Google Chat’s tour is the simplest you’ll ever see

Google Chat uses one of the shortest product tours around. At the time of the recording, three cards appear one after another over a dimmed screen, each pointing at a part of the sidebar: "Find and start chats", "Do more as a group" (spaces, group tasks and shared files) and "Talk face-to-face" (video calls). Each card has an animated illustration, one sentence, step dots and a Next or Done button. Once the tour ends, a separate blue tooltip by the message box points out Google Workspace tools ("Share Drive files, send calendar invites and more") with an OK button.

Why it works

• Short and simple: Google Chat has few areas to explain, so the tour is three steps of one sentence each. It shows you where things are and leaves the rest for you to explore.
• Visual aid and dimming: the animated illustrations give each card something to look at, and the dimmed background keeps attention on the card while it's open.
• Contextual where it counts: the Workspace tools tip is held back from the tour and shown by the message box, where you'll use those tools once you start chatting.

More on this pattern: how to create a product tour and onboarding tours.