The Problem
Dext Commerce automates financial data consolidation for accountants and bookkeepers—pulling sales and expense data from e-commerce platforms and payment processors into one place. Powerful tool, steep learning curve.
New users were hitting friction immediately:
- Configuration overload — Multiple integrations to set up, each with different auth flows
- Unclear value proposition — Users knew what the tool did but not why it mattered for their workflow
- Support dependency — Basic “how do I start?” questions consumed support bandwidth
- Slow activation — Users who didn’t connect their first data source within 48 hours rarely came back
The onboarding experience was documentation-heavy—help articles that assumed users knew what they were looking for. But new users don’t know what they don’t know. They needed guidance, not a reference manual.
The Solution
I proposed and produced a Quickstart video designed to bridge the gap between sign-up and first value. The goal wasn’t to document every feature—it was to get users to their first “aha moment” as fast as possible.
Design principles:
- Show, don’t tell — Screen recordings of actual workflows, not slides
- Opinionated path — One clear route to success, not every possible option
- Just enough context — Explain the “why” briefly, then move to the “how”
- Integrated delivery — Surfaced at the right moment via Appcues, not buried in a help center
The Approach
1. Script Development
I mapped the critical path from sign-up to first connected data source. Every sentence had to earn its place—the goal was under 5 minutes total runtime.
2. Visual Production
Designed and produced all visual elements: screen recordings, motion graphics, and transitions. The aesthetic matched Dext’s brand while staying clean enough to focus attention on the UI being demonstrated.
3. Voiceover & Editing
Performed the voiceover myself to maintain consistency and enable rapid iteration. Edited for pacing—new users need time to process, but not so much that they disengage.
4. Product Integration
Worked with the product team to integrate the video into the onboarding flow via Appcues. The video appeared contextually—triggered after account creation, dismissible but persistent until watched.
Impact
Without hard metrics, I’ll speak to outcomes I observed directly:
- Became the default onboarding resource — CSMs started linking to it proactively in welcome emails
- Reduced “getting started” support volume — Fewer basic setup questions hitting the queue
- Enabled self-service at scale — Users could onboard asynchronously without scheduling calls
- Established a template — The format was replicated for other product areas
The video demonstrated that customer education doesn’t have to mean comprehensive documentation. Sometimes a focused, well-produced 4-minute video does more than a 20-page guide.
What I Learned
This project reinforced a principle I keep coming back to: the best education content is invisible infrastructure. Users shouldn’t have to “learn” your product—they should just start using it and feel competent.
That means:
- Start with the outcome, not the feature — Users don’t care about configuration options; they care about getting their data flowing
- Delivery matters as much as content — A great video buried in a help center doesn’t help anyone
- Constraints improve quality — The 5-minute limit forced ruthless prioritization of what actually mattered
Video production is a skill I developed specifically because I saw the gap between what users needed and what documentation could provide. Sometimes the right tool for the job isn’t another help article.
