Onboarding & Activation Design Sprint
Let’s transform your user onboarding into a seamless, behaviorally-informed experience that boosts Activation rates and delights users.
Kate Syuma
Founder at Growthmates, Growth Advisor,
ex-Miro Head of Growth Design
Kate Syuma
Founder at Growthmates, Growth Advisor,
ex-Miro Head of Growth Design
Trusted by companies, partners and clients from best B2B and B2C like:
Trusted by companies, partners and clients from best B2B and B2C like:
Trusted by companies, partners and clients from best B2B and B2C like:
A 2-week sprint to fix user drop-off and accelerate the onboarding experience — using behavioral UX and proven Product-led Growth practices. Not just an abstract strategy. Tangible product solution that drives emotionally intelligent design.
Led by Kate Syuma
Growth Advisor · Founder at Growthmates · Former Head of Growth Design Miro (6+ years)
I founded Growthmates to help teams create meaningful, behavior-first product experiences that convert naturally.
I’ve led onboarding and growth work from startup stage (50 people) to unicorn (2,000+), across:
Activation (2× metrics)
Retention, Monetization, Freemium models, Community-led Growth
PLG experiments and design across 15 teams
Growth Advisor · Founder at Growthmates · Former Head of Growth Design Miro (6+ years)
I founded Growthmates to help teams create meaningful, behavior-first product experiences that convert naturally.
I’ve led onboarding and growth work from startup stage (50 people) to unicorn (2,000+), across:
Activation (2× metrics)
Retention, Monetization, Freemium models, Community-led Growth
PLG experiments and design across 15 teams
Growth Advisor · Founder at Growthmates · Former Head of Growth Design Miro (6+ years)
I founded Growthmates to help teams create meaningful, behavior-first product experiences that convert naturally.
I’ve led onboarding and growth work from startup stage (50 people) to unicorn (2,000+), across:
Activation (2× metrics)
Retention, Monetization, Freemium models, Community-led Growth
PLG experiments and design across 15 teams
Growth Advisor · Founder at Growthmates · Former Head of Growth Design Miro (6+ years)
I founded Growthmates to help teams create meaningful, behavior-first product experiences that convert naturally.
I’ve led onboarding and growth work from startup stage (50 people) to unicorn (2,000+), across:
Activation (2× metrics)
Retention, Monetization, Freemium models, Community-led Growth
PLG experiments and design across 15 teams
The problem
You’ve got users signing up —
but not sticking around.
You’re running growth experiments, but onboarding still feels flat.
You know something’s off, but can’t quite pinpoint the friction.
40–60% of users leave after poor onboarding UX, so they never come back.
40–60% of users leave after poor onboarding UX, so they never come back.
40–60% of users leave after poor onboarding UX, so they never come back.
40–60% of users leave after poor onboarding UX, so they never come back.
Most users never activate key features, so they don’t convert to paid.
Most users never activate key features, so they don’t convert to paid.
Most users never activate key features, so they don’t convert to paid.
Most users never activate key features, so they don’t convert to paid.
Growth teams never have time to audit their onboarding, so they get stuck.
Growth teams never have time to audit their onboarding, so they get stuck.
Growth teams never have time to audit their onboarding, so they get stuck.
Growth teams never have time to audit their onboarding, so they get stuck.
What is usually missing
A clear product-led onboarding strategy
A design direction rooted in behavioral science
High-quality solutions and clear feedback on what to improve — and why
The solution
The Onboarding & Activation
Design Sprint is a 2-week
high-impact engagement.
It’s not a strategy deck. It’s not just feedback. It’s a proven process to design behavior change and unlock Activation.
Activated users have 2-5x higher long-term Retention and turn into power users
Activated users have 2-5x higher long-term Retention and turn into power users
Activated users have 2-5x higher long-term Retention and turn into power users
Activated users have 2-5x higher long-term Retention and turn into power users
70% of Activated users convert to Paid customers and recommend it to others (WOM)
70% of Activated users convert to Paid customers and recommend it to others (WOM)
70% of Activated users convert to Paid customers and recommend it to others (WOM)
70% of Activated users convert to Paid customers and recommend it to others (WOM)
Emotional design is preferred by 87% of people¹
¹ Research by Google
Emotional design is preferred by 87% of people¹
¹ Research by Google
Emotional design is preferred by 87% of people¹
¹ Research by Google
Emotional design is preferred by 87% of people¹
¹ Research by Google
Uncover drop-offs by analysing qualitative & quantitative data
Pinpoint behavioral blockers in your onboarding experience
Get detailed, expert-level feedback on your flows
and designs and walk away with an updated design solution and roadmap your team can ship.
Get detailed, expert-level feedback on your flows and designs and walk away with an updated design solution and roadmap your team can ship.
Why User Experience
is still your differentiator
Most onboarding audits stop at abstract advice.
We go further — with behaviorally-informed design direction.
What you'll get
Detailed UX feedback on your current onboarding flows
Design guidance to uplift your quality bar and annotated walkthroughs of suggested improvements
Best-practice references from top PLG products
While we don’t deliver ready-to-dev Figma files as part of the sprint.
Instead we provide the design direction, feedback, and visual references your team needs to confidently build high-quality UX.
If you’re looking for full design execution, we’re happy to explore that separately as an add-on.
Why User Experience
is still your differentiator
Most onboarding audits stop at abstract advice.
We go further — with behaviorally-informed design direction.
What you'll get
Detailed UX feedback on your current onboarding flows
Design guidance to uplift your quality bar and annotated walkthroughs of suggested improvements
Best-practice references from top PLG products
While we don’t deliver ready-to-dev Figma files as part of the sprint.
Instead we provide the design direction, feedback, and visual references your team needs to confidently build high-quality UX.
If you’re looking for full design execution, we’re happy to explore that separately as an add-on.
Why User Experience
is still your differentiator
Most onboarding audits stop at abstract advice.
We go further — with behaviorally-informed design direction.
What you'll get
Detailed UX feedback on your current onboarding flows
Design guidance to uplift your quality bar and annotated walkthroughs of suggested improvements
Best-practice references from top PLG products
While we don’t deliver ready-to-dev Figma files as part of the sprint.
Instead we provide the design direction, feedback, and visual references your team needs to confidently build high-quality UX.
If you’re looking for full design execution, we’re happy to explore that separately as an add-on.
Onboarding & Activation
Design Sprint
What We’ll Do
Together
Holistic UX Audit of your full onboarding flow (Website → Sign-up → Aha-moment)
Define your Activation path and metric
2 x live workshops (90 min) with async feedback in between
Using Growthmates templates + frameworks to co-create solutions
Provide annotated design direction for team execution
Create a prioritized Activation Roadmap to ship next
What We’ll Do
Together
Holistic UX Audit of your full onboarding flow (Website → Sign-up → Aha-moment)
Define your Activation path and metric
2 x live workshops (90 min) with async feedback in between
Using Growthmates templates + frameworks to co-create solutions
Provide annotated design direction for team execution
Create a prioritized Activation Roadmap to ship next
What We’ll Do
Together
Holistic UX Audit of your full onboarding flow (Website → Sign-up → Aha-moment)
Define your Activation path and metric
2 x live workshops (90 min) with async feedback in between
Using Growthmates templates + frameworks to co-create solutions
Provide annotated design direction for team execution
Create a prioritized Activation Roadmap to ship next
What We’ll Do
Together
Holistic UX Audit of your full onboarding flow (Website → Sign-up → Aha-moment)
Define your Activation path and metric
2 x live workshops (90 min) with async feedback in between
Using Growthmates templates + frameworks to co-create solutions
Provide annotated design direction for team execution
Create a prioritized Activation Roadmap to ship next
Timeline &
Process
Prep – You submit a brief & data inputs
Slack – We stay async and connected
Week 1 (Discovery) – Audit, behavioral mapping, live workshop #1
Week 2 (Solutioning) – Design feedback loop, live workshop #2, roadmap handoff
Recommended: A PM + Designer involved across both weeks for max impact.
A full program overview will be shared after our intro call and once we confirm the collaboration.
Timeline &
Process
Prep – You submit a brief & data inputs
Slack – We stay async and connected
Week 1 (Discovery) – Audit, behavioral mapping, live workshop #1
Week 2 (Solutioning) – Design feedback loop, live workshop #2, roadmap handoff
Recommended: A PM + Designer involved across both weeks for max impact.
A full program overview will be shared after our intro call and once we confirm the collaboration.
Timeline &
Process
Prep – You submit a brief & data inputs
Slack – We stay async and connected
Week 1 (Discovery) – Audit, behavioral mapping, live workshop #1
Week 2 (Solutioning) – Design feedback loop, live workshop #2, roadmap handoff
Recommended: A PM + Designer involved across both weeks for max impact.
A full program overview will be shared after our intro call and once we confirm the collaboration.
Timeline &
Process
Prep – You submit a brief & data inputs
Slack – We stay async and connected
Week 1 (Discovery) – Audit, behavioral mapping, live workshop #1
Week 2 (Solutioning) – Design feedback loop, live workshop #2, roadmap handoff
Recommended: A PM + Designer involved across both weeks for max impact.
A full program overview will be shared after our intro call and once we confirm the collaboration.
What You’ll Walk
Away With
A fully mapped onboarding journey with friction points diagnosed
Clear UX and behavioral design recommendations
Loom feedback on real product flows and copy
Access to 30+ onboarding benchmarks & 15+ templates
An activation roadmap you can execute immediately
Improved team alignment across Product, Growth, and Design
Internal upskilling in behavioral UX and PLG frameworks
What You’ll Walk
Away With
A fully mapped onboarding journey with friction points diagnosed
Clear UX and behavioral design recommendations
Loom feedback on real product flows and copy
Access to 30+ onboarding benchmarks & 15+ templates
An activation roadmap you can execute immediately
Improved team alignment across Product, Growth, and Design
Internal upskilling in behavioral UX and PLG frameworks
What You’ll Walk
Away With
A fully mapped onboarding journey with friction points diagnosed
Clear UX and behavioral design recommendations
Loom feedback on real product flows and copy
Access to 30+ onboarding benchmarks & 15+ templates
An activation roadmap you can execute immediately
Improved team alignment across Product, Growth, and Design
Internal upskilling in behavioral UX and PLG frameworks
What You’ll Walk
Away With
A fully mapped onboarding journey with friction points diagnosed
Clear UX and behavioral design recommendations
Loom feedback on real product flows and copy
Access to 30+ onboarding benchmarks & 15+ templates
An activation roadmap you can execute immediately
Improved team alignment across Product, Growth, and Design
Internal upskilling in behavioral UX and PLG frameworks
Business Impact
Business Impact
Business Impact
Business Impact
Potential 1.5–2× lift in activation metrics reported after implementation
Improved product UX = faster delivery + less rework
Smarter experiments and higher-confidence launches
2-week engagement with full audit, design direction, live workshops, async access, and strategy handoff
Investment starts at:
€9,000
Early Stage (<€2M ARR): €9,000
Growth Stage (€2M–€20M ARR): €12,000
Mature Stage (>€20M ARR): Custom pricing (on request)
Business Impact
Business Impact
Some teams continue working with Growthmates post-sprint to turn the roadmap into validated, shipped features. Monthly retainer support starts at $7,500/mo.
2-week engagement with full audit, design direction, live workshops, async access, and strategy handoff
Investment starts at:
€9,000
Early Stage (<€2M ARR): €9,000
Growth Stage (€2M–€20M ARR): €12,000
Mature Stage (>€20M ARR): Custom pricing (on request)
Only 2 sprints available for Q1 2026.
Business Impact
Some teams continue working with Growthmates post-sprint to turn the roadmap into validated, shipped features. Monthly retainer support starts at $7,500/mo.
2-week engagement with full audit, design direction, live workshops, async access, and strategy handoff
Investment starts at:
€9,000
Early Stage (<€2M ARR): €9,000
Growth Stage (€2M–€20M ARR): €12,000
Mature Stage (>€20M ARR): Custom pricing (on request)
Only 2 sprints available for Q1 2026.
Business Impact
Some teams continue working with Growthmates post-sprint to turn the roadmap into validated, shipped features. Monthly retainer support starts at $7,500/mo.
Wall of love from clients
I invited Kate to have a fireside-style chat with our growth team at Grammarly.
We had sessions focusing on user activation and team growth practices. Kate's content was inspiring, actionable, and easy to follow. Our team was enthusiastic about the sessions and left feeling empowered to try new tactics to drive growth at Grammarly.
Shane Fontane
Sr. Manager, Growth Design @Grammarly
Kate worked with our team for a few months on user activation, and her structured approach helped us quickly clarify key opportunities and next steps.
She brought a ton of energy, practical examples, and clear trade-off thinking — exactly what we needed to move forward.
What stood out was her ability to switch seamlessly between strategic guidance and hands-on feedback.
If you need someone who brings clarity, energy, and actionable frameworks to growth challenges, Kate is an excellent partner.
Robert Cserti
Product Leader @Manychat
We felt the collaboration was a real success — both in assessing what we had and validating the ideas we were exploring.
The Zeffy form builder went super well — that initiative alone gave us a 15% lift in activation, our biggest win so far. We're now rolling it out across all our form types.
It also helped us refocus onboarding on the core product, which had a great cumulative impact on activation in the past months (+50%).
Michel Ferry
Head of Product @Zeffy
We worked with Kate when we needed more in-house expertise in Growth Design and Product Management. Our main challenge was improving the Activation of new accounts. From our collaboration, the key results were:
1) Kate completed an audit and trained the team on frameworks from both design and growth perspectives.
2) She helped instill a growth mindset in our design team by focusing on growth principles.
3) We implemented some of her recommendations, including a full overhaul of our email onboarding series.”
Artur Evstefeev
Product Leader @Manychat
I worked with Kate in a coaching capacity over a few months, and she made a huge impact. From actionable tactics across Activation and Monetization to thoughtful career guidance, every session delivered real value.
Kate has a unique way of teaching — grounded, approachable, and packed with real-world insights. She helped me break down complex ideas, and always ended sessions with clear next steps I could apply immediately.
Thanks to her support, I landed a dream job and expanded my thinking as a growth practitioner in ways I couldn’t have reached alone.
Ben Pham
Senior Product Designer @ Loom
Kate provided our team with comprehensive guidance around Sign Up flow, two modes for onboarding, and how we should start measuring the Aha- moment.
Ultimately, Kate helped to open our eyes to very novice users who are completely not familiar with VR and helped us making their first experience with the product a magic.
Inga Petryaevskaya
Co-founder and CEO @Shapes XR
Wall of love from clients
I invited Kate to have a fireside-style chat with our growth team at Grammarly.
We had sessions focusing on user activation and team growth practices. Kate's content was inspiring, actionable, and easy to follow. Our team was enthusiastic about the sessions and left feeling empowered to try new tactics to drive growth at Grammarly.
Shane Fontane
Sr. Manager, Growth Design @Grammarly
Kate worked with our team for a few months on user activation, and her structured approach helped us quickly clarify key opportunities and next steps.
She brought a ton of energy, practical examples, and clear trade-off thinking — exactly what we needed to move forward.
What stood out was her ability to switch seamlessly between strategic guidance and hands-on feedback.
If you need someone who brings clarity, energy, and actionable frameworks to growth challenges, Kate is an excellent partner.
Robert Cserti
Product Leader @Manychat
We felt the collaboration was a real success — both in assessing what we had and validating the ideas we were exploring.
The Zeffy form builder went super well — that initiative alone gave us a 15% lift in activation, our biggest win so far. We're now rolling it out across all our form types.
It also helped us refocus onboarding on the core product, which had a great cumulative impact on activation in the past months (+50%).
Michel Ferry
Head of Product @Zeffy
We worked with Kate when we needed more in-house expertise in Growth Design and Product Management. Our main challenge was improving the Activation of new accounts. From our collaboration, the key results were:
1) Kate completed an audit and trained the team on frameworks from both design and growth perspectives.
2) She helped instill a growth mindset in our design team by focusing on growth principles.
3) We implemented some of her recommendations, including a full overhaul of our email onboarding series.”
Artur Evstefeev
Product Leader @Manychat
I worked with Kate in a coaching capacity over a few months, and she made a huge impact. From actionable tactics across Activation and Monetization to thoughtful career guidance, every session delivered real value.
Kate has a unique way of teaching — grounded, approachable, and packed with real-world insights. She helped me break down complex ideas, and always ended sessions with clear next steps I could apply immediately.
Thanks to her support, I landed a dream job and expanded my thinking as a growth practitioner in ways I couldn’t have reached alone.
Ben Pham
Senior Product Designer @ Loom
Kate provided our team with comprehensive guidance around Sign Up flow, two modes for onboarding, and how we should start measuring the Aha- moment.
Ultimately, Kate helped to open our eyes to very novice users who are completely not familiar with VR and helped us making their first experience with the product a magic.
Inga Petryaevskaya
Co-founder and CEO @Shapes XR
Wall of love from clients
I invited Kate to have a fireside-style chat with our growth team at Grammarly.
We had sessions focusing on user activation and team growth practices. Kate's content was inspiring, actionable, and easy to follow. Our team was enthusiastic about the sessions and left feeling empowered to try new tactics to drive growth at Grammarly.
Shane Fontane
Sr. Manager, Growth Design @Grammarly
Kate worked with our team for a few months on user activation, and her structured approach helped us quickly clarify key opportunities and next steps.
She brought a ton of energy, practical examples, and clear trade-off thinking — exactly what we needed to move forward.
What stood out was her ability to switch seamlessly between strategic guidance and hands-on feedback.
If you need someone who brings clarity, energy, and actionable frameworks to growth challenges, Kate is an excellent partner.
Robert Cserti
Product Leader @Manychat
We felt the collaboration was a real success — both in assessing what we had and validating the ideas we were exploring.
The Zeffy form builder went super well — that initiative alone gave us a 15% lift in activation, our biggest win so far. We're now rolling it out across all our form types.
It also helped us refocus onboarding on the core product, which had a great cumulative impact on activation in the past months (+50%).
Michel Ferry
Head of Product @Zeffy
We worked with Kate when we needed more in-house expertise in Growth Design and Product Management. Our main challenge was improving the Activation of new accounts. From our collaboration, the key results were:
1) Kate completed an audit and trained the team on frameworks from both design and growth perspectives.
2) She helped instill a growth mindset in our design team by focusing on growth principles.
3) We implemented some of her recommendations, including a full overhaul of our email onboarding series.”
Artur Evstefeev
Product Leader @Manychat
I worked with Kate in a coaching capacity over a few months, and she made a huge impact. From actionable tactics across Activation and Monetization to thoughtful career guidance, every session delivered real value.
Kate has a unique way of teaching — grounded, approachable, and packed with real-world insights. She helped me break down complex ideas, and always ended sessions with clear next steps I could apply immediately.
Thanks to her support, I landed a dream job and expanded my thinking as a growth practitioner in ways I couldn’t have reached alone.
Ben Pham
Senior Product Designer @ Loom
Kate provided our team with comprehensive guidance around Sign Up flow, two modes for onboarding, and how we should start measuring the Aha- moment.
Ultimately, Kate helped to open our eyes to very novice users who are completely not familiar with VR and helped us making their first experience with the product a magic.
Inga Petryaevskaya
Co-founder and CEO @Shapes XR
Wall of love from clients
I invited Kate to have a fireside-style chat with our growth team at Grammarly.
We had sessions focusing on user activation and team growth practices. Kate's content was inspiring, actionable, and easy to follow. Our team was enthusiastic about the sessions and left feeling empowered to try new tactics to drive growth at Grammarly.
Shane Fontane
Sr. Manager, Growth Design @Grammarly
Kate worked with our team for a few months on user activation, and her structured approach helped us quickly clarify key opportunities and next steps.
She brought a ton of energy, practical examples, and clear trade-off thinking — exactly what we needed to move forward.
What stood out was her ability to switch seamlessly between strategic guidance and hands-on feedback.
If you need someone who brings clarity, energy, and actionable frameworks to growth challenges, Kate is an excellent partner.
Robert Cserti
Product Leader @Manychat
We felt the collaboration was a real success — both in assessing what we had and validating the ideas we were exploring.
The Zeffy form builder went super well — that initiative alone gave us a 15% lift in activation, our biggest win so far. We're now rolling it out across all our form types.
It also helped us refocus onboarding on the core product, which had a great cumulative impact on activation in the past months (+50%).
Michel Ferry
Head of Product @Zeffy
We worked with Kate when we needed more in-house expertise in Growth Design and Product Management. Our main challenge was improving the Activation of new accounts. From our collaboration, the key results were:
1) Kate completed an audit and trained the team on frameworks from both design and growth perspectives.
2) She helped instill a growth mindset in our design team by focusing on growth principles.
3) We implemented some of her recommendations, including a full overhaul of our email onboarding series.”
Artur Evstefeev
Product Leader @Manychat
I worked with Kate in a coaching capacity over a few months, and she made a huge impact. From actionable tactics across Activation and Monetization to thoughtful career guidance, every session delivered real value.
Kate has a unique way of teaching — grounded, approachable, and packed with real-world insights. She helped me break down complex ideas, and always ended sessions with clear next steps I could apply immediately.
Thanks to her support, I landed a dream job and expanded my thinking as a growth practitioner in ways I couldn’t have reached alone.
Ben Pham
Senior Product Designer @ Loom
Kate provided our team with comprehensive guidance around Sign Up flow, two modes for onboarding, and how we should start measuring the Aha- moment.
Ultimately, Kate helped to open our eyes to very novice users who are completely not familiar with VR and helped us making their first experience with the product a magic.
Inga Petryaevskaya
Co-founder and CEO @Shapes XR
Featured Case Studies
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Learn more
How an AI-Powered Onboarding Agent Doubled Activation Rate
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Explore
6 steps of Holistic User Onboarding & 10+ examples of B2B SaaS
We review your product data points and 100+ world-class examples to find friction, missed signals, and quick wins.
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Featured Case Studies
The evolution of Miro's user onboarding from Startup to Series-C
We review your product data points and 100+ world-class examples to find friction, missed signals, and quick wins.
Learn more
How an AI-Powered Onboarding Agent Doubled Activation Rate
We combine analytics with user research to map your “aha moment” and activation funnel.
Explore
6 steps of Holistic User Onboarding & 10+ examples of B2B SaaS
We review your product data points and 100+ world-class examples to find friction, missed signals, and quick wins.
Read more
Featured Case Studies
The evolution of Miro's user onboarding from Startup to Series-C
We review your product data points and 100+ world-class examples to find friction, missed signals, and quick wins.
Learn more
How an AI-Powered Onboarding Agent Doubled Activation Rate
We combine analytics with user research to map your “aha moment” and activation funnel.
Explore
6 steps of Holistic User Onboarding & 10+ examples of B2B SaaS
We review your product data points and 100+ world-class examples to find friction, missed signals, and quick wins.
Read more
Featured Case Studies
The evolution of Miro's user onboarding from Startup to Series-C
We review your product data points and 100+ world-class examples to find friction, missed signals, and quick wins.
Learn more
How an AI-Powered Onboarding Agent Doubled Activation Rate
We combine analytics with user research to map your “aha moment” and activation funnel.
Explore
6 steps of Holistic User Onboarding & 10+ examples of B2B SaaS
We review your product data points and 100+ world-class examples to find friction, missed signals, and quick wins.
Read more
Want to explore collaboration?
Let's grow your meaningful product by leveraging
PLG and enhancing UX quality, together.
Want to explore collaboration?
Let's grow your meaningful product by leveraging
PLG and enhancing UX quality, together.
Want to explore collaboration?
Let's grow your meaningful product by leveraging
PLG and enhancing UX quality, together.
Want to explore collaboration?
Let's grow your meaningful product by leveraging PLG and enhancing UX quality, together.
© 2025 GrowthMates
© 2025 GrowthMates
© 2025 GrowthMates