Progress Indicators in Mobile Onboarding/Setup Flows — Mobbin Screen-Pattern Audit

Date: 2026-08-10 Source: Mobbin design database (MCP: search_flows + search_screens), iOS platform Purpose: Original data parity for the "Progress Bars / Never Start Your User at Zero" video (research-driven YouTube channel).

Methodology

• Primary tool: search_flows (returns per-screen preview images for full user journeys). 4 queries, iOS, limit 6-8: 1. "onboarding flow with progress bar at top" 2. "account setup with step indicator" 3. "getting started checklist setup tasks" 4. "multi step form with progress steps"
• Secondary tool: search_screens (single screens). 2 queries, iOS, limit 12: 5. "setup checklist with completed tasks checkmarks" 6. "onboarding screen showing percent complete"
• All preview images were visually examined; observations recorded per item immediately after each search. Screen/flow IDs tracked to avoid double-counting across queries.
• Theses under test (reported honestly, not force-fit): (a) endowed progress — never start the user at zero; (b) small-area/framing — accumulated framing early, remaining framing late; (c) stacked sequential 0-100% bars charge a cold-start penalty at each stage boundary; (d) fast-early beats slow-early.

Dimensions tallied per item

Observations

Search 1 — search_flows: "onboarding flow with progress bar at top" (iOS, limit 8)

F1. Turo — "View progress" (host onboarding), 2 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/18f8dd1d-911a-4ba5-813e-dc643afba87c - Indicator: continuous bar at top + "5 of 11" text + "View all steps" link; tapping reveals a 10-item checklist bottom sheet. - Starts above zero: YES — strongest endowed example in the sample. Checklist shows items 1-4 pre-checked (Your car, Profile photo, Mobile number, Driver's license) before the user does the "Your goals" step; header credits "5 of 11". - Framing: accumulated ("5 of 11"). No flip observed. Total disclosed (11). Checklist: 10 items, 4 pre-completed, reward = getting listed/earning trips (implied in copy "maximize your earnings"). - Multiple tracks: no. Celebration: no. Increment: n/a (2 preview screens).

F2. Evernote — Onboarding, 13 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/4f4d734f-364e-4506-917e-6a5a17fbadff - Indicator: thin continuous bar at top of quiz screens; separate circular percent ring on processing screen. - Starts above zero: YES (slightly) — first content screen ("Let's personalize your Evernote") shows the bar with a small filled head (~8-10%), not empty. - Notable: fake-work "Personalizing your experience" screen shows 40% in a percent ring while the header copy says "NEARLY THERE" — proximity framing decoupled from the literal number. Social proof (5-star review) shown during the wait. - Framing: bare bar → percent on processing screen (a soft flip: bar to percent-with-proximity-language). Total: hidden (no numbers on bar). - Multiple tracks: YES-ish — top bar + a fresh 0-100% percent ring for the "personalizing" stage; the ring starts at 0 for that stage. - Post-onboarding home shows a "Complete your setup" card (checklist continuation pattern).

F3. Brilliant — Onboarding, 14 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/20ad012b-2683-4c0c-beb8-8ff62c6f509e - Indicator: continuous green bar at top of every quiz screen, no numbers. - Starts above zero: YES (small) — first question shows a filled nub (~8%), not an empty track. - Framing: bare bar. Flip: no. Total: hidden (no step numbers anywhere). Increment: roughly uniform per question, from previews (~8% → ~33% → ~60%). - Bar disappears at the signup screen (account creation sits outside the tracked quiz). Celebration: none in previews. Skip: none visible.

F4. Ahead — "Completing account setup", 22 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/3ae2e6e9-0ad0-4cf8-b496-e511d37d9939 - Indicator: thin continuous purple bar at top on most quiz screens; some emotional-question screens drop the bar entirely. - Starts above zero: not clearly (first screen "Let's personalize Ahead" has no bar; early bar states not in previews). - Celebration: YES — explicit mid-flow milestone: mascot bubble "Halfway to your results!" on a "Did you know?" interstitial at ~50% bar. - Framing: bare bar; the milestone copy is proximity/accumulated-flavored ("halfway to your results" = destination-framed). Total: hidden. Flip: no numeric flip, but copy shifts from generic to destination-oriented mid-flow. - Ends with "Pick your journeys" (recommendations positioned as the earned result) then personalized "Welcome aboard, Alex!".

F5. Duolingo — Onboarding, 20 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/b0b4f93f-5637-46ec-9d77-49ecda6b991d - Indicator: continuous green bar, no numbers, mascot commentary alongside. - Starts above zero: YES (small) — first question ("What would you like to learn?") shows a filled green dot/nub at the bar's start. - Framing: bare bar. Total: hidden. Increment: roughly uniform across question screens in previews. - Skip affordances: "NOT NOW" on the widget upsell — optional steps embedded in the tracked flow. - Endowment outside the bar: "Since you know a few words, let's start at Score 10!" — explicit endowed-progress credit in the product's scoring system based on placement answers. Textbook never-start-at-zero, applied to the learner score rather than the bar.

F6. Wise — Onboarding, 7 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/8853035c-aba6-493c-81bf-bb06d2f4f0fc - Indicator: ambiguous — a thin dark rule at top of the landing screen could be a full-width progress bar or brand element; no unambiguous progress UI in the preview screens (splash → art → landing → auth). Coding as none visible. - All endowment/framing dimensions: n/a. Honest note: previews are evenly spaced; a bar may exist on unsampled screens.

F7. Qonto — Onboarding (business bank), 12 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/c9797b0d-91f0-45ec-91fc-4fa0c87bf9a5 - Indicator: none visible in previews (signup, email code, branching question). - Notable qualitative: "Where are you in your business setup?" with options like "Your business is already registered" — routes users by crediting work already done outside the app. Endowment as flow-branching rather than as a bar.

F8. Blinkist — Onboarding, 17 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/a9e95e3d-961b-422b-b217-d3fe6fe34e0f - Indicator: continuous green bar + "STEP X OF Y" text label. - Starts above zero: YES — "STEP 1 OF 4" screen shows the bar already ~20-25% filled (current step counted as progress). - Framing: accumulated ("Step 1 of 4"). Flip: no. Total disclosed (4 — deliberately small disclosed count for a longer real flow). Skip: "Skip" link on Step 4 (content-preference step); flow proceeds regardless. - Endowed timeline: free-trial explainer shows a 3-milestone timeline with "Today – Free trial starts" already checked green — the first node pre-completed at the moment of viewing. - Post-onboarding home: "Set a weekly learning goal" nudge (setup continuation).

Search 2 — search_flows: "account setup with step indicator" (iOS, limit 7)

F9. Monarch — "Account setup" (getting-started widget), 9 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/728228f9-42d8-4b77-b437-c5623fba5754 - Indicator: segmented bar (4 segments) + 4-item checklist in a dashboard "GETTING STARTED" widget ("Jane, let's finish setting up your account"). - Starts above zero: YES — segment 1 filled with a checkmark; checklist item "Add an account" already struck through/checked (work done during signup is credited). 3 of 4 items remain. - Framing: accumulated (visual — 1 of 4 segments lit). Copy is completion-oriented ("let's FINISH setting up" — remaining-flavored verb with credited progress). Total disclosed (4 items). Skip: "Hide this widget" dismiss link. - Checklist: 4 items, 1 pre-completed, reward implicit (working dashboard). Celebration: none.

F10. Monzo — "Setting up account", 25 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/ca350c6a-30fa-4d6f-950c-3e52e281e75c - Indicator: sectioned architecture — 4 named sections (About you / Your finances / Your account / Your identity), each with its own labeled mini-bar that starts near zero per section. Clearest example of stacked sequential tracks with per-stage cold starts in the sample. - Upfront: overview screen names all 4 sections + sets time expectation ("Each section should only take a couple of minutes"). Total sections disclosed; per-section length hidden (bare bars). - Multiple tracks: YES — "ABOUT YOU" bar ~60% → new "YOUR FINANCES" bar ~40% → new "YOUR ACCOUNT" bar ~15%; each section resets the bar. - Celebration: YES — "You're halfway there…" interstitial re-showing the 4 section cards with About you ✓, Your finances ✓, Your account ✓ and Identity remaining. Notable honesty quirk: 3 of 4 sections checked but copy says "halfway" — Monzo weights the remaining ID-verification work, decoupling milestone copy from section count. - Framing: accumulated (checked section cards). Starts above zero: no — overview begins with zero sections checked.

F11. Nutmeg — "Setting up account", 20 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/49238182-5ddc-4a85-8bb8-38e32b7c0a4e - Indicator: thin continuous green bar top-left under nav on form screens ("Identity information", "Tax residency", "Nationality"). - Starts above zero: YES (small) — bar shows a small filled head on the first "About you" form screen. - Framing: bare bar. Total: hidden. Increment: slow, roughly uniform, and the bar stays low across many preview screens — a long-feeling regulated KYC flow with minimal progress feedback (weak exemplar for pacing). - First screen ("What is your investing experience?") has no indicator at all; bar only appears once inside the form stack. Flip: no. Celebration: none in previews.

F12. Betterment — Onboarding, 20 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/bdb482aa-6d74-4083-8a5d-91e198cf95fa - Indicator: "X of Y" text only in the nav (no bar): "2 of 5" on password, "4 of 5" on phone. - Framing: accumulated numerals, but headline copy shifts to proximity language late in the flow: "Almost there. Next, we need your phone number." at 4 of 5 — the closest thing in the sample to the accumulated→remaining framing flip the research prescribes, done in copy rather than in the counter. - Total disclosed (5). Starts above zero: indeterminate (step 1 not in previews). Celebration: none. - Post-flow: dashboard "Finish setup — Investing: In progress" card = persistent resumable progress state.

F13. Minna Bank — Onboarding, 14 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/65e5a536-cfe0-4337-95d5-320ed383918a - Indicator: none visible in previews (terms → eKYC → wallet). - Notable: dedicated mid-flow completion screen "本人確認ができました" ("Identity verification complete") with celebratory OK! illustration — milestone acknowledgment without any progress meter.

F14. Monese — "Completing account setup questionnaire", 7 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/8d8c40df-0e61-4d79-8ccf-ca7a1571067c - Indicator: "Question X of 5" text only. Total disclosed (5). Framing: accumulated. - Length expectation set in time, not steps, upfront: "It won't take more than a minute!" - Starts above zero: no (intro screen has no indicator; no pre-credit observed). Celebration: none.

F15. Betterment — "Setting up an investing account", 25 screens (second Betterment flow; first screen overlaps F12's final dashboard screen — overlap noted, not double-counted) - https://mobbin.com/flows/5005ea54-7e75-4d35-9163-52f0de550297 - Indicator: none visible on preview screens (security questions, occupation, terms, "Accept & Finish"). - Notable: entered via the dashboard "Finish setup / In progress" card — setup continuation is tracked at the account level even though individual screens show no meter.

Search 3 — search_flows: "getting started checklist setup tasks" (iOS, limit 7)

F16. Discord — "Setting up a server", 8 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/1e336148-d3b1-4f31-a3f4-3b13286e95fa - Indicator: modal with circular progress ring + "You have completed 1 of 3 steps." + 3-item checklist (Invite your friends / Upload a Server Icon ✓ / Send your first message). - Starts above zero: YES — "1 of 3" credited at first view; the server-icon step done during creation is pre-checked. - Framing: accumulated ("completed 1 of 3"). Total disclosed (3 — deliberately tiny). Skip: explicit "Skip these steps" link. Celebration: none. Reward: none visible.

F17. Deel — "Completing basics setup", 11 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/a623167b-017b-443c-8544-2ee55c6451fc - Indicator: dashboard card "Complete your onboarding — 14% COMPLETED" with continuous bar; detail view has per-track mini-bars ("Set up basics" partially filled, "Deel HR" empty) + "Next steps" checklist with status chips. - Starts above zero: YES — 14% pre-credited; checklist shows "Create client account — DONE" and "Provide your company details — DONE" before the user has done anything in this surface; 2 of 4+ items pre-completed. - Framing: percent (14% → 100% end state) + DONE/NOT STARTED chips (accumulated). Flip: no. - Multiple tracks: YES — parallel tracks, each with its own bar (basics / HR / payroll), rather than sequential resets. - Skip: "Skip integration for now" checkbox + Skip button on the Link-your-services step. Celebration: the 100% COMPLETED card state; no explicit congratulation screen in previews.

F18. Qonto — "Generating recommendations" (post-funding setup), 5 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/44aa4b78-800b-4eb2-9388-48593e428fde - Indicator: task-card checklist (recommendation cards with "Complete" buttons), no counter. - Starts above zero: YES in spirit — flow opens with a giant checkmark crediting finished work: "Money added. Now let's get the most out of your plan." - Framing: none numeric. Skip: "Not now", per-card X dismiss, "Not relevant? Update your goals". Goal-picker cards arrive with 2 of 4 pre-checked in the preview state.

F19. Coinbase — "Account setup checklist", 4 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/abbfdc52-c084-4574-83b2-cef0d6604b30 - Indicator: continuous bar (~60% filled) + "2 steps remaining" + checklist with "Account created ✓" and "Verify your info ✓" pre-checked, "You're almost there!" badge at top. - Starts above zero: YES — the canonical case. Two items credited for signup work before the user touches the checklist. - Framing: REMAINING ("2 steps remaining", "Remaining steps" section header) — the only pure remaining-count framing in the sample, used exactly where research says it belongs: near the end. Combined with endowed start = closest single match to the video's thesis. - Total: implied via remaining count. Reward visible: "Want to save on fees? Try Coinbase One", Explore cards after completion. Celebration: "You're almost there!" proximity badge.

F20. Linktree — "Completing setup checklist", 4 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/e8a1aab9-185f-4c4c-a414-6b7c46a400ce - Indicator: circular "17% set up" ring on profile → tapping opens "Your setup checklist 5/6" pill + purple bar (~83%) + 6-item checklist, 5 struck through. - Starts above zero: YES — 17% ring exists before user engages the checklist (name/bio etc. credited from signup). - Framing: FLIPS — percent ("17% set up") on the ambient badge → accumulated count ("5/6") inside the checklist. Only observed numeric-format flip in the flow sample. - Skip: per-item "Skip" button on "Customize your design". Celebration: YES — "You're all set!" party-icon modal with next-step CTA ("How to keep growing your traffic"). Total disclosed (6).

F21. Discord — "Getting started" (community member), 17 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/d67871e6-97a6-4888-add5-b22b44b97831 - Indicator: "Get Started 0/4" row + thin bar with only a sliver of green, atop the server channel list. - Starts above zero: NO — explicit counter-example: starts at 0/4. Member-side task list gives no credit for having joined the server. - Framing: accumulated. Total disclosed (4). Skip: passive (collapsible row; disappears when done). Celebration: none — row silently disappears on completion.

F22. Fi (smart collar) — "Getting started", 5 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/f00fa991-ae41-4d62-ad44-750c717a7ca2 - Indicator: dots (4-dot carousel) for pre-delivery education cards; no task progress UI. - Starts above zero: n/a. Notable: "Waiting for a delivery?" — onboarding content shown before the hardware arrives, with "Start setup" deferred CTA.

Search 4 — search_flows: "multi step form with progress steps" (iOS, limit 8)

Duplicates skipped: Monese questionnaire (= F14) and Monzo account setup (= F10) reappeared and were not re-counted.

F23. Chase UK — Onboarding, 31 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/76098976-5a5e-4d4a-ba47-0c46bfdae188 - Indicator: NONE on any previewed screen — one-question-per-screen (DOB, email, address, address history) with only a back arrow and "Help". - Notable counter-example: a 31-screen bank onboarding with totally hidden length and zero progress feedback. Length concealment taken to the extreme in a regulated flow. - All other dimensions: n/a (no indicator).

F24. Nutmeg — "Starting affordability check" (risk/pot setup), 10 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/c1f0d568-58af-4cca-b75a-77d47c05e54f - Indicator: thin green bar under the nav title on each stage; stage titles change (Risk assessment → Affordability check → Create a new pot) and the bar fill differs per stage (~90% → ~45% → ~65%), consistent with per-stage tracks that reset — coded as likely multiple sequential tracks (hedged; previews are sampled). - Framing: bare bar, hidden totals. Celebration: none. Ends at home showing "My Nutmeg pot — Risk 3/5" (result expressed as X of Y scale, not progress).

F25. Kraken — Onboarding, 10 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/77e1ecc1-229e-4ade-8387-61a1078ec203 - Indicator: continuous purple bar at top; on the early password screen it is already ~60-75% filled — heavily front-loaded fill during the short signup stage. - Mid-journey celebration/stage boundary: YES — "Account activated!" celebration screen, followed by copy announcing a NEW stage ("Now we'll ask you for information… to verify your identity") — a stacked-track boundary: signup track completes at 100%, identity verification starts as fresh work. - Framing: bare bar. Total: hidden. Starts above zero: indeterminate (first bar state not in previews).

F26. Grab Driver — "Completing registration", 8 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/daf3d277-0877-4f00-9708-8f06dce968c9 - Indicator: continuous green bar at top (~65% on previewed form screens). Framing: bare bar; total hidden. - "Save" + "Next" dual buttons = resumable long registration. Consents screen shows unchecked → all-checked states (user action, not pre-credit). Starts above zero: indeterminate (previews are mid-flow).

F27. Opendoor — "Get started" (home offer + closing), 19 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/c19fda64-5406-405f-91e5-b7c354ec7b21 - Indicator: in the "Closing guide": small continuous bar (~15%) + named stage labels ("Sign contract › Opendoor signs contract") + a "To do" checklist beneath. - Starts above zero: slightly (bar shows a filled head at the first stage). Framing: accumulated stage sequence. Total: partially disclosed via named stages. Marketing checkmark-lists appear earlier in the flow (checkmarks as persuasion, not progress).

F28. Wealthfront — "Verifying personal details", 8 screens - https://mobbin.com/flows/0cdb7b77-a971-4788-8d87-13e27ae92ac0 - Indicator: none — but framing carried entirely by copy: "Just a few more details to open your account" = verbal remaining-framing ("few MORE" implicitly credits everything already done) with no meter at all. - Total: hidden. Celebration: none in previews.

Search 5 — search_screens: "setup checklist with completed tasks checkmarks" (iOS, limit 12)

S1. Deel — "Deel HR / Next steps" checklist (state variant of F17's flow; not double-counted in flow tally) - https://mobbin.com/screens/9111bcbb-ed06-4eb8-ad6e-b174f77ae9fb - 5 items; in this state 4 are DONE, "Connect integrations — NOT STARTED". Per-track mini-bar above. Accumulated chips.

S2. Monzo (business) — section overview, late state - https://mobbin.com/screens/3bb2b0c6-eaa8-40d3-ae68-6d55e58bbebc - "Almost there, last section now…" with 3 of 4 section cards checked. Combined with F10's start ("couple of minutes each") and midpoint ("You're halfway there…"), Monzo's copy arc is the best in-the-wild example of accumulated-early → remaining/proximity-late framing progression — done in words above an accumulated visual.

S3. Lex — "You're on your way!" checklist - https://mobbin.com/screens/fec5309b-bbd1-4b8d-ae01-e4aba0d80d8d - "Complete two more steps." = explicit remaining-count framing. 3 of 5 items done; completed items are greyed, struck, and sorted to the bottom — remaining tasks float to top. Endowed state + remaining framing + visual de-emphasis of finished work.

S4. Cleo AI — "Builder is almost yours" - https://mobbin.com/screens/c80a9ae9-9e0f-40d9-827d-578b33a0fb1f - Numbered 5-step list; step 1 "Payment method added" pre-checked before user engages; steps 2-5 greyed with numerals. Proximity headline ("almost yours"). Total disclosed (5). Starts above zero: YES.

S5. Shopify — "Get ready to sell" store setup guide - https://mobbin.com/screens/daf8849c-fc23-41e2-8088-35141f4972d0 - "5 / 6 completed" pill + 6-item checklist, one remaining ("Set up Shopify Payments" — the monetization step is last). Accumulated framing. Reward adjacency: "$1/month" plan banner directly below.

S6. Qonto — "Set up your invoice" - https://mobbin.com/screens/7c8ebb46-41e8-471a-9829-9581c3586394 - 4-item checklist with 3 pre-completed by the system ("Numbering — your first invoice number will be F-2026-001", Business details, Customization). App did the work, then credited it to the user. Skip: "Skip and create invoice". Starts above zero: YES — strongest system-endowed example.

S7. N26 — "My status" account-opening stepper - https://mobbin.com/screens/65c01d50-1ebb-4859-a81e-5b8c6582a7d1 - Vertical 7-step timeline: 4 checked, current step highlighted, 2 pending. Total disclosed. Instructional copy is remaining-oriented ("Complete the following steps to open your bank account") over an accumulated visual. Resume/status hub for a long KYC journey.

S8. Linktree — setup checklist, earlier state "3/6" (state variant of F20) - https://mobbin.com/screens/ef2b7777-205e-4831-86bf-37ba007f2630 - "3/6" pill + half-filled bar; completed items struck; note "Share your Linktree" (item 6) already checked while items 3-5 remain — checklist is non-linear and credits whatever is done.

S9. Plum — "Get set up" - https://mobbin.com/screens/bdf284fa-4681-4835-94b8-e7792e6ca25d - Circular ring "4 of 5 Complete" + vertical list, 4 Done (""), one To-do — and the remaining item is educational content ("What is automated investing?") given checklist status. Accumulated framing. Starts above zero in shown state.

S10. Revolut — "Finish setting up" panel - https://mobbin.com/screens/b7e854b2-0356-4836-aa23-2359d6b78b32 - Circular ring "1/5" with "Verify your identity" already checked — signup work credited as the first checklist win. Remaining: Add money, Order card, Apple Wallet, Make 3 card payments (activation-metric tasks dressed as setup). Accumulated. Starts above zero: YES.

S11. Google Photos — "Unlock the power of Photos" - https://mobbin.com/screens/3924ad7c-13d4-445b-9a26-9cb6416481a4 - Bar + "3 of 3 unlocked" completed state; "unlocked" reward vocabulary instead of "completed". Accumulated.

S12. monday.com — dashboard "Finish setting up" - https://mobbin.com/screens/17658b1b-2a5e-4f8e-a4e9-dfcf1523cd7f - Circular "33% Completed" + checklist with "Create your first board" struck through (done during onboarding, credited here). Percent framing. Starts above zero: YES.

Search 6 — search_screens: "onboarding screen showing percent complete" (iOS, limit 12)

Duplicates skipped: Deel 100% dashboard state (in F17), Plum "Get set up" (= S9), Linktree "1/6" state (in F20's flow screens — earliest state confirms checklist starts at 1/6 with "Share your Linktree" pre-checked, i.e. above zero).

S13. BitePal — "Personalizing plan" 45% processing screen - https://mobbin.com/screens/586cacfe-40e9-422f-94f4-e4b0ae1fac7f - Circular 45% ring + itemized fake-work checklist beneath ("Analyzing your answers ✓", "Defining nutrient requirements" spinning, 2 pending) + 5-star review carousel. Percent framing; manufactured-progress pattern with a micro-checklist to make the wait legible.

S14. Origin — "Make the most of Origin" guide - https://mobbin.com/screens/b524a06c-8757-4348-ac5c-e0708e564150 - Ring "1/4" + 4-item list; "Link your accounts" already struck-through at the bottom — done during onboarding, credited here, and completed items sink below active ones. Starts above zero: YES. Accumulated.

S15. Zopa Bank — "Check and complete your account details" - https://mobbin.com/screens/b4382d24-6ee8-43f0-b87d-de4c91b0282c - Node-and-track stepper (4 dots, 2nd active, ~50% filled). Credit-card details pre-filled from the credit bureau ("AMEX GROUP — £456.00 balance… Edit") — the system completed the step and asks only for confirmation. Endowment via pre-filled data. Total disclosed visually (4 nodes, unnumbered).

S16. Citizen — Premium "Let's Get Started" - https://mobbin.com/screens/ecbb3004-9531-4bde-a696-32cb51b4f288 - Large ring gauge ("33 — MY PROTECTION CIRCLE" score) + "To-Do 1/3 completed" list. Starts above zero: YES (1/3 pre-credited). Score-meter + accumulated task count on the same screen.

S17. Recime — quiz affirmation interstitial - https://mobbin.com/screens/1584976f-68d2-486e-a643-edb6c33c373a - Thin continuous bar (~20%), hidden total. "That's great! 92% of users report…" — the percent on screen is social proof, not progress; motivational milestone between questions.

S18. Strava — "You've joined the world's largest team!" checklist - https://mobbin.com/screens/987b88a5-3b61-4a7b-9b79-744167fc9320 - Segmented bar + "0/4" + 4 tasks (incl. sub-count "Follow three people (0/3)"). Explicit zero-start counter-example — headline says you've already joined the team, but the meter credits nothing for signing up. Skip affordance: "I don't have one" on Connect a device.

S19. Liven — quiz milestone screen - https://mobbin.com/screens/ff056604-fd54-4c1a-a4f4-f898e14083fa - Continuous bar ~35%, hidden total; trophy + "Alex Smith, you are in the right place!" + "2,3M+ people" social proof. Personalized mid-flow celebration screen inside a personalization quiz.

S20. Pangea — "Add the countries you've been!" - https://mobbin.com/screens/b2cdd012-a028-4ff6-a934-1eb69eac63eb - Dashed segmented step indicator (segment near the end highlighted); count visible as dashes but unnumbered. Late-flow content step.

S21. MyFitnessPal — "How much change are you ready for?" - https://mobbin.com/screens/75eac263-eb05-46ac-9a46-978b6171e49a - 3-segment sectioned bar (segment 1 full, segment 2 partial) — quiz split into phases, each segment fills within itself; segment count discloses rough length without numbers. Shows an aspirational projection chart as motivation.

Tally

Sample: 28 unique flows + 19 unique screens (2 additional screens were state-variants of sampled flows and inform state notes but are not double-counted; 4 duplicate search hits excluded). Total n = 47 unique items across 40 apps.

Findings (prose)

1. Endowed starts are the norm in the wild, not a growth-hack rarity. 87% (20/23) of items whose time-zero state could be determined start the user above zero. It comes in two distinct species: a cosmetic "nub" of pre-fill on quiz bars (Duolingo, Brilliant, Evernote, Nutmeg, Blinkist), and substantive pre-credit on setup checklists — 81% of checklists (13/16) arrive with at least one item already checked, crediting signup work ("Account created ✓" at Coinbase, "Verify your identity ✓" at Revolut) or work the system did for the user (Qonto writes your first invoice number, Zopa pre-fills your card details from the credit bureau).
2. Nobody flips the counter — but the best flows flip the copy. The research says to switch from accumulated to remaining framing past the midpoint. No app in the sample changes a single counter's format mid-flow. Instead, the flip happens at the layer above: Monzo runs "couple of minutes each" → "You're halfway there…" → "Almost there, last section now…" over an accumulated visual; Betterment pairs "4 of 5" with "Almost there." And the only two pure remaining-count surfaces (Coinbase "2 steps remaining", Lex "Complete two more steps") are late-stage surfaces — the industry has converged on the prescribed behavior by dividing it across surfaces rather than animating one widget.
3. Duolingo does endowment twice — once as decoration, once for real. The onboarding bar starts with a token nub, but the meaningful endowment is "Since you know a few words, let's start at Score 10!" — crediting the learner's existing knowledge in the product's scoring system. The strongest endowed-progress moves in the sample credit real prior work (Turo's 4 pre-checked host steps, Qonto's "Money added ✓"), not fake bar pixels.
4. Bar resets exist and cluster around identity verification. 14% of flows stack sequential tracks. The boundary is almost always KYC: Kraken celebrates "Account activated!" then opens a fresh identity stage; Monzo's fourth section (identity) gets its own bar and its own dread. Monzo also quietly demonstrates the cold-start cost the research predicts — its "halfway there" copy at 3-of-4 sections done implicitly admits the last bar is the heaviest.
5. Hidden length is the quiz strategy; disclosed length is the checklist strategy. 63% of continuous-bar items show no numbers, and every long personalization quiz (Duolingo ~20 screens, Brilliant 14, Ahead 22, Liven, Recime) hides its total, sprinkling affirmation interstitials instead. Checklists do the opposite: median 5 items, count always visible. Chase UK is the extreme outlier — 31 screens of one-question-per-screen bank onboarding with no progress signal of any kind.
6. Milestone copy is calibrated to effort, not arithmetic. Evernote's ring says "NEARLY THERE" at 40%; Monzo says "halfway" at 3 sections of 4. Apps bend proximity language toward remaining effort (or pure motivation) rather than remaining screen-count — a small-area/framing manipulation hiding in plain copy.
7. Setup checklists are activation funnels wearing a productivity costume. Revolut's list ends in "Make 3 card payments," Shopify saves "Set up Shopify Payments" for last, Plum inserts an education card as a checkable task, Monarch's "Hide this widget" is the only honest exit. The completion reward, where visible, is the paywall (Shopify's $1/mo banner sits directly under "5/6 completed").
8. Two apps sort completed items to the bottom (Lex, Origin) — visually shrinking the done pile and enlarging what remains, the inverse of endowment and consistent with late-stage remaining-focus. Lex pairs it with the sample's cleanest remaining framing: "Complete two more steps."

Per-app verdicts (10 most instructive)

Exemplars

Strong (3): 1. Coinbase — Account setup checklist: https://mobbin.com/flows/abbfdc52-c084-4574-83b2-cef0d6604b30 (endowed start + remaining framing late + visible reward) 2. Turo — host "View progress": https://mobbin.com/flows/18f8dd1d-911a-4ba5-813e-dc643afba87c (bar + "5 of 11" + checklist with 4 pre-checked, total disclosed) 3. Qonto — "Set up your invoice": https://mobbin.com/screens/7c8ebb46-41e8-471a-9829-9581c3586394 (system does the work, credits the user, 3 of 4 pre-completed)

Weak (2): 1. Chase UK — Onboarding: https://mobbin.com/flows/76098976-5a5e-4d4a-ba47-0c46bfdae188 (31 screens, no indicator, no length signal) 2. Strava — getting-started checklist: https://mobbin.com/screens/987b88a5-3b61-4a7b-9b79-744167fc9320 (0/4 start directly beneath copy claiming membership already achieved)

Methodology note (honest limitations)

• Preview sampling: search_flows returns evenly-spaced preview screens, not every screen. First-screen bar states (the critical "does it start at zero" frame) were directly visible for some flows and indeterminate for others; the 87% endowed-start figure uses only the 23 items where the time-zero state was determinable, and the true base rate across all 47 items could be lower. Increment-pattern judgments (uniform/front/back-loaded) rest on 2-4 sampled bar states per flow.
• Selection bias: all six queries asked for progress UI, so this sample cannot estimate how common progress indicators are in onboarding generally; the 79%-of-flows figure is "among flows Mobbin's search considers relevant to progress-indicator queries." Checklist searches oversample fintech and SaaS.
• Static images: framing flips, bar animation, skip behavior, and celebration timing can only be observed where the sampled stills happen to capture both states; absence of evidence in previews is coded as "not observed," not "absent."
• Dedup: IDs tracked across all six searches; 4 duplicate hits and 2 state-variant screens excluded from counts.
• iOS only; captures reflect app versions at Mobbin's crawl dates (2024-2026).