💎 What Synthesia's onboarding teaches us about AI product conversion

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Main Article

Synthesia's onboarding perfectly demonstrates what I see a ton of SaaS companies struggling with: asking users to commit before they've experienced any value, leading to 50%+ of potential users abandoning before they see a single AI-generated video.

Before showing you how to fix their 8-step time-to-value problem...

Q: What's the #1 issue with Synthesia's onboarding flow?

Think about the current sequence: Account creation → Pricing selection → Department → Video type → Invite team → Script → Avatar → See result

Got it? Scroll down...

The main issue is they're ransoming value behind commitment.

Synthesia forces you through two massive friction points before you see a single frame of AI video:

1. Account creation (email, password, verification)

2. Pricing tier selection (choose between Free/Starter/Creator with 10+ feature comparisons)

Then after committing your details AND mentally committing to a pricing tier, you still need to go through 6 more screens before seeing your first video.

The brutal math: Most users drop off at screens 1-2. The ones who survive take 8 screens to reach value.

When someone lands on Synthesia, they're thinking:

• "Will these AI avatars actually look realistic?"

• "Can this really save me time on video production?"

• "Why am I choosing a pricing plan when I haven't seen the product?"

• "Maybe I should just check out HeyGen first..."

The result? Users abandon before experiencing the core magic: watching an AI avatar speak their script.

This violates core psychological principles:

• The Eureka Effect: People need that "aha!" moment within 60 seconds

• Premature Commitment: You're asking for emails and credit card consideration before proving value

• Loss Aversion: Setup feels like risk, not progress toward their goal

Q: So how could Synthesia get users to their first AI video faster while still qualifying leads?

Try to imagine a better sequence. The solution is below...

They're missing value-first onboarding with strategic commitment escalation.

Instead of account → pricing → 6 more steps → video, flip the entire sequence:

Change #1: Landing Page = First Creation Step

Current: Generic landing page → "Start Free Trial" button → Account creation

New: Landing page is the first step of creation

The hero section immediately lets you start creating your video: no account required, no pricing tier to choose. Just one simple, low-commitment action:

Click the type of video you want to make:

• 🎓 Technical Course

• 📊 Sales Training

• 👥 HR Announcement

• 🎉 Event Promo

• 📱 Product Demo

• 💼 Executive Update

Why this works: Selecting a button takes 2 seconds and requires zero commitment. You're not signing up for anything, you're not entering payment details—you're just beginning to create a video. The barrier to entry is practically non-existent.

Change #2: Script Input → Avatar Selection (Still No Account)

Next screen: "Paste your script or try our sample"

Then: Avatar picker with 8-10 options

The psychology: Users are now invested. They've made two micro-commitments (video type + avatar choice). The sunk cost fallacy is starting to activate.

Change #3: Show Generated Video Preview (The Eureka Moment)

Generate a 10-second preview with their script and chosen avatar.

But here's the key: When they click play...

→ Popup appears: "Create your free account to watch your video"

Now the psychology flips completely:

Before: "Why should I give you my email?"

After: "I just made my video, I need to see if this actually works!"

The video is auto-playing in the background behind the popup, they can see the AI avatar moving, speaking their words, but can't hear it yet. This creates irresistible FOMO: "I'm this close to seeing if it actually works."

Users want to create an account because they've already experienced partial value and need completion.

Change #4: Post-Signup Qualification

After account creation, before pricing:

Quick 3-question flow:

• "What department are you in?" (Sales, Marketing, L&D, HR)

• "What types of videos will you create most?" (Training, Enablement, Internal Comms)

• "How many videos per month?" (1-5, 6-20, 20+)

Why this order matters: They're already committed. These questions don't feel like friction, they feel like personalization.

Change #5: Personalized Paywall

Instead of showing all three tiers with 10 features each:

"Based on your answers, we recommend Creator ($67/month)"

Show only the 4-5 features they mentioned caring about:

• ✅ 120 video credits/year (you said you need 6-20/month)

• ✅ Custom avatars (perfect for L&D team branding)

• ✅ Collaboration features (you mentioned needing team access)

• ✅ Priority rendering (faster video generation)

With one line: "Want to see all plans? View full pricing"

The Psychology Behind This:

Traditional pricing pages create paralysis: "Which tier do I need? Am I missing something? What if I pick wrong?"

Personalized recommendations feel like guidance, not selling. You're saying "Based on your needs, here's what makes sense."