How Do Early Adopters Prefer to Adopt New Software? Survey Insights
What's the best way to help users learn how to use your software tool?
We asked some early adopters
When it comes to learning how to use a new software tool, everyone has their own preferred method. That's why we put out a call to early adopters of software (primarily via the r/FPandA subreddit) to answer a survey on the methods they like to use to learn the ropes of a new solution or system.
While this isn’t a scientific survey by any means, we thought it provided some interesting insights for SaaS companies looking to onboard as quickly as possible while maintaining a smooth user experience.
The big takeaway
It’s no surprise that the least intrusive methods were deemed the most popular, with reading written guides and documentation taking the top spot. It is interesting to note, however, that the more modern alternatives, such as in-app popup guides or in-app live chat support were least popular here in our survey of users.
This is anathema to the fact that these options have become more heavily relied upon by SaaS vendors in recent years, as live chat and in-app popups presumably provide a more tailored and hands-on learning experience.
How the early adopters like to adopt software
The results were as follows:
- Reading written guides and documentation (including knowledge base) was the most popular method, receiving 29% of votes.
- While this is a somewhat traditional method, it suggests that many users prefer to have detailed instructions and explanations which they can refer to at their own pace and as needed.
- Watching a video (snippets, archived training, etc.) was the second most popular method, receiving 19% of votes.
- While this is a method generally designed for more visual learners, overall the overarching theme here is providing materials which users can access as-needed at their own pace.
- Brief training exercises came in third, with 18% of votes.
- This suggests that many users prefer to learn by doing, and that hands-on practice is an effective way for them to learn how to use the software.
- Start from pre-built templates (learn from/build on and expand templates) was the fourth most popular method, with 17% of the votes.
- Pre-built templates can both teach by example and get you to a more functional place more quickly. While not as popular as written guides and documentation, templates were roughly on-par with videos and training exercises. This indicates that templates have support among a variety of users.
- Live training or support (including chat) was the fifth most popular method, receiving just 14% of votes.
- While this is the most effective way for users to directly ask specific questions about the tool, one of its downfalls is that this method doesn’t always allow you to solve problems immediately at the time when you encounter them, like the top vote-getters in our poll.
- In-app popup guides was the least popular method, receiving only 3% of votes.
- This suggests that users prefer more comprehensive, self-directed resources that they can access at their own pace, rather than in-app guides that may be interruptive and less informative.
What can we learn about helping users adopt software?
The survey results indicate that users have a variety of preferred methods for learning how to use a new software tool. It's important for software developers and trainers to offer a range of resources, including written guides and documentation, videos, training exercises, pre-built templates, live training and support, and in-app guides, to cater to the diverse learning preferences of their users. And it’s important to remember that new methods are not a substitution for tried and true written documentation.
About the survey
This survey was conducted primarily of members of the r/FPandA subreddit, and supplemented with members of the Arithmix community. Respondents were asked to select up to two most preferred methods.
