Activation that drives growth: how Carminga’s new onboarding increased activation by 28%
Context & Challenge
Carminga, a German startup offering flexible car subscriptions, was gaining traction but facing friction in the first user journey. The onboarding flow was lengthy and unclear, leading many users to abandon the process before completing identity verification or booking their first car, which directly affected activation and conversion rates.
The challenge was to redesign the onboarding flow to make account creation and first booking faster, more precise, and more reliable.
Problem & Solution
Problem Space
The primary issue was related to friction and clarity. The flow asked for too much information upfront and didn’t clearly indicate what would happen next. Users often get stuck or drop off before finishing verification or reaching the booking stage.
Solution Space
The goal was to simplify and predict the onboarding process, reducing unnecessary steps, clarifying progress, and placing identity verification at a more natural point in the process
My Approach
The Design Process: How I Developed the Solution.
Benchmark & Research
I started by analyzing how other mobility and subscription-based services handled onboarding and identity verification. Using tools like Mobbin and real product flows, I mapped common interaction patterns and friction points. This helped clarify where users expected simplicity — especially in steps that required personal or payment information.
Flow Redesign
With those insights, I redesigned the onboarding flow to make it shorter and more predictable. I reduced unnecessary form fields, grouped related actions, and added clear progress feedback. The identity verification step was moved to a more natural moment, right after signup and before the first booking, making the process feel smoother and more logical.
Release & Iteration
Because the team was small, we tested the new experience directly in production rather than conducting formal usability sessions. I worked closely with Product and Engineering to monitor data and feedback after launch. The results validated our direction; users were completing the flow faster and dropping off less, confirming that simplicity and timing were the right levers to pull.
Results
+28%
increase in activation rate within the first month.
–40%
reduction in time-to-first-booking, accelerating revenue realization.
–35%
onboarding drop-off, improving funnel efficiency and user confidence.
My Impact
I led the redesign of onboarding and activation from end to end — from research to delivery — aligning user experience with business objectives. The result was not just a smoother flow, but a more transparent and more trustworthy experience that helped Carminga turn sign-ups into subscribers.