How to Create Effective Smart Tips
Smart tips are proactive, non-intrusive guidance elements that appear contextually within your product. Unlike tours that interrupt workflows, smart tips blend into the interface and provide help exactly when users need it.
Identify smart tip placement opportunities
Look for complex features, recently changed UI elements, and common confusion points. Support tickets are a goldmine for finding these.
Design for discoverability without intrusion
Use subtle indicators like pulsing dots or info icons that users can engage with voluntarily. Avoid auto-opening tips that block content.
Write concise, actionable content
Smart tip content should be 1-2 sentences that tell users what to do and why. Include a link to more details if needed.
Set intelligent display rules
Show tips only to users who have not yet used the feature. Auto-dismiss tips after the user completes the action.
Target by user segment
New users need basic tips; power users need advanced tips. Show different smart tip sets based on user maturity.
Measure engagement and impact
Track tip view rates, click-through rates, and whether tips lead to feature adoption. Remove tips that users consistently ignore.
Pro Tips
- Limit smart tips to 3-5 per page to avoid visual overload.
- Use a consistent visual style so users learn to recognize and trust smart tips.
- Refresh tips periodically to surface new features and capabilities.
- Let users globally disable smart tips if they prefer an unguided experience.
Conclusion
Smart tips represent the most respectful form of in-app guidance. They are there when users need them and invisible when they do not. Deploy them strategically, keep them concise, and continuously prune tips that are not driving meaningful behavior changes.
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