Visiting a new website with very little knowledge of what it does happens frequently when you hear about new startups. Being able to recognize the goal and the purpose of each startup should be quick and immeadiate. If a visitor cannot understand the problem and solution, you need to change the message being sent to the visitor.

Another common question when using a new site is what is behind the registration wall. Having to provide personal information that could be used and handled by anyone (reading the privacy policy takes way too long) before you know what the website will do for you is unsettling. If the visitor cannot see that that website is built for the good, they will be discouraged from using the service.

A tour that provides a quick overview is one way to break the barrier. Seeing screenshots of how to create a trip and add photos or friends can provide just enough guidance to get the visitor thinking about how they can use the service to their benefit. Demonstrating a good idea makes it even more powerful in the mind.

There are numerous ways to create a tour. Two of them: video demonstration, and screenshots of major pages. A video can provide audio and connect personally. If the narrator speaks in first person terms, the user can become the person the narrator is demonstrating.  Screenshots make less of a connection because each one is only a snapshot. The user has to work a little harder to imagine what the benefit is, and how quickly the process of moving from one page to another really is.

It’s important in both formats to provide enough information but not drag the tour. It’s critical to show the best features of the site, the ones that will attract and keep users using the service. Omitting or speeding through parts of the process like filling out the form can make the illusion that things are quick and easy, with a big payoff at the end.