Guiding Pilots Through Change: Designing ForeFlight’s First Feature Onboarding Flow

For the launch of ForeFlight’s new Aeronautical Drawer, we needed to create an onboarding experience that would guide users through the changes without disrupting their workflow. This was the first time ForeFlight implemented a first-run experience, and our goal was to help pilots quickly understand the update while minimizing confusion and reducing support inquiries.

About ForeFlight

ForeFlight is the leading aviation app that provides pilots with comprehensive flight planning tools, real-time weather information, and interactive maps. The app helps pilots navigate safely and efficiently, offering an array of aeronautical charts and features that are critical for flight planning and in-flight navigation.

What problem are we solving?

ForeFlight’s team was introducing a new feature, the Aeronautical Drawer, to improve user experience. This feature reorganized the aeronautical layer quick filters and settings to reduce map clutter, increase screen real estate, and streamline settings management. The challenge was to communicate these changes to current users effectively, while reducing confusion and minimizing support requests.

The goal was to create a first-run experience (a feature that ForeFlight had not used before for feature launches) to inform users about the updates and help them understand how to use the new Aeronautical Drawer. Additionally, it was important that the experience be seamless, without disrupting the user's workflow.

Approach

To craft the first-run experience, we considered several approaches.

Research & Inspiration

A few months prior Apple released “TipKit.” TipKit allows developers to show contextual tips that highlight new, interesting, or unused features. Building on exploratory work my teammate Alejandro had done with in-app tips, I extended this approach to create a tailored onboarding solution for the Aeronautical Drawer.

Iteration & Exploration

To find the best possible solution we experimented with various formats, including:

• A single screen calling out important features of the aeronautical drawer (above image right)
• A single tip, with all the updates (above image middle)
• A multi-step modal, highlighting the individual parts of the aeronautical drawer (above image left)
• A contextual, multi-step walkthrough using tips
• An in-app intro video

A key challenge with most of these options was that they removed users from the context of the app, which led to a disjointed experience. After feedback from pilots and internal testing, the design was refined.

Solution

Our solution was a hybrid approach. Triggered when the user enables the Aeronautical layer, a single tip is used to make users aware of the updated feature. The tip included a call to action for the user to learn more.

If a user opted in, they would be taken through a series of screens explaining the new interface and how to use the Aeronautical Drawer elements.

Navigation buttons allowed users to move forward or backward between screens.

A close button at the top of the screen allowed the user to exit the experience at any time.

Considerations & Constraints

User Context & Conditions

Not only do pilots use our app for planning on the ground, it is also used in flight. Therefore it is critical not to interrupt users who are flying. The first-run experience was designed to show only if a user is not in flight.

Additionally the experience would only appear if the Aeronautical layer was enabled, as it is able to use Maps without the Aeronautical layer.

Finally, this was only shown to current customers, as a new user would not know the difference between the old aeronautical layer filters and settings and the new experience.

Developent Specs

Detailed design specs were provided for the development team, ensuring smooth handoff and implementation.

Impact

Engagement

Most users completed the first-run experience, ensuring they understood the changes and how to use the new feature.

User Group Feedback

Many users in the ForeFlight User Group on Facebook suggested we implement this type of experience for other feature releases. This positive reception indicated that users appreciated the clarity provided by the onboarding flow.