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Build an onboarding Canvas around the customer's first useful outcome. Define activation, entry and exit before writing a welcome message. Then add the smallest sequence that helps users progress, with explicit handling for missing data and unavailable channels. The example is a design pattern, not a guaranteed seven-day formula.
1. Define activation and its observation window
For a fictional project app, activation means saving a project with at least one task. Agree event identity, timestamp and completion conditions with product and engineering.
Choose a primary outcome before launch. Keep account creation, message clicks and actual activation distinct. If the event is unreliable, fix instrumentation before routing users with it.
2. Set entry, eligibility and re-entry
Choose the entry mechanism matching how the relevant action reaches Braze. Restrict it to the intended cohort, exclude people already activated and decide whether they may enter again.
Test duplicate signup events and existing accounts. Product eligibility is separate from consent and channel reachability; a user may need help without being reachable on push.
3. Build a small behavior-based sequence
Offer one direct route to the first useful action. After a product-appropriate wait, check completion. If complete, stop activation reminders; if incomplete, address a concrete barrier.
Any later contact should add useful information. Set a contact maximum and expiry. Choose timing from observed use and trial conditions rather than copying a universal schedule.
4. Choose paths by the decision
Use interaction-dependent routing for actions during an observation period and audience-based routing for known profile state. Verify the current behavior of the selected Canvas components.
A chosen goal can distinguish personal and team setup, while an invitation event indicates progress. Provide a default route for missing or unexpected values.
5. Configure channels explicitly
Select channels by task, permission and reachability. Intelligent Channel is a historical-engagement filter: new users may lack enough data and a preferred channel may no longer be reachable.
Build the relevant paths and Message steps. Check what happens when a step sends nothing and a user still advances. Do not describe automatic channel routing as an inherent property of every Canvas.
6. Coordinate contact rules
Agree frequency, quiet hours and exclusions with other campaign owners. Onboarding does not gain priority simply because it was created first.
Exit users who activate and test completion close to a scheduled reminder. Keep transactional requirements separate from promotional preferences and confirm the intended handling with the responsible owners.
7. Test the whole path
Create fictional profiles covering immediate and delayed activation, inactivity, missing values, unavailable channels and duplicate entry. Write expected paths before testing.
Verify event receipt, entry, routing, rendered content, destination, actual message receipt and exit. Keep the evidence with the configuration so another reviewer can reproduce it.
8. Measure activation and sustained use
Assign an appropriate comparison before the journey starts. Use consistent denominators and equal follow-up periods, and monitor opt-outs, support contacts and errors.
Judge the predefined product outcome and examine subsequent use. A higher welcome-email click rate does not establish that onboarding improved activation or retention.
An onboarding journey acceptance test
For a fictional project app, activation means saving a project with a task. Welcome the user with one direct route to that action, check completion after a product-appropriate delay, and stop activation reminders once it happens. Choose re-entry and expiry deliberately.
Test immediate completion, completion during a delay, no completion, missing data and unavailable channels. For measurement, compare assigned eligible groups over equal windows. A fixed seven-day sequence is not appropriate for every product, and Intelligent Channel requires explicit routing and insufficient-history handling.
| Test case | Expected result |
|---|---|
| User activates immediately | Exit activation reminders |
| No channel is reachable | Follow the intended non-send path |
| Duplicate entry event occurs | Apply the chosen re-entry policy |
The worked example and test cases are illustrative editorial guidance, not measured client outcomes or a claim that a live integration has been tested.
Frequently asked questions
How long should onboarding run? Match the product's time-to-value, usage cycle and trial terms. Seven days is not universal.
What happens after activation? Stop messages asking for the completed task, then consider a separate next-value journey.
Can a before-and-after report prove lift? It describes a change but does not isolate the intervention from seasonality or other changes.
Implementation references
- Braze: Create a Canvas
- Braze: Message step
- Braze: Audience Paths
- Braze: Intelligent Channel filter
- Braze: Canvas QA checklist
Related implementation guides
- Tracking User Events for Better Campaigns in Braze
- Email Campaign Reporting: What to Track in Braze
- How to Build an Automated Marketing Workflow in Braze
CustomerIK helps teams implement Braze data and lifecycle programs. Discuss your audience, data sources and intended customer outcome with the team.
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