Reducing drop-offs in Skydo’s Business Details step
Reducing drop-offs in Skydo’s Business Details step
Redesigning the Business Details form where ~40% of onboarding drop-offs were happening, using user interviews and product data to reduce friction across desktop and mobile.
Redesigning the Business Details form where ~40% of onboarding drop-offs were happening, using user interviews and product data to reduce friction across desktop and mobile.
What makes someone abandon a form before they’ve even started?
What makes someone abandon a form before they’ve even started?
What makes someone abandon a form before they’ve even started?
For Skydo, a significant share of onboarding drop-offs was happening on the very first step: Business Details.
On the surface, it looked like a simple form. But once we looked closer, the problem wasn’t just how the form looked - it was what we were asking, when we were asking it, and how users had to interact with it.
For Skydo, a significant share of onboarding drop-offs was happening on the very first step: Business Details.
On the surface, it looked like a simple form. But once we looked closer, the problem wasn’t just how the form looked - it was what we were asking, when we were asking it, and how users had to interact with it.
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
Problem statement
Problem statement
Problem statement
The Business Details step was causing unnecessary friction. Users were dropping off, website submissions were low, and the form felt tedious, especially on mobile.
With ~40% of onboarding drop-offs happening at this stage, the goal was simple: make the form easier to complete while collecting the information needed for business verification.
The Business Details step was causing unnecessary friction. Users were dropping off, website submissions were low, and the form felt tedious, especially on mobile.
With ~40% of onboarding drop-offs happening at this stage, the goal was simple: make the form easier to complete while collecting the information needed for business verification.
The existing form looked simple. The experience wasn’t.
The existing form looked simple. The experience wasn’t.
The existing form looked simple. The experience wasn’t.
The Business Details step asked users to provide several pieces of information about their business. Looking at the existing experience, three issues stood out.
The Business Details step asked users to provide several pieces of information about their business. Looking at the existing experience, three issues stood out.
The Business Details step asked users to provide several pieces of information about their business. Looking at the existing experience, three issues stood out.
Business details form desktop
Business details form mobile
Observations
Observations
Observations
1. Too many questions
1. Too many questions
The form asked for a large number of details upfront, making the first step feel longer and more demanding than necessary.
The form asked for a large number of details upfront, making the first step feel longer and more demanding than necessary.
2. Everything looked equally important
2. Everything looked equally important
The visual hierarchy didn't communicate which information mattered most or what users should focus on first.
The visual hierarchy didn't communicate which information mattered most or what users should focus on first.
3. Mobile added
interaction friction
3. Mobile added interaction
friction
The desktop form translated poorly to smaller screens, making dropdown interactions feel heavier than necessary.
The desktop form translated poorly to smaller screens, making dropdown interactions feel heavier than necessary.
What did the business need from this form?
What did the business need from
this form?
Every field in the form served a purpose, especially for compliance.
One recurring issue was missing website details. When users skipped this step, the compliance team had to follow up manually, delaying verification and creating extra work for both the team and the user.
The goal wasn't just to reduce fields. It was to collect the right information upfront, without adding friction to the user experience.
Every field in the form served a purpose, especially for compliance.
One recurring issue was missing website details. When users skipped this step, the compliance team had to follow up manually, delaying verification and creating extra work for both the team and the user.
The goal wasn't just to reduce fields. It was to collect the right information upfront, without adding friction to the user experience.
What users told us
What users told us
What users told us
User interview 1
User interview 1
“I wasn't sure what I needed to fill in few question"
“I wasn't sure what I needed to fill in few question"
Signals: Low clarity around the form.
Signals: Low clarity around the form.
User interview 2
User interview 2
“Why do you need this information?”
“Why do you need this information?”
Signal: Users lacked context
Signal: Users lacked context
User interview 3
User interview 3
“I thought I had to fill everything.”
“I thought I had to fill everything.”
Signal: The form felt larger
Signal: The form felt larger
What Compliance Needed
What Compliance Needed
What Compliance Needed
The compliance team relied on certain business details to complete verification. When information like a business website was missing, the team had to reach out to the user and collect it manually.
So removing a field could simplify onboarding for the user, while creating more work downstream.
The compliance team relied on certain business details to complete verification. When information like a business website was missing, the team had to reach out to the user and collect it manually.
So removing a field could simplify onboarding for the user, while creating more work downstream.
The Compliance loop
The Compliance loop
The Compliance loop
We had to make onboarding easier without making verification harder.
We had to make onboarding easier without making verification harder.
We had to make onboarding easier without making verification harder.
Users needed a faster, simpler experience. Compliance needed the right information upfront. And the business needed users to complete onboarding without creating more manual work downstream.
Simplifying the form couldn't come at the cost of what the business needed.
Users needed a faster, simpler experience. Compliance needed the right information upfront. And the business needed users to complete onboarding without creating more manual work downstream.
Simplifying the form couldn't come at the cost of what the business needed.
Three Perspectives. One Design Challenge
Three Perspectives. One Design Challenge
Every field had to earn its place.
Every field had to earn its place.
We looked beyond the layout and questioned the purpose of each field: Was it essential for verification? Could the information be sourced another way? Or was it adding effort without enough value?
We looked beyond the layout and questioned the purpose of each field: Was it essential for verification? Could the information be sourced another way? Or was it adding effort without enough value?
Defining priority in old business detail form
Defining priority in old business detail form
Keep what matters- Retain information needed for compliance and reliable verification.
Remove what’s redundant- For freelancers and sole proprietors, remove the business address field and fetch the address from PAN instead.
Rethink how information is collected- Reduce unnecessary interaction and make required information easier to provide.
Keep what matters- Retain information needed for compliance and reliable verification.
Remove what’s redundant- For freelancers and sole proprietors, remove the business address field and fetch the address from PAN instead.
Rethink how information is collected- Reduce unnecessary interaction and make required information easier to provide.
THE PRINCIPLE
THE PRINCIPLE
Don’t make users do work the product can do for them.
Don’t make users do work the product can do for them.
Don’t make users do work the product can do for them.
Updated business detail form design
Updated business detail
form design
Website, brought forward- Moved the website field higher in the form to give it greater visibility and priority.
Visual feedback for links- Added a link icon that updates to the detected website’s icon, with a tick to confirm successful entry.
Simpler revenue selection- Replaced the five-option dropdown with two selectable chips, making the choice quicker to scan and select.
Reinforcing trust - Added three trust markers to reassure users about the platform and the security of their information.
Website, brought forward- Moved the website field higher in the form to give it greater visibility and priority.
Visual feedback for links- Added a link icon that updates to the detected website’s icon, with a tick to confirm successful entry.
Simpler revenue selection- Replaced the five-option dropdown with two selectable chips, making the choice quicker to scan and select.
Reinforcing trust - Added three trust markers to reassure users about the platform and the security of their information.
Website, brought forward- Moved the website field higher in the form to give it greater visibility and priority.
Visual feedback for links- Added a link icon that updates to the detected website’s icon, with a tick to confirm successful entry.
Simpler revenue selection- Replaced the five-option dropdown with two selectable chips, making the choice quicker to scan and select.
Reinforcing trust - Added three trust markers to reassure users about the platform and the security of their information.
The form was harder to navigate on mobile.
The form was harder to navigate on mobile.
Dropdowns and scrolling made completing the form less straightforward on smaller screens. We needed to rethink how users interacted with the fields—not simply resize the desktop layout.
Dropdowns and scrolling made completing the form less straightforward on smaller screens. We needed to rethink how users interacted with the fields—not simply resize the desktop layout.
The form added friction where it should have felt simple.
The form added friction where it should have felt simple.
Too many fields, easy-to-miss website details, and dropdowns that made selections unnecessarily cumbersome- especially on mobile.
Too many fields, easy-to-miss website details, and dropdowns that made selections unnecessarily cumbersome- especially on mobile.
Dropdown-heavy input- Selection patterns added extra interaction, especially on smaller screens.
Website was easy to skip- The website question lacked enough priority, contributing to missed information.
Dropdown-heavy input- Selection patterns added extra interaction, especially on smaller screens.
Website was easy to skip- The website question lacked enough priority, contributing to missed information.
THE PRINCIPLE
THE PRINCIPLE
Make every interaction feel intentional, effortless, and easy to understand.
Make every interaction feel intentional, effortless, and easy to understand.
Make every interaction feel intentional, effortless, and easy to understand.
A simpler way to complete the form.
A simpler way to complete the form.
We reworked the form’s hierarchy and interactions to make important details easier to find and selections easier to complete.
We reworked the form’s hierarchy and interactions to make important details easier to find and selections easier to complete.
Replaced dropdowns with bottom sheets- Made selections easier to access and interact with on smaller screens.
Reduced scrolling and interaction friction- Created a more focused selection experience, helping users complete fields without struggling with the mobile layout.
Replaced dropdowns with bottom sheets- Made selections easier to access and interact with on smaller screens.
Reduced scrolling and interaction friction- Created a more focused selection experience, helping users complete fields without struggling with the mobile layout.
Less friction. More clarity.
Less friction. More clarity.
Less friction. More clarity.
The changes focused on making the form easier to navigate without losing the information the business needed.
The changes focused on making the form easier to navigate without losing the information the business needed.
Prioritized what matters
Moved the website question higher in the form so it was less likely to be overlooked.
Simplified the inputs
Reduced monthly revenue from five dropdown options to two clear selection chips.
Improved mobile selection
Replaced cumbersome dropdown interactions with focused bottom sheets.
Added feedback and reassurance
Introduced dynamic website recognition, a confirmation tick, and trust markers.
Prioritized what matters
Moved the website question higher in the form so it was less likely to be overlooked.
Improved mobile selection
Replaced cumbersome dropdown interactions with focused bottom sheets.
Simplified the inputs
Reduced monthly revenue from five dropdown options to two clear selection chips.
Added feedback and reassurance
Introduced dynamic website recognition, a confirmation tick, and trust markers.
The impact of making onboarding more intentional.
The impact of making onboarding more intentional.
The impact of making onboarding more intentional.
A more focused Business Details experience that makes onboarding easier to navigate while helping Skydo collect the information it needs.
A more focused Business Details experience that makes onboarding easier to navigate while helping Skydo collect the information it needs.
A clearer experience for users
A clearer experience for users
Simplified inputs, more visible priorities, and intuitive mobile interactions made the form easier to understand and complete.
Simplified inputs, more visible priorities, and intuitive mobile interactions made the form easier to understand and complete.
Purposeful information collection
Purposeful information collection
Prioritizing the website field helped bring important business information into focus earlier in the onboarding journey.
Prioritizing the website field helped bring important business information into focus earlier in the onboarding journey.
Smoother mobile interactions
Smoother mobile interactions
Replacing dropdowns with bottom sheets created a more focused way to make selections on smaller screens.
Replacing dropdowns with bottom sheets created a more focused way to make selections on smaller screens.
Less unnecessary effort
Less unnecessary effort
Removing the Billing Address field and simplifying revenue choices reduced avoidable steps and kept only relevant form fields.
Removing the Billing Address field and simplifying revenue choices reduced avoidable steps and kept only relevant form fields.
Takeaways
Takeaways
This project reinforced that reducing friction in onboarding isn't simply about removing fields. It's about understanding which information matters, when users need to provide it, and how to make every interaction feel clear and purposeful.
By bringing user needs, Compliance requirements, and business goals together, the Business Details experience became more focused - without losing sight of the information Skydo needed.
This project reinforced that reducing friction in onboarding isn't simply about removing fields. It's about understanding which information matters, when users need to provide it, and how to make every interaction feel clear and purposeful.
By bringing user needs, Compliance requirements, and business goals together, the Business Details experience became more focused - without losing sight of the information Skydo needed.
Future Improvement Possibilities
Future Improvement Possibilities
The Primary Business selection still presented users with too many options, making it difficult to quickly identify the category that best described their business.
A future iteration could introduce a more intuitive search experience, allowing users to find relevant business categories through keywords rather than navigating a long list of options.
This could be further improved with relevant suggestions, smarter matching, and commonly used categories—helping users reach the right selection with less effort.
The Primary Business selection still presented users with too many options, making it difficult to quickly identify the category that best described their business.
A future iteration could introduce a more intuitive search experience, allowing users to find relevant business categories through keywords rather than navigating a long list of options.
This could be further improved with relevant suggestions, smarter matching, and commonly used categories—helping users reach the right selection with less effort.
Reflections on Designing Better Onboarding
Reflections on Designing Better Onboarding
This project shifted the focus from simply improving the form’s layout to rethinking how users discover, understand, and provide information.
The experience highlighted how small interaction decisions - such as field priority, selection patterns, and contextual feedback - can shape the overall onboarding journey.
Ultimately, the goal is to make completing onboarding feel less like filling out a form and more like taking a clear, confident first step with Skydo.
This project shifted the focus from simply improving the form’s layout to rethinking how users discover, understand, and provide information.
The experience highlighted how small interaction decisions - such as field priority, selection patterns, and contextual feedback - can shape the overall onboarding journey.
Ultimately, the goal is to make completing onboarding feel less like filling out a form and more like taking a clear, confident first step with Skydo.
Darshan Laljani
Skydo onboarding case study