It sounds harmless. Polite, even.
“Maybe Later” — the soft opt-out on your modal, onboarding flow, or product tour. A UX safety valve. A peace offering to the anxious user.
But here’s the problem: “Maybe Later” almost always means “Never.”
And worse — it trains users to avoid learning your product at the very moment they most need help.
This post isn’t a rant. It’s a teardown.
Of why defer buttons do damage. Of how they quietly sabotage product clarity. And of what better design patterns look like — especially for SaaS teams juggling activation, education, and growth.
Let’s break it down.
What ‘Maybe Later’ Is Actually Doing
When you give users a “Maybe Later” button, you’re doing at least three things — none of which are helping your product:
1. You’re making the user choose ignorance
You’re asking someone who just signed up, or just discovered a new feature, to decide whether they want to learn more — before they understand why it matters.
That’s like pausing a cooking tutorial after 30 seconds and asking: “Want to skip the part about the oven?”
They say yes, because they’re overwhelmed. But they pay for it later.
2. You’re deferring friction — not removing it
Every click they skip now becomes a bump later. The onboarding flow they dismissed reappears as support tickets. The feature they ignored turns into churn.
It’s delayed confusion. UX debt, wrapped in a friendly button.
3. You’re sending the message: “This isn’t important”
If it really mattered, you wouldn’t make it skippable. That’s what users learn, consciously or not.
The presence of a “Maybe Later” button devalues the thing you’re trying to promote. It’s the product saying, “We think this is kind of useful… but only if you feel like it.”
And most users don’t.
Why This Happens
So why do so many teams ship this pattern? Here’s the truth:
- It feels safer. No one wants to force users. We’ve all been burned by clunky onboarding and annoying popups.
- It feels polite. Letting people skip gives the illusion of control.
- It’s fast. It’s quicker to slap on a dismiss button than to think about why users hesitate in the first place.
And most importantly:
It gives PMs plausible deniability. “We offered education. They didn’t want it.”
But that’s not product thinking. That’s just UX outsourcing.
What the Research Says
Skipped onboarding hurts retention. According to a 2023 study by Appcues, users who completed product onboarding were 3.5x more likely to convert to paying customers than those who skipped it.
And yet? 43% of users dropped out of onboarding when given a skip or defer option.
The conclusion: the more optional your guidance feels, the less likely users are to take it — and the more likely they are to miss the product’s value.
Choice overload makes UX worse. UX research has consistently shown that too many options reduce decision quality (Iyengar & Lepper, 2000).
Adding defer buttons to modals or flows creates a false choice: “Would you like to succeed later, or stay lost now?”
Most users default to skipping. Not out of logic — but because skipping is cognitively easier.
First-time actions shape long-term habits. Behavioral design studies show that the first few sessions define user mental models.
If users start by opting out of guidance, they’re more likely to continue exploring in isolation — increasing frustration and dropout risk.
What to Do Instead
This isn’t a call for dark patterns or forced tours. It’s a push for clarity.
Here’s how to replace “Maybe Later” with something better:
1. Design guidance that feels native — not interruptive
Instead of one big welcome tour, weave onboarding into natural moments:
- Inline prompts
- Contextual help buttons
- Light overlays with clear skip logic — but no defer
If something matters, it should be present when it matters — not buried in a dismissible drawer.
2. Anchor learning to user goals, not features
Don’t teach “how to use filters.” Teach “how to find the right customer.”
Make guidance about outcomes, not mechanics. Then users want to engage.
3. Make skipping possible — but not painless
If someone insists on skipping, let them — but use friction to slow it down just enough to signal importance.
For example:
“Are you sure? This takes less than 30 seconds and helps you avoid common mistakes.”
That’s not coercion. That’s context.
4. Give them a ‘Come Back Later’ path — but make it visible
If users really aren’t ready, make sure they know where to find guidance later.
- Add a “Need help?” CTA to nav
- Keep walkthroughs accessible, not hidden behind support
- Show progress. Let users see what they’re skipping
Better Examples to Learn From
Linear — minimal, yet confident
Linear doesn’t do a heavy onboarding flow. It drops you into a focused, calm UI that lets the core flows speak for themselves.
Their hover prompts are minimal and almost never block the screen. And guess what? There’s no “Maybe Later.” Because there’s no interruptive bloat to defer.
Postmark — walkthrough with a point
Postmark introduces new users to its email API features using a progressive, tab-based walkthrough that highlights what you can do and what you should do first.
They don’t hide behind passive tips. They lead with intent — no defer buttons in sight.
Bad Example (Anonymised)
A well-known CRM tool launches a 6-step tour immediately after signup — with no explanation, poor copy, and a big “Skip All” in the corner. Most users click it. The result? A dashboard full of unfamiliar tabs, zero direction, and a support request the next day. Because it looked optional, they skipped it. Because it wasn’t optional, they got lost.
Final Thought
“Maybe Later” buttons feel harmless. They’re polite. Flexible. Non-committal.
But they’re also lazy.
They hide a deeper UX failure: the failure to design for hesitation.
Don’t nudge users into ambiguity. If something matters, help them do it — now.
Let go of the false comfort of deferral. If the product needs explaining, explain it clearly, quickly, and confidently.
And if you need help doing that? You know where to find us.