FORMEL Skin Onboarding

In 2022, I redesigned the onboarding experience for FORMEL Skin, aiming to improve patient engagement and set clearer expectations at the start of treatment.

Context
After completing a purchase, new patients landed in a “waiting area” — the period between submitting their anamnesis and receiving a doctor’s prescription. At that time, this space only featured a short video from our head doctor explaining the process (questionnaire, purchase, and delivery). Our analytics revealed that most people were not watching it.

This lack of engagement meant patients were entering treatment without a clear understanding of what to expect. We saw onboarding as the key opportunity to meet their excitement with relevant, motivating information.

Background

Data from 01.10.2021 - 31.12.2021
Line graph showing watch time in hours with a total of 10.5 hours, an 11% decrease, and an average view duration of 48 seconds. The graph tracks data from January 16, 2022, to February 12, 2022, with a 'See More' link below.

Data (01.10.2021 – 31.12.2021):

  • 780 video views out of 4,129 new customers

  • A significant number of users canceled their subscription on the same day as their purchase.

  • Customer care feedback indicated that new patients often didn’t understand what they could do in the Customer Login Area (CLA) — one patient didn’t even realize she had an account.

We assumed that same-day cancellations were partly due to the waiting area feeling underwhelming, considering the money they had just spent.

The Challenge

New FORMEL Skin patients needed a way to:

  • Understand the treatment process and timeline

  • Set realistic expectations

  • Learn how to apply their products correctly

  • Stay engaged until their first delivery arrived

Hypothesis

If we revealed the full CLA and added onboarding content — such as what to expect, ingredient information, and application tips — at the peak of user excitement, we could increase engagement, build trust, and improve long-term retention.

Research

New User’s Interviews

Analysis

  • Myth: Same-day cancellations meant dissatisfaction.
    Reality: Many used promotions to test the product cheaply and canceled immediately, but this didn’t mean they wouldn’t return.

  • Most didn’t watch or remember the onboarding video.

  • Users expected information about their routine, formulas, and potential results.

  • They wanted to see that their doctor was a real person.

Opportunities Identified

  1. Get to know your doctor – Introduce the assigned doctor to build a personal connection.

  2. Skin-care tips – Offer advice on caring for skin while waiting for the first shipment.

  3. Treatment steps – Clearly explain our method to reinforce trust.

  4. Treatment duration – Set expectations for how long improvements may take.

Prototypes & Testing

We designed and tested a new onboarding experience that included:

  • A personalized treatment timeline based on the patient’s questionnaire.

  • Profile and reviews of the assigned doctor.

  • An overview of the daily routine with product tips and ingredient information.

Key Finding from Testing:
Myth: New users wouldn’t want to read about acne or ingredients.
Reality: Users were eager to learn, as long as the content was concise and easy to navigate.

Impact & Conclusions

  • Cancellations on day zero remained largely driven by coupon/test behavior, but understanding of the treatment process increased significantly.

  • Engagement with onboarding content rose, leading to better product application and higher chances of treatment success.

  • Reactivation after the “testing period” improved, even though voucher/campaign performance remained the same.

    The redesigned onboarding transformed the waiting period from a passive gap into a proactive, trust-building moment in the user journey.

Impact
Dashboard displaying total reactivations and recurring reactivations with numerical counts and percentage increases in green.