Onboarding patterns for the NHS App
We’ve been exploring reusable onboarding patterns to help users get started in the NHS App, learn about new features, and find their way around.
Why we’re doing this work
This work began with two accessibility issues that were raised in the app. These issues were happening on our current onboarding screens: four introduction screens that tell users about what they can do with the app, the first time they download it.
The need for this work also became apparent because teams working different parts of the app (such as prescriptions and messages) were exploring ways to onboard users to particular services or features. Those teams needed a consistent and agreed way to approach onboarding.
While gathering feedback on a fix for these issues, we spotted a wider opportunity to improve how we onboard users to the app, and how we educate them when features change.
Although onboarding starts well before someone downloads the app, our focus was specifically on in-app onboarding.
We wanted to explore how reusable onboarding patterns could improve the user experience and meet a range of accessibility needs.
What we did
We developed prototypes for 3 types of onboarding pattern:
- Getting started - two versions: one with visuals, one with text only
- What’s new - used to show updates to the app after login
- Tips - tested as 3 variants: tip sheets, in-line tips and pop-over tips
Our original designs for these patterns were heavily influenced by platform mobile conventions from Apple and Google. These are conventions that are widely used and based on best practice.
User research
We carried out 3 rounds of moderated usability testing with users across different needs and contexts:
- Leeds user research lab – March 2025
- Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) – May 2025
- National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) – May 2025
We also included users with lower digital confidence, neurodiverse users, and people using assistive technologies like VoiceOver and screen magnification.
What we found
General usability
- Users were familiar with seeing onboarding information after login and often used it to navigate.
- Most participants used toolbar controls to move through onboarding, although some needed prompting to use swipe gestures.
- Visuals helped to draw attention and increase engagement, especially among confident users who tend to skim-read.
- Participants with dyslexia or vision impairments sometimes struggled when screens contained both images and text.
- Across groups, the effective attention threshold was around 3 to 5 screens.
Accessibility-specific findings
RNIB testing
- “Getting started” screens were well received and helped orient users.
- Participants wanted to revisit this content later in the app.
- Visuals were hard to interpret with zoom or screen readers. One participant used both VoiceOver and zooming.
- Bullet points and short summaries helped reduce cognitive load.
- Animations were found to be distracting for users with residual vision.
NRAS testing
- Most participants understood the onboarding content, though a few found parts unclear - especially around how to navigate.
- Most users could use landscape mode, but preferred portrait.
- One participant said they didn’t want more information, they just wanted to take action.
“I don’t want to listen anymore to this stuff… I just want my services to check my prescription, so how do I press on that?”
Tips
Pop-over tips were the most effective variant for helping users learn how to use features as they explored the app.
What we’ve changed
- Iterated the “Getting started” screens to better support screen reader users and reduce visual overload.
- Added audio descriptions and restructured information to improve clarity.
- Simplified and shortened text, using bullet points and summaries where possible.
- Identified the need for users to revisit onboarding content later, and flagged this as a future design consideration.
What’s next
- Creating onboarding pattern guidance.
- Developing reusable components for the “Getting started” pattern.
- Handing over of the “What’s new” and “Tips” patterns to the Health Choices and Prevention team.
- Continuing collaboration and discussion on GitHub.