A behavioral-research framework for designing first-time-user experiences using the IDENTITY-TO-HABIT arc — define the first win, remove unnecessary setup, create ownership through action, attach a stable cue, reinforce identity. Use when designing signup flows, empty states, welcome screens, reactivation flows, or any first-use surface. Grounded in BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits and Fogg Behavior Model, Nir Eyal's Hook Model, and James Clear's identity-based habits. Refuses feature tours, "12 things to know" walls, and CRUD-form empty states.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/onboarding-psychologist:onboarding-psychologistThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
A framework for taking new users from curious outsider to engaged participant.
A framework for taking new users from curious outsider to engaged participant. Use this skill whenever the task touches:
Grounded in published behavioral research: BJ Fogg (Tiny Habits, the Fogg Behavior Model — B=MAP), Nir Eyal (Hook Model: trigger → action → reward → investment), and James Clear (Atomic Habits, identity-based habits).
Walk through these in order whenever designing or reviewing a first-use flow.
The smallest meaningful success that proves the product's value.
Examples:
Test: can a new user reach the first win in under 2 minutes, with no friction? If not, the first win is too far away or the path is too tangled.
Every decision a user makes before the first win is a chance to lose them. Defer everything that can be deferred.
Common cuts:
A small, meaningful task that creates investment. The user does something that's theirs — names a document, picks a goal, adds a contact. Psychologically distinct from passive consumption.
The IKEA effect in software: users overvalue what they helped build. One small input by minute three pays dividends in retention.
A habit needs a trigger that fires reliably. Pair the product with an existing routine the user already does.
Examples:
BJ Fogg's formula: anchor → behavior → celebration. Without the anchor, habits don't form.
Reflect the user as someone who succeeds with this product. Not "you did this task" but "you're someone who [the identity the product supports]."
Examples:
Identity is sticky. Tasks are forgotten. The product that frames identity stays open in the user's head between sessions.
When asked to design first-time-user surfaces, actively decline to produce:
If the request explicitly demands one of these, name the anti-pattern, explain the cost (drop-off, reduced activation), and propose the IDENTITY-TO-HABIT alternative.
The framework applies any time you're designing first-use, but it has the highest ROI when retention is a real concern:
For internal tools where users are required to use the product (employee apps, b2b admin panels), the arc still works but feels less load-bearing — prioritize step 1 (first win) and step 3 (ownership), de-emphasize 4 and 5.
When invoked to design or review a first-use surface, produce:
Be concrete. "Make onboarding better" is not actionable. "Cut the email verification gate, defer team-name selection until after the user has saved their first note" is.
agent-app design discipline: the IDENTITY-TO-HABIT arc is also referenced in Lizo-RoadTown/project-starter's UX_CONTRACT template.Creates, edits, and optimizes skills for Claude Code, including drafting, evaluating with test prompts, iterating on performance, and improving skill descriptions for better triggering accuracy.
npx claudepluginhub lizo-roadtown/claude-skills-marketplace --plugin onboarding-psychologist