Setup Wizards

Chunking Complexity

A wizard is strictly necessary when the application cannot function without a baseline configuration (e.g., setting a timezone, connecting a database URL, establishing a root domain).

The mistake engineers make is putting *every* setting into the wizard. The wizard must only contain absolute blockers to the 'Hello World' state. If a setting can default to a sane value, it should be removed from the wizard and placed in a settings menu.

Common Mistakes

• The Settings Dump: Asking the user to set their avatar, bio, and notification preferences in the initial wizard. These are not critical path items.
• No Escape Hatch: Forcing a user through a 5-step integration wizard before they can even see the dashboard. Always offer a "Skip for now" if mathematically possible.

Wizard Completion Rate by Constraint Level

Wizard Type	Avg Inputs	Completion Rate
Exhaustive (All Settings)	12+	34%
Standard (Mixed)	6-8	55%
Critical Path Only	2-3	89%

Source: Onboarding Funnel Analytics, B2B Cohort, 2024.

FAQ

Can we use tooltips instead of a wizard?

No. Tooltips point to UI elements. Wizards gather required configuration data. They serve entirely different structural purposes.