Does purposeful friction actually weed out low-intent signups?
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Lowering signup friction feels like the obvious fix when conversion numbers look low but it often just floods your database with tourists.
We removed our mandatory setup steps last year and watched our daily signups jump, but weekly active usage completely flatlined. Bringing back a short multi-step configuration wizard actually forced people to slow down and understand what the tool could do.
Have you noticed higher long-term retention since you added those setup steps back?
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I think the question is less friction or no friction and more whether each step gives something back. My app has a short quiz before sign up, and the answers show up later: who your songs are usually for decides which first song ideas you see on Home, and your gender matters because in some languages the app's copy changes grammar with it. A step the user can feel paying off later reads as setup, a step that only feeds your CRM reads as a toll. One detail that matters: the quiz runs before the account exists, so the answers wait on the device and are attached on the first sign in. Nobody is asked for an email before they have seen what the app does.
@gbasovv Like the point about each step giving something back to the user. When people can see how their answer improve the experience, setup feels useful rather than just another hurdle.
Letting them try the product before asking for an email is a smart touch too.