Introducing Launchpads: Your sophisticated in-app resource center

At Appcues, our mission has always been to help better guide your users. That's why a few years ago, we built Launchpad—our first in-app resource center. It was a game-changer for providing users with timely in-app support and guidance. Since then, user needs and expectations have continued to evolve—so, we knew we had to evolve, too.  

Now, the same great product (just with an ‘S’ at the end of its name) is here! We've taken everything that made the original Launchpad great and expanded it to meet expanding user needs. 

What are Launchpads?

Imagine a floating icon in your product that, when clicked, opens a treasure trove of guides and resources tailored to where you are and what you’re doing. 

That’s a Launchpad. 

It’s a customizable resource center designed to catch users before they stumble. By proactively surfacing on-demand content, education, and guidance at exactly the right moment, you prevent support tickets and keep users on track.

Take a quick tour to see a Launchpad in action!

Launchpads are extremely versatile because you can pack them with the content that helps your users the most. At a high level, you can pick and choose to include: 

• Links: External links like your company blog, resources, or individual knowledge base articles
• Flows: Pre-built walkthroughs, tours, and guides designed to get users to take an action
• Knowledge base (coming soon): Direct connection to your existing support articles so users can get answers to common questions without leaving your product
• Search (coming soon): Handy search functionality that will let users 

Between those four content blocks alone, there are so many different resource centers that can be created. The possibilities are endless! 

And we've got a whole post about top-tier examples on in-app resource centers to help inspire your own Launchpad.

Plus, you can: 

• Customize the colors so styling matches your product
• Make it hyper-relevant by targeting the entire Launchpad to a specific group, as well as the individual content inside 
• Create multiple Launchpads for different audiences, content, products, or goals
• See what users are engaging with to learn more about their behavior (coming soon!)

‍Steps to build a Launchpad‍

Setting up your first Launchpad is straightforward. Here’s how:

1. Style your Launchpad: With a few clicks, customize the look and feel of the Launchpad and beacon to fit your brand. Here’s a look at just some of the settings you can choose between to adjust your Launchpad:

2. Build Flows: Create Flows to guide users through specific tasks or processes. Then choose which ones you’d like to automatically pull into your Launchpad and in what order:

3. Add Links: Pull in links to include other helpful resources and content for your users.

4. Set up targeting: Set targeting rules for your Launchpad by specifying URL, domain, and audience criteria. This ensures the right users see the right content at the right time.

5. Publish: Once you’ve configured your Launchpad, click the Publish button in Appcues and voilà! Your Launchpad is live and ready to assist your users. ✨

Here’s a finished Launchpad for a look at just a taste of what’s possible:

Launchpads are a powerful addition to your in-app experiences, designed to provide users with instant support exactly when they need it. By offering targeted, on-demand assistance, you can keep users engaged and lighten the load on your support team.

Ready to get started? Head over to Appcues and create your first Launchpad today!