If your company sells software to other businesses, you already know onboarding is where deals sink or swim. Nobody likes to read endless docs or sit through hour-long demos. That’s where interactive walkthroughs come in—they show, don’t just tell. This guide is for B2B teams who want to use Storylane to build customer onboarding walkthroughs that actually get used.
Let’s walk through how to do it, step by step, with some straight talk on what works, what to skip, and how to avoid common mistakes.
Why use Storylane for onboarding walkthroughs?
Short answer: because people hate reading, and they want to see your product in action. Storylane lets you build click-through demos and product tours that mimic the real thing, but without giving users access to your live app.
Good reasons to use it: - You can guide users through key workflows, not just screens. - It’s self-serve, so customers can onboard at their own pace. - Sales, onboarding, and support teams don’t have to repeat themselves.
But keep in mind: - It’s not a silver bullet. If your product is a mess, no tool will save you. - Walkthroughs won’t fix badly designed onboarding flows—they just paper over them. - You’ll still need docs and real help for edge cases.
Step 1: Get clear on your onboarding goals
Before you even touch Storylane, figure out what “onboarded” really means for your customers. Skip this and you’ll waste time building pretty tours that accomplish nothing.
Ask yourself: - What are the 2–3 things a new user needs to do to get value from our product? - Where do users typically get stuck? - What’s the shortest path to “aha” for a new account?
Pro tip:
Don’t try to cover everything. Focus on your product’s core value. If your walkthrough is longer than 5–7 steps, you’re probably overdoing it.
Step 2: Map out your user journey (on paper first)
It’s tempting to jump straight into the tool, but you’ll move faster if you sketch your walkthrough first.
How to do it: - Write down the steps a new user should take, one by one. - For each step, note what the user sees, does, and learns. - Identify common pitfalls—where users might get confused or drop out.
Keep it simple:
If you can’t explain a step in a sentence or two, break it down further.
Step 3: Capture your product flow in Storylane
Now you’re ready to get your hands dirty. In Storylane, you’ll create a “story” by capturing screens or workflows from your real app.
Here’s how: 1. Install the Chrome extension: It’s required for capturing flows. 2. Log in to your app: Use a staging environment if you can, not production data. 3. Click through your onboarding flow: As you go, use Storylane to capture each screen and key interaction. 4. Edit each step: Add hotspots, callouts, and guidance. Don’t over-instruct—nobody likes being nagged.
Tips for better captures:
- Hide sensitive data before capturing.
- Use dummy accounts with realistic (but fake) info.
- If your UI changes often, keep walkthroughs focused on flows, not static labels.
Step 4: Add context and keep it tight
Here’s where a lot of walkthroughs go wrong—they drown the user in popups or try to explain every button. Resist that urge.
What to add: - Brief, clear instructions (“Click ‘Create Project’ to start”). - Why a step matters, if not obvious (“This is where you invite your team”). - Visual cues—arrows, highlights—but not so many that it looks like a conspiracy map.
What to skip: - Explaining obvious UI (“This is a button”). - Showing error states that don’t teach anything. - Jargon or marketing fluff.
Less is more:
If your walkthrough feels like a tutorial for your tutorial, cut it down.
Step 5: Branching, personalization, and integrations (if you really need them)
Storylane lets you do fancier stuff like branching flows (different paths for admins vs. users) or pulling in user data for personalized demos. Should you? Sometimes.
Branching:
Use it if you genuinely have different onboarding paths. But don’t make things complicated just because you can. Most teams overestimate how much branching they need.
Personalization:
If your buyers want to see their own data or logo in the walkthrough, Storylane can swap these in. This wows prospects in sales demos, but for onboarding, it’s usually overkill.
Integrations:
You can embed Storylane walkthroughs in your app, docs, emails, or even CRM. Embedding in your app works best, but don’t force it if your product isn’t ready.
Step 6: Publish, share, and track
Once your walkthrough is ready, it’s time to put it in front of real users.
Ways to share: - Embed it in your app’s onboarding flow. - Add it to your help center or docs. - Send it in onboarding emails.
Tracking:
Storylane gives you basic analytics—completions, drop-offs, hotspots. Use these to spot where people get confused or bail out.
But don’t obsess:
Analytics are helpful, but talking to a handful of actual users will teach you more than staring at dashboards all day.
Step 7: Iterate—don’t “set and forget”
This part’s easy to skip, but it matters. Products change. Your onboarding should, too.
How to keep things fresh: - Check in monthly or quarterly—are users still getting stuck? - Update screenshots and steps whenever your UI changes. - Ask users what’s missing or confusing. If they ignore your walkthrough, ask them why.
Pro tip:
Don’t be precious. If a step isn’t helping, cut it. The shorter the path to value, the better.
What works, what doesn’t, and what to watch out for
What works
- Short, focused walkthroughs (5–7 steps max).
- Clear, plain-English instructions.
- Embedding demos where users actually need them (not buried in docs).
What doesn’t
- Overlong tours that try to do everything at once.
- Heavy-handed guidance—let users explore a bit.
- Relying on walkthroughs to fix a broken onboarding process.
Watch out for
- Outdated captures (UI changes happen—stay on top of them).
- Sensitive data leaks in screenshots.
- Making walkthroughs mandatory—let users skip if they want.
Summary: Keep it simple, keep it real
Storylane is a solid tool for building customer onboarding walkthroughs, especially if you sell B2B software and want to help users get value fast. But don’t kid yourself—a walkthrough isn’t a replacement for a good product or thoughtful onboarding. Start small, stay focused, and keep improving as you learn what your users actually need. Simple always wins.