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Start Here: Building a better onboarding experience episode artwork

Jul 22, 2026 15 min

Start Here: Building a better onboarding experience

from REWORK Hosted by 37signals

Getting a new customer through the door is one thing, but making sure they understand how things work is another. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson break down how (and why) 37signals redesigned the onboarding experience with their latest version of Basecamp, why onboarding is one of the easiest things to overlook, and what it looks like when founders stay personally connected to that first impression. Key Takeaways 00:09 – What Basecamp's onboarding looked like before, and what changed with Basecamp 5 04:01 – Why onboarding is one of the hardest things to get right 08:33 – Why the people who built it are best suited to showcase it to customers 11:07 – Using onboarding to introduce who you are, not just what you built Links and Resources Record a video question for the podcast Watch The REWORK podcast on YouTube Basecamp is the no-nonsense project management system. Sign up for free at Basecamp.com HEY is a fresh take on email. Sign up for a 30-day free trial at HEY.com Fizzy is a modern spin on kanban. Sign up for free at fizzy.do Books by 37signals Jason Fried on X David Heinemeier Hansson on X

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Getting a new customer through the door is one thing, but making sure they understand how things work is another. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson break down how (and why) 37signals redesigned the onboarding experience with their latest version of Basecamp, why onboarding is one of the easiest things to overlook, and what it looks like when founders stay personally connected to that first impression. Key Takeaways 00:09 – What Basecamp's onboarding looked like before,...

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Start Here: Building a better onboarding experience

0:00 15:03

Chapters

  1. 0:00 Introduction
  2. 0:09 What Basecamp's onboarding looked like before, and what changed with Basecamp 5
  3. 4:01 Why onboarding is one of the hardest things to get right
  4. 8:33 Why the people who built it are best suited to showcase it to customers
  5. 11:07 Using onboarding to introduce who you are, not just what you built

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This episode was published on July 22, 2026.

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