{"id":6096,"date":"2016-09-27T13:23:43","date_gmt":"2016-09-27T11:23:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usersnap.com\/?p=6096"},"modified":"2025-02-20T05:41:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T04:41:05","slug":"windows-98-user-onboarding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usersnap.com\/blog\/windows-98-user-onboarding\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Windows 98’s User Onboarding is Better Than Yours"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reading through Microsoft\u2019s 1995 Interface Guidelines<\/a> is like unearthing a lost relic. The 381-page tome \u2014 for designers creating Windows apps \u2014 got me thinking about how much has changed, not only with Microsoft but with software overall. The guidelines are ahead of their time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re concerned with helping the user get to grips with the OS, and there’s a focus on empathy and a hint Microsoft is starting to think about UX. That’s which isn\u2019t something Windows 3.1 makes any effort to do. On first run, you’re thrown into this jumble:
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\"windows<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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I decided to take a nostalgic trip back to Windows 98, re-experience it and write the article I wished I could have read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, a notable part of Windows 98\u2019s UX is its user onboarding process. After the cryptic start screen from Windows 3.1, it\u2019s a great thing to see. User onboarding is getting the user from a state of confusion to feeling comfortable with the software as quickly as possible. It\u2019s about teaching them enough fundamentals that they can learn the rest on their own, minimizing the \u2018red tape\u2019 of setup and getting them ready to go in the most frictionless way possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First of all \u2014 what are some examples of user onboarding techniques?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before the days of dedicated apps for creating an onboarding experience, software designers had to do it themselves. Now, thanks to powerful processors and bigger-than-floppy-disk memory size, experiences are smoother and fancier. Even so, the principles are the same as ever. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Registration forms<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"process<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

No one wants a game of 20 questions where the prize is signing up. Back in the days of Windows 98, as I\u2019ll look at in a moment, you had to put in very little information before landing on the desktop. This is even easier nowadays thanks to Google\/social authentication, as shown below in Process Street<\/a>:
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Empty states<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As covered in a previous article<\/a>, empty states are what the user sees when there is no data to display on the screen. Any holes in the user onboarding process can be fixed with empty states since they (should) tell you why you\u2019re seeing nothingness, and how to fill that space with something useful. Here are some good empty state examples: Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"spotify<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Spotify\u2019s (cunningly optimized) interface won\u2019t show you an empty space if you have no stations.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"trello<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Trello\u2019s empty state is an example board that explains the core features and makes Trello<\/a>\u2019s onboarding experience fun and educational, not a trawl through the user manual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interactions, not user manuals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even if they\u2019re not paper, apps do still have documentation. Check out GitHub\u2019s<\/a> massive help section, for example. There\u2019s nothing stopping software companies providing online user manuals and FAQs, but far away from the age of documentation-driven onboarding and have adopted a \u2018learn by doing\u2019 mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"github<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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When you create a new GitHub account, the banner above is what you see over your empty dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"github<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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While it does technically take you to an online user manual, it teaches you how to use the app by guiding you step-by-step through a real use case, not an abstract glossary of features. Similarly, when signing up for TeamGantt<\/a> the first choice you make is whether to be guided through an interactive sample project or to start fresh.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"teamgantt<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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The sample project comes with tip boxes which take you through a basic workflow with the app that\u2019s vital to your proficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now let\u2019s look at how Windows 98 uses these user onboarding techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

User onboarding: Windows 98 style<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve looked before at how Microsoft build their user onboarding into games<\/a> for Windows 3.1, but the truth is that 3.1\u2019s onboarding was otherwise pretty poor. The software was designed for command-line users with prior knowledge, and the only help offered was with getting used to the GUI, not the OS itself. Perhaps that\u2019s why Windows 95 & 98 \u2014 the first Windows operating systems that considered onboarding for the common user \u2014 sold over 10 times more copies than 3.1 did 6 years prior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also Read:<\/strong> Customer onboarding: Definition with Examples<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Windows 98 uses Progressive Profiling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Progressive Profiling \u2014 what Auth0 calls breaking down a registration form into manageable steps \u2014 helps beat the overwhelming experience of being presented with a huge form upon signup.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"windows<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Windows 98, even though it\u2019d love for you to register every detail under the sun, doesn\u2019t force it. In fact, the first time I was asked to provide a password was when logging off for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"windows<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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The initial setup is as friction-free as you could ask for, even saving the modem setup for when you decide to connect to the internet \u2014 either when opening Outlook, Internet Explorer or trying to connect directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recycling bin is a great empty state<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"windows<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Windows 98 doesn\u2019t have many true empty states because it comes populated with a ton of shortcuts and files. I did, however, find a great example in the recycling bin that\u2019s just as useful as the modern day ones I pointed out earlier.
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The process of throwing something into a bin and being able to either permanently trash it or uncrumple it and use it again is also a familiar one, so that helps the mechanics here make sense to new users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setup lets you take the path of least resistance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t want to \u2018customize all available Setup options\u2019, you\u2019re welcome to take a typical installation.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"windows<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Unlike 3.1, which assumes you\u2019re familiar with computers and the command line, 98 puts together a starter pack of components for the average user so you can get set up as quickly as possible, without too many decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning to use Windows 98 by completing small exercises<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Part of Window 98’s onboarding sequence is getting used to using the mouse and keyboard. In line with the interface guidelines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“The user should always feel in control of the software, rather than feeling controlled by the software”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It teaches you to control the software, as well as letting you skip the tutorial at any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n