Reducing friction isn't always the best way to improve conversions—adding a thoughtful onboarding step increased sign-ups by around 25%, while simpler "obvious" optimizations had no effect. Optional questions and excessive flexibility can create unintended problems, such as psychological reactance, lower-quality personalization data, or making users feel they should invest more effort before they've committed. The most effective onboarding balances guidance with autonomy, asking only what's necessary to deliver immediate value without overwhelming users with unnecessary choices.