Why do users drop off after onboarding and how do we fix it?

User dropout after onboarding follows the same behavioral pattern as post-training disengagement in organizations. Onboarding provides knowledge and initial motivation. Then the user enters the real usage context where different forces operate.

During onboarding, the product has high salience. The user is focused, guided, and often experiencing novelty. After onboarding, the product has to compete with everything else in the user's life. The habit of not using the product is far stronger than the new intention to use it. This is the Plan vs. Impulse dynamic applied to product design.

COM-B diagnosis of post-onboarding dropout typically reveals:

Capability gaps (the user learned features but not fluency, so usage feels effortful). Opportunity barriers (the product does not integrate into existing workflows, so using it requires a separate action). Motivation barriers (the value of the product is not experienced until sustained use, but the effort is felt immediately).

The "Slowly Increase Difficulty" strategy applies directly. Instead of full onboarding followed by full usage, design a graduated engagement path. Week one: one core task. Week two: add a second task. Week three: connect to existing workflow. Each stage builds competence and confidence before adding complexity.

Implementation intentions embedded in the product ("When I sit down at my desk Monday morning, I will open [product] and check my dashboard") and environmental cues (notifications timed to existing routines, not arbitrary schedules) address the moment-of-action problem.

Social features that create accountability or peer comparison (BCT 6.2, Social comparison) address social opportunity. But the most powerful lever is often the simplest: reduce friction on the target behavior. Every extra click, every unnecessary screen, every confusing label is an opportunity barrier that makes dropout more likely.