total customers. Wow! 🤯
Room for Improvement and Optimization
This unexpected success suggests there's still room for improvement through A/B tests and further optimizations. While large software companies often have entire teams dedicated to onboarding, I'm satisfied with our current results and will focus on optimizing other aspects of our product.
Applying Startup Principles to Countries
Now, let's consider if we can apply the same principles to a country's tourism and immigration policies. Singapore provides an excellent example of this approach.
Lee Kuan Yew, the former leader of Singapore, used to obsess over the airport experience and the first few miles to the city. Why? It is the onboarding experience for talented future citizens.
Lee Kuan Yew approached running Singapore as a founder or CEO would approach a startup. This mindset contributed to Singapore's transformation from a third-world country to a first-world country in just one generation.
The Art and Science of Design
Like medicine, designing an app's onboarding experience - or a country's first impression - is both an art and a science. Even seemingly simple things can have profound impacts when approached with creativity and strategic thinking.
Conclusion
The parallels between running a successful app and managing a country are more numerous than one might initially think. By applying startup principles to larger-scale operations, we can potentially unlock new levels of growth and success in various fields, from technology to governance.