Privy’s goal-focused user flows

Giving users the power to shape their product experience is an excellent way to boost engagement. Instead of shoving every user down the same rigid path, smart companies provide options for users to choose their own adventure. 

Privy does this brilliantly during its onboarding by asking new users, "What's most important to you right now?". They provide three options that lead to three different user onboarding experiences. 

It’s simple, smart, and super effective! 👏

We caught up with Ruben Cruz-Alvarez, Privy’s Customer Success Manager, to find out why this approach works so well.

😍 Empower users with options

Empowering users by giving them options taps into our fundamental human desire for autonomy and self-direction. Even with a curated set of options, users value the opportunity to choose a path that aligns with their individual goals.  

Ruben explains this as a “buffet style” method—where users are guided but still have the freedom to select what suits them best.

“It's like having a personalized menu to choose from, where users reveal their priorities while still receiving our expertise behind the scenes. Users get to select what resonates most with their priorities, and Privy mapped that to a tailored onboarding flow.”

😫 Avoid choice overload

Offering a few options is key—too many can backfire and lead to inaction or confusion. Privy nails it by sticking to just three choices. This keeps things simple but still lets everyone personalize their experience through self-direction. There's a careful balance to strike between flexibility and too much complexity.

🔀 Personalize the user flow

Privy’s onboarding really shines by tailoring the experience to your goals. For example, say you want to grow your email list—Privy will prompt you to create a customized exit-intent popup called “Privy Plays” to capture a visitor's email before they leave the site.

Or, if the primary objective is driving more sales, Privy might suggest setting up cart abandonment flows to recover shoppers who don't complete a purchase.

💡 Key Takeaways

There are several key lessons we can learn from Privy’s goals-focused user paths:

• Ask the right up-front questions to identify user priorities.
• Empower customers by providing guided options that self-direct them.  
• Avoid overwhelming users by limiting choices to 3-5 optimized paths.
• Map stated priorities to highly personalized experiences.