# Digital adoption platform

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{{Short description|Type of enterprise software}}A '''digital adoption platform''' ('''DAP'''), also known as '''digital adoption solution''',<ref name="gartner">{{cite news |last1=Hilbert |first1=Melissa |date=21 May 2019 |title=Increase Sales Productivity With Digital Adoption Solutions |url=https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3917086 |access-date=28 March 2022 |work=[Gartner](/source/Gartner) |language=en}}</ref> is an automated [software](/source/software) tool layered on top of an [enterprise application](/source/Enterprise_software) or digital product.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gartner |url=https://www.gartner.com/reviews/market/digital-adoption-platforms |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=Digital Adoption Platforms Reviews and Ratings}}</ref> A DAP is used to guide users in the flow of work with in-app assistance and just-in-time support, ultimately driving adoption. 

==Components==
A digital adoption platform is a software layer that operates between users and a digital application to guide and support application use. A DAP provides [automated](/source/Automation) in-app user guidance with the help of interactive [walkthroughs](/source/Software_walkthrough), step-by-step overlays, self-help menus, and contextual information as the user navigates through the application. DAP captures [user engagement](/source/user_engagement) and [workflow information](/source/Workflow_pattern) on the backend, which can then be accessed by the organization using [analytics](/source/analytics).<ref>{{cite news |title=Overlay technologies – opportunities and limits {{!}} insights. magazine |url=https://insights.tt-s.com/en/overlay-technologies-opportunities-and-limits |access-date=28 March 2022 |work=insights.tt-s.com |language=en}}</ref>

== History ==
The origins of digital adoption platforms (DAPs) can be traced back to the early 1990s with [Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS)](/source/Electronic_performance_support_systems), designed to provide context-sensitive, on-the-job assistance and reduce reliance on traditional training. EPSS systems were mostly focused on ERP and banking applications due to their implementation complexity and the fact that most interfaces were not web-based.  

Unlike EPSS, modern DAPs offer seamless in-app overlays and interactivity leveraging the widespread use of [HTML](/source/HTML) based [SAAS](/source/Software_as_a_service) interfaces. The sector gained momentum in the early 2010s with [WalkMe](/source/WalkMe) (founded 2012 in Israel), which introduced no-code guidance, tooltips, and behavioral analytics across web applications. In the mid-2010s, a second wave emerged with platforms like Pendo, Whatfix, and Lemon Learning, offering multilingual support, easier deployment, and more focused on usage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lemon Learning : La solution intégrée aux outils dont vous rêviez pour adopter la Digital Workplace |url=https://www.archimag.com/digital-workplace/2021/01/28/guides-interactifs-logiciel-digital-workplace |access-date=2025-07-18 |website=Archimag |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sawers |first=Paul |date=2021-11-11 |title=Digital adoption platform Pendo gets $110M secondary investment |url=https://venturebeat.com/apps/digital-adoption-platform-pendo-gets-110m/ |access-date=2025-07-18 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2013, [Toonimo](/source/Toonimo), a DAP, was launched to guide users through websites.

Today, digital adoption platforms infuse AI into their products, providing contextual guidance that adapts based on user input, role, or behavior.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Srinivasan |first=Vasupradha |date=2025-04-29 |title=Agentic AI Strengthens Digital Adoption Platform Offerings |url=https://www.forrester.com/blogs/agentic-ai-strengthens-digital-adoption-platform-dap-offerings/ |access-date=2025-07-18 |website=Forrester |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Use cases==

=== Employee onboarding ===
DAP helps new employees learn how to use the application on the job while they complete tasks using real-time, in-app guidance.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sundarason |first=Raj |title=The DAP Strategy: A New Way of Working to De-Risk & Accelerate Your Digital Transformation |publisher=Dap Publishing Pte Limited |year=2021 |isbn=9789811816499 |publication-date=October 27, 2021}}</ref> DAP can also be considered when an application is newly introduced, upgraded, or consolidated. Customized and contextual [automated support](/source/Automated_decision_support) provided by a DAP reduces manual support and offline training dependency.<ref>{{cite news |title=Adding a digital adoption platform for enterprise software users: What you need to know |url=https://msdynamicsworld.com/story/adding-digital-adoption-platform-enterprise-software-users-what-you-need-know |access-date=28 March 2022 |work=MSDynamicsWorld.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Digital Adoption Platform is essential to the new way of working |url=https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/digital-adoption-platform-is-essential-to-the-new-way-of-working-71628387527546.html |access-date=28 March 2022 |work=[Hindustan Times](/source/Hindustan_Times) |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Alex |first1=Moira |title=How digital adoption solutions will improve employee usage, engagement, and productivity in 2021 |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-digital-adoption-solutions-das-will-improve-employee-usage-engagement-and-productivity-in-2021/ |access-date=28 March 2022 |work=[TechRepublic](/source/TechRepublic) |date=8 January 2021}}</ref>
 
The organization can obtain insights into the effectiveness and efficiency of its application ecosystem, enabling it to understand and fix the shortcomings in its workflows.<ref>{{cite news |title=Five must-known learnings from The Digital Adoption Drive report |url=https://www.unleash.ai/digital-adoption/five-must-known-learnings-from-the-digital-adoption-drive-report/ |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=UNLEASH |date=11 August 2022}}</ref> Businesses can identify application components resulting in sub-optimal employee experience and low [productivity](/source/productivity) and then make the necessary reconfiguration or decide on further employee training. Usage of DAP has reportedly increased user retention and engagement rate, [product adoption](/source/Consumer_behaviour), and [return on investment](/source/return_on_investment) on internal applications.<ref name="gartner" /><ref>{{cite news |date=19 March 2021 |title=How Digital Adoption Platform Helps in Digital Transformation |url=https://www.expresscomputer.in/tech-pulse/how-digital-adoption-platform-helps-in-digital-transformation/73966/ |access-date=28 March 2022 |work=[Express Computer](/source/Express_Computer)}}</ref>

=== User onboarding ===
DAP helps new users of a digital product to achieve their [Aha moment](/source/Aha_moment) and help them get their job done (see [Jobs to be done](/source/Jobs_to_be_done) framework), using active guiding methods (such as Guided Product Walkthrough, User Onboarding Checklist) or passive guided methods (such as Hotspot Beacons).

The [Return on investment](/source/Return_on_investment) is on increased [Customer retention](/source/Customer_retention). On mobile applications, customer retention rate goes down to around 3% after 30 days post-installation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-19 |title=5 Tips on Reducing the Customer Churn Rate with an Effective Onboarding Process |url=https://blog.usetiful.com/2020/12/5-tips-on-reducing-customer-churn-rate.html |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=Usetiful Blog}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ceci |first=Laura |date=January 2024 |title=Retention rate on day 30 of mobile app installs worldwide in 3rd quarter 2023, by category |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/259329/ios-and-android-app-user-retention-rate/ |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=Statista}}</ref> Nearly 25% users will abandon a mobile application after using it just once.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chapin |first=Bree |title=First Impressions: A Guide to Onboarding UX |url=https://www.toptal.com/designers/product-design/guide-to-onboarding-ux |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=Toptal}}</ref> This is an issue because there is a direct link between profitability of a company and the user churn rate.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aurélie_1, Lemmens_2 |first=Lemmens_1, Gupta_2 |title=Managing Churn to Maximize Profits |url=https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/14-020_2d6c9da0-94d3-4dd5-9952-d81feb432f61.pdf |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=Harvard Business School}}</ref>

==Challenges==

=== Segmentation ===
Different employees of an organization may have different levels of experience in using enterprise software. The DAP, therefore, needs to deliver targeted and [segmented](/source/Market_segmentation) guidance to ensure that the [user experience](/source/user_experience) does not get impacted by excessive or inadequate guidance information.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lepofsky |first1=Alan |title=Digital Adoption Platforms |url=https://www.constellationr.com/research/digital-adoption-platforms |date=12 May 2017 |publisher=Constellation Research |access-date=17 April 2022}}</ref>
 

==See also==
*[Digital transformation](/source/Digital_transformation)
*[User activity monitoring](/source/User_activity_monitoring)
*[Robotic process automation](/source/Robotic_process_automation)
*[Electronic performance support systems](/source/Electronic_performance_support_systems)
*[Web log analysis software](/source/Web_log_analysis_software)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.walkme.com/glossary/ Glossary of digital adoption terms]
*[https://eupnea.co.uk/digital-adoption-a-vital-step-in-business-transformation-to-achieve-higher-for-your-business/ Digital Adoption for Business Transformation]

Category:Business software
Category:Educational technology

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Digital adoption platform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_adoption_platform) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_adoption_platform?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.