Evaluate Workflow Friction in Onboarding

Company Context

NotionFlow is a B2B SaaS workflow platform used by mid-sized companies to automate approvals, task routing, and internal requests. The company has 120,000 monthly active users across HR, finance, and operations teams, and sells through seat-based annual contracts.

Problem

Leadership believes new users are dropping off because the workflow setup experience feels confusing. In the current onboarding funnel, 78% of new admins start creating a workflow, but only 41% publish one within their first session. Session replays and support tickets suggest users get stuck on trigger selection, approval logic, and unclear terminology such as “conditions,” “rules,” and “routing paths.” The CEO asks you a direct question: What do you look for when evaluating a workflow for friction or confusion, and how would you improve this product experience?

You are the product manager responsible for the workflow builder. Your goal is to identify where users experience friction, determine which problems matter most, and recommend a focused MVP improvement plan.

Deliverables

1. Explain how you would evaluate a workflow for friction or confusion, including the signals, research methods, and product data you would use.
2. Identify the user segments and moments in the workflow journey you would prioritize first.
3. Propose the top product changes you would make to reduce confusion and increase workflow completion.
4. Define success metrics and how you would know whether the changes improved the experience.
5. Discuss key trade-offs, including simplicity vs flexibility and speed to launch vs depth of redesign.

Constraints

• You have 1 designer, 3 engineers, and 6 weeks for an MVP.
• You cannot rebuild the workflow engine or underlying permissions model.
• Existing enterprise customers rely on advanced configuration, so you cannot remove power-user functionality entirely.
• Any solution must work for both desktop web and tablet web, where 18% of admins configure workflows.