# First value moment is achievable in under 5 minutes

- **Pattern:** `ab-002339` (`saas-onboarding.activation.first-value-under-5min`)
- **Severity:** critical
- **Lifecycle:** active
- **Last modified:** 2026-04-18
- **Canonical URL:** https://auditbuffet.com/patterns/ab-002339
- **License:** CC-BY-4.0 — attribute to AuditBuffet Pattern Catalog (https://auditbuffet.com/patterns/ab-002339)

## Why it matters

Time-to-first-value is the activation metric that predicts retention. Users who experience value within the first 5 minutes return; users who are still configuring at minute 10 churn. The user-experience taxon treats every blocking step between signup and first value — mandatory email verification, required external connections, long profile forms, unguided configuration — as a direct activation tax. Products that take more than 5 minutes to deliver a value moment lose the majority of new signups before they ever see what the product does.

## Severity rationale

Critical because time-to-first-value is the single strongest predictor of whether a new user will return for a second session.

## Remediation

Map every step between signup completion and the first value moment, then cut everything non-essential. Mark optional steps as deferrable in `src/app/(app)/onboarding/` so they can be completed later from settings, and seed sample data so users see value before they create content themselves.

```tsx
const steps = [
  { id: 'welcome', required: true },
  { id: 'profile', required: false },
  { id: 'first-project', required: true },
];
```

## Detection

- **ID:** `first-value-under-5min`
- **Severity:** `critical`
- **What to look for:** Count every required step from signup completion to the first value moment. For each step, estimate time required. List all steps: required form fills, required configuration, required connections to external services, required content creation.
- **Pass criteria:** A new user with no prior knowledge can reach the first value moment in under 5 minutes and in fewer than 6 steps, with no steps requiring external account creation or configuration outside the application.
- **Fail criteria:** The path to first value requires more than 5 minutes of active work; requires connecting external services before showing any value; requires configuration steps not guided by the UI; requires the user to leave the application to complete setup.
- **Skip (N/A) when:** The application is inherently a long-setup product (e.g., enterprise data migration tool, hardware configuration utility) where the first value moment by design requires significant upfront data entry.
- **Detail on fail:** Describe the minimum path and the blocking steps. Example: `"Path to first value requires: (1) verify email [blocks progress], (2) complete 6-field profile, (3) connect external API with manual key entry, (4) create first item. Estimated >10 minutes with no interim value shown."`
- **Remediation:** Map the critical path in `src/app/(app)/onboarding/` and minimize steps:

  ```tsx
  // Skip non-essential steps
  const steps = [
    { id: 'welcome', required: true },
    { id: 'profile', required: false },  // Defer to settings
    { id: 'first-project', required: true },
  ];
  ```

  Remove blocking steps — offer sample data so users see value before creating content.

---

Taxons: user-experience

HTML version: https://auditbuffet.com/patterns/ab-002339