FTUX Funnel Redesign
To improve First-Time User Activation
My Role
As Lead Product Designer
Timeline
1 month
My Role
As Lead Product Designer
Platforms
iOS, Android, Web
My Role
As Lead Product Designer, I partnered with Product, Engineering, 3D artist and Marketing to:
Simplify sign-up and onboarding flows
Refresh visuals to align with IMVU’s updated brand
Deliver fast, with minimal engineering bandwidth
Overview
In early 2025, IMVU was undergoing major cost-reduction measures, including exiting a long-term lease to save millions annually. During this period, the design and product teams were tasked with high-impact, low-cost initiatives that could move key metrics without heavy engineering investment.
The new user acquisition funnel was identified as a critical opportunity: it was outdated, complex, and underperforming against mobile benchmarks.
The Problem & Challenge
1
High drop-off in early onboarding steps (both sign-up form and avatar selection)
2
Legacy visuals clashed with new brand direction, weakening first impressions
3
Limited engineering resources due to company-wide resourcing shifts
4
Solution needed to launch in about one month and show measurable impact quickly
Drop-off data
Analytics revealed the largest drop-off occurred during sign-up and first avatar selection.
Users were being asked to make complex decisions before they understood the value of the product.
Research & Insights
…
…
To prioritize where we could drive the most impact:
Heuristic Audit: Identified friction points in entry screens and avatar selection
Analytics Review: Confirmed highest abandonment during sign-up and first avatar selection
Competitive Benchmarking: Compared IMVU’s funnel against top mobile social apps
Quick User Feedback: Gathered sentiment from existing users about first impressions and visuals
Design Process
Prioritization for Impact – Focused on improving early funnel steps instead of full redesign
Asset Reuse & Modularity – Leveraged refreshed UI components and existing backend logic to minimize build time
Mobile-First Visuals – Introduced high-quality avatar renders with improved lighting to boost emotional appeal
Rapid Iteration – Daily design shares (Figma prototypes) in stand-ups kept alignment tight with PM & Eng
Stakeholder Alignment – Collaborated with Marketing to ensure updated visuals reinforced IMVU’s evolving brand strategy
⬅️ Wireframes to show the early concepts
⬆️ Partnered with Product and 3D artist to dressed up and add actions to all the preset avatars.
⬆️ Shows the web login design with the new avatars
⬆️ Shows the web login design with the new avatars
Validation & Outcome
Anyone noticed the new entry!! Omg so beautiful hehehe look at the avis!!
IMVU keeps updating and getting better every day more.
JURYE
Holy moly! The update! I created a new account with the update, and it's AWESOME!!! Not as much "stuff", but so much nicee!! Well done!
Honestly, if I didn't have an ancient account, I'd be jealous of all the cool stuff.
Titian
To evaluate the impact of the redesigned FTUX experience, we tracked conversion through key onboarding steps across iOS, Android, and Web before and after launch.
Following the release of the simplified avatar selection flow and refreshed visual system, registration completion increased from approximately 26–30% pre-launch to 33–38% post-launch, representing a sustained lift over the two months following release. This improvement indicated that reducing early cognitive load and deferring advanced customization helped users progress through onboarding with less friction and fatigue.
In addition to quantitative improvements, early community feedback highlighted strong emotional resonance with the updated experience. Users responded positively to the modernized avatars and streamlined flow, describing the experience as more exciting, polished, and welcoming—particularly for new users encountering IMVU for the first time.
© 2026 Crafted by Adam Kung