8 Practical Tips to Improve Your Onboarding Screen with Better Font Choices

In today’s digital landscape, first impressions matter more than ever. When users launch a new app or website for the first time, onboarding screens become the virtual handshake—the moment where users decide whether to continue or abandon. While designers often focus on animations, illustrations, and UI patterns during onboarding, typography is the unsung hero that can make or break this critical user experience.

Choosing the right font is not just about aesthetics—it’s about communication, usability, and emotional impact. In this article, we’ll explore how better font choices can elevate your onboarding screens, enhance clarity, and ultimately increase user retention.

Why Typography Matters in Onboarding?

Before diving into specific font tips, let’s understand the role typography plays during onboarding:

• Communicates tone and personality
• Improves readability and comprehension
• Establishes visual hierarchy and guides user flow
• Boosts user confidence and trust

When done right, typography transforms onboarding from a checklist of instructions into a seamless narrative.

1. Start with Legibility

his might sound obvious, but it’s the most common mistake: many onboarding screens sacrifice legibility for style. If your font is too thin, too small, or too decorative, users will skip past—or worse, quit the app altogether.

✅ Best Practices:

• Use at least 16px for body text and 20–24px for titles on mobile.
• Opt for sans-serif fonts like Finley, Qumelan, or Rheina modern, clean, and easy to read.
• Check contrast ratios to ensure accessibility for all users (WCAG recommends 4.5:1 for body text).

Remember, if users can’t read it, they won’t stick aroundRemember, if users can’t read it, they won’t stick around.

2. Match Font Personality with Brand Voice

Your font choice is your voice—it tells users who you are before they read a single word.

Imagine opening a finance app that uses Destari. It instantly feels untrustworthy, right?

💡 Tip:

• Serif fonts convey tradition, trust, and intellect. Great for editorial or professional services.
• Sans-serifs suggest modernity, cleanliness, and tech-savviness.
• UI UX fonts give off a friendly, approachable vibe—ideal for lifestyle, wellness, or education apps.

Choosing a font that aligns with your brand can make onboarding feel more cohesive and emotionally resonant.

3. Establish Clear Visual Hierarchy

A good onboarding experience isn’t just readable—it’s scannable. Users should instantly know:

• What to read first
• What action to take
• What’s optional or secondary

Typography helps define this hierarchy through font size, weight, and spacing.

How to Create Hierarchy with Fonts:

• Headlines: Larger, bold, and possibly a different typeface.
• Subheadings: Slightly smaller, semi-bold.
• Body text: Medium weight, generous line height (1.4–1.6).
• CTA buttons: All caps or bold to stand out (but don’t overuse).

Strategic use of font weight and size can guide the user’s eyes naturally from top to bottom, step by step.

4. Use Microcopy to Build Trust (With the Right Font)

Onboarding is often packed with microcopy—short bits of helpful or reassuring text. Think of labels like “Skip for now,” “We’ll never share your data,” or “2 steps left.”

These phrases build trust, but only if they’re readable and feel genuine.

Font Consideration for Microcopy:

• Avoid fonts that are too stylized or compressed—it makes small text hard to scan.
• Choose fonts that maintain clarity even at small sizes.
• Use spacing and color to subtly separate microcopy from primary content without making it invisible.

When font complements tone, microcopy feels natural and sincere.

5. Test Across Devices and Screen Sizes

A font that looks beautiful on a high-res iPhone might fall apart on an older Android device. Testing how your typography behaves across platforms is crucial.

Quick QA Checklist:

• Does the text resize properly on small screens?
• Is the line height consistent and pleasant?
• Do system fonts break your design?
• Are fallbacks in place if a custom font fails to load?

Typography isn’t static—it’s responsive. Make sure your font choice supports a consistent experience, regardless of screen size.

6. Don’t Overload with Fonts

Less is often more when it comes to onboarding.

Using too many typefaces can confuse users and dilute your message. Stick to two font families max—one for headings, one for body text. Often, one well-designed font family with multiple weights (like Finley, Qumelan, or Rheina) is all you need.

Too many fonts = noise. Fewer fonts = focus.

7. Animate with Intention (But Carefully)

Some onboarding flows use animated typography to create movement and delight. This can be a powerful tool—but only if used sparingly and meaningfully.

Use Animation to:

• Reveal steps gradually
• Emphasize key messages
• Create rhythm in multi-step onboarding

Avoid:

• Jerky, fast transitions that hurt readability
• Fonts that jitter or flicker during animation
• Overcomplicating the interface with too many moving parts

Keep your motion consistent with your brand’s personality and tone. Let the typography shine—don’t drown it out.

8. Bonus: Use Font Loading Strategically

Ever seen a blank screen or font swap when an app first loads? That’s usually caused by poorly handled font loading.

Tips:

• Use font-display: swap in your CSS to avoid blank text on load.
• Minimize font file sizes and only load the weights you need.
• Host fonts on a reliable CDN or locally for better performance.

Typography is a key part of perceived performance. If your font doesn’t load fast, your onboarding feels broken.

Final Thoughts: Fonts Define the Journey

Great onboarding isn’t just about moving users from point A to point B. It’s about telling a story—a story that begins with typography. The fonts you choose can build trust, improve clarity, evoke emotion, and make every tap feel intentional.

In a world where attention spans are short and first impressions last, typography isn’t optional—it’s essential. Elevate your onboarding screens with smarter, more strategic font choices, and your users will thank you with their time, trust, and loyalty.

Related Post