An interactive walkthrough solves two important problems of an organization: it teaches new users how to use its application or tool, and trains the existing ones on how to access newly released features via tooltips, chatbots, and pop-up prompt bubbles. They appear as balloon tips and emphasize certain elements on the website that prompt users to take action. Interactive walkthroughs have been successful in changing the way a user interacts and understands a complex app or site. Interactive walkthroughs allow you to execute tasks in a user-friendly and visually appealing way.
Its common types are:
- Feature introduction to help existing users learn about a new feature.
- Process flows to allow users to successfully complete a task.
- Product tours to help new users navigate the application.
Interactive walkthroughs enable you to improve customer onboarding and product adoption by making your application easier to use. They act like an experienced guide sitting next to the users and showing them how to use your application. Every software is difficult to master at first. A good interactive walkthrough or product tour will make even new users feel like experts. This is done by adding a series of questions and guiding users through the process.
Why Interactive Walkthroughs?
Product tours are one of the most common forms of onboarding users. A product tour is defined as a sequence of tooltips or modals that demonstrate different characteristics of the product. Since they provide the users with a lot of information in one go, they do not give the right results. Leaving your users confused, it distracts them from the main task.
On the other hand, walkthroughs encourage the users to interact with the product or application, increasing efficiency. Businesses are always looking for creative, user-friendly, and straightforward ways to help their users in using their applications. Therefore, interactive walkthroughs have become very popular and relevant. They are a far more engaging tool than product tours.
Products, applications, and tools have their own specific walkthroughs. They ensure the following:
- Quick learning
- Greater app usage.
- A better understanding and knowledge about the applications’ features
- Better productivity
Interactive walkthroughs identify and highlight the exact interface tools and controls the users need, and then guides them towards those. On the basis of the user’s requirements, these walkthroughs can be added or removed anytime.
Interactive walkthroughs draw the audience’s attention towards events like product launches, sale periods, flash sales, brand partnerships, and more. This ensures sufficient traffic is generated for business-critical and time-sensitive events. They also provide analytics regarding their usage, which can help you in analyzing their effectiveness.
How enterprise companies use interactive walkthroughs
Interactive walkthroughs ensure that your employees are not wasting a lot of time learning a new tool. They also help you in training your users at scale and simplify complex processes through guidance and demonstration. Using interactive walkthroughs, you can solve support issues and minimize content creation time.
Enterprise company use cases
1. Dimensions UK:
Dimensions UK is a non-profit, charitable organization that supports people with autism, learning disabilities, and complex needs. It has conducted iplanit training using walkthroughs and ended up reducing content time creation by 84%. It also paved the way for a more effective method to solve support issues.
2. Trotec Laser:
Trotec Laser is an international manufacturer of advanced laser technology. Using walkthroughs, it has trained its employees to use Salesforce. Doing so has reduced content creation time and training by 60%.
Benefits of using interactive walkthroughs for SaaS products
1. Reduced support costs:
Allowing your users to figure things on their own using on-screen guidance and workflows, they help your support team.
2. Faster adoption:
One of the highest priorities for SaaS products is product adoption. Users won’t keep paying money for your products if they are not using them. Guided interactive walkthroughs make your application easier to use and keep your users loyal to your brand.
3. Faster onboarding:
Interactive walkthroughs are a simple and creative way of introducing new users to your application or product.
4. Better feature utilization:
You do not want to waste your time and money on developing features that are not used to their full potential. Creating an innovative interactive walkthrough will encourage your users to make use of every feature.
Interactive walkthroughs have successfully replaced lengthy guidance manuals. They are guides that are used for customer onboarding and training programs to encourage a higher level of understanding, and better digital adoption. They do not just show what the user has to do, but make the user actually do it.
