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Onboarding experience needs to be simpler for mass adoption (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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If the fediverse is to be adopted by the masses, the onboarding experience needs to change. A new user can't be presented with a choice of instances as part of signing up or at least the process of making the choice needs to dumbed down a lot. I don't know how or if this can be solved, I just know as someone involved in app development and UX that the current experience won't work.

My mother would not know how to handle this paragraph: "Lemmy.world is one node in a network of hundreds of Lemmy instances. Before you sign up here, take a moment to explore all the instances at https://lemmyverse.net. You may find an instance with a regional or topical emphasis that speaks to you! Don’t worry about being left out; Lemmy instances are interconnected so users from each instance can participate with communities on other instances."

For mass adoption it needs to be so simple that even non-techie older people can get through it without feeling like they might be doing something wrong.

(page 2) 35 comments

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I think this should be baked into client apps.

The popular email analogy works here too. When you are setting up a new phone, you get a default email client app that offers you to log in or sign up to the default email service. And usually user can choose to log in with their service if choice, for which they have to sign up in advance outside the client app.

Having a default Fediverse client on new phones is not happening anytime soon, but if someone's mother installs a client app from the store link sent to them by a family member, she can get similar default onboarding experience.

Default instance can be picked by geo location, or maybe the less used out of 3 most popular instances. Or even maybe an instance ran by the client app developers.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

Voyager defaults to lemm.ee IIRC

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Mass adoption did not end well for Earth.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

This could be solved with a:

Can't make up your mind?

Click here to choose a random general topic instance. Don't worry, if you want to switch later you can.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

Who gets to decide which instances match that description? Everyone will come up with a slightly different list.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I'm not sure I'd like that. I kind of like there being a technological filter. It prevents the Fediverse from turning into Facebook or X. The public Internet has been around and part of society for 40 years now. If you still don't get it in 2025, that ain't everyone else's fault. People using the Internet in the 90s had to deal with way more than just figuring out what an "instance" is.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

Unrelated but there's a word we Mexicans use that you should look up. It's "mamador". No particular reason.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

I think the replies in this thread are doing a good job making OP's point honestly 😓

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

eh.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Decentralization is an essential element of the Fediverse.

I don't get how you would get around choosing a server. Maybe make the recommendation algorithm easier? Like, ask clearer questions, ask fewer questions?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

A part of the problem is that there are multiple similar general topic instances/sites to choose from. If there were more dissimilar, specific topic instances/sites it might help reduce the choice paralysis a little.

It might even better help highlight the perks of federation, as it would be easier to be like, "See, even though you're on cuteanimals.posts, you can still check out and comment on stuff besides cute animals if you want."

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