Company
DigitalOcean is a cloud computing platform for scalers, simplifying the experience of creating robust cloud infrastructure for startups and growing companies. My team consisted of myself, a PM, EM, another designer, and a front-end engineer.
Problem
The existing App Platform onboarding had a 34% completion rate and took the average user 5 minutes to complete — too many steps, not enough clarity.
Solution
Approach
I structured the flow around one deployment method at a time — a single source per pass when creating an app and again when adding resources post-creation.
Pros
- More focused flow with discrete paths
- Reduces complexity when adding resources
- Same flows can be reused post-create
Cons
- Less flexibility for adding many sources at once
- Leads with deployment method vs. resource type
- Risk of reading as "only one method per app"
A clear and concise flow
I designed for simplicity using progressive disclosure and summarization — surfacing only what the user needs at each step.
Usability testing
I tested several variations with users, optimizing for ease of use, speed, and clarity.
Clear next steps
To mitigate concerns about not being able to import from multiple sources during create, I made next-step actions explicit after the first deploy.
The result
The new flow cut onboarding time from 5 min → 3 min and lifted 34% → 50% unique-user conversion. Improving create has major revenue implications as the company positions App Platform as the primary starting point for developers.
