Creating Onboarding Screens in Flutter Easily

Creating onboarding screens in Flutter is an essential part of app development, especially when you’re introducing users to a new mobile application. Onboarding screens help deliver key information, demonstrate features, or guide users through permissions and setup steps. In this guide, we’ll show you how to create onboarding screens in Flutter with a smooth user experience using PageView, custom widgets, and navigation logic.

Why Onboarding Screens Matter

Onboarding helps users understand the value of your app quickly. Instead of dropping users directly into the home screen, onboarding gives them a curated first impression, improving engagement and retention. For mobile apps, onboarding can also reduce churn by highlighting core benefits early on.

Key Components for Onboarding in Flutter

To create onboarding screens in Flutter, you’ll typically need the following:

1. PageView Widget: Allows users to swipe between pages.
2. Dot Indicators: Visually show progress between onboarding pages.
3. Skip and Next Buttons: Let users control their navigation.
4. Navigation to Main App: Transition to home screen or login after onboarding.

Let’s walk through a basic implementation.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Set Up Your Flutter Project

Create a new Flutter project by running:

flutter create onboarding_demo

Navigate into your project:

cd onboarding_demo

Step 2: Define the Onboarding Pages

You can use a simple List<Widget> to hold your pages. Each page can be a custom widget or a simple container with text and images.

final List<Widget> onboardingPages = [
  OnboardingPage(
    image: 'assets/image1.png',
    title: 'Welcome',
    description: 'Discover new features of our app!',
  ),
  OnboardingPage(
    image: 'assets/image2.png',
    title: 'Stay Connected',
    description: 'Connect and chat with your friends easily.',
  ),
  OnboardingPage(
    image: 'assets/image3.png',
    title: 'Get Started',
    description: 'Start using the app today!',
  ),
];

Step 3: Create a Custom OnboardingPage Widget

class OnboardingPage extends StatelessWidget {
  final String image;
  final String title;
  final String description;

  const OnboardingPage({
    required this.image,
    required this.title,
    required this.description,
  });

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Column(
      mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
      children: [
        Image.asset(image),
        SizedBox(height: 20),
        Text(title, style: TextStyle(fontSize: 24, fontWeight: FontWeight.bold)),
        SizedBox(height: 10),
        Padding(
          padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 30),
          child: Text(description, textAlign: TextAlign.center),
        ),
      ],
    );
  }
}

Step 4: Build the Onboarding Flow

Inside your main.dart, replace the default MyHomePage with your onboarding flow:

class OnboardingScreen extends StatefulWidget {
  @override
  _OnboardingScreenState createState() => _OnboardingScreenState();
}

class _OnboardingScreenState extends State<OnboardingScreen> {
  final PageController _pageController = PageController();
  int _currentPage = 0;

  void _onPageChanged(int index) {
    setState(() {
      _currentPage = index;
    });
  }

  void _goToHome() {
    Navigator.pushReplacement(
      context,
      MaterialPageRoute(builder: (_) => HomeScreen()),
    );
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      body: Stack(
        children: [
          PageView(
            controller: _pageController,
            onPageChanged: _onPageChanged,
            children: onboardingPages,
          ),
          Positioned(
            bottom: 30,
            left: 20,
            right: 20,
            child: Row(
              mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.spaceBetween,
              children: [
                TextButton(
                  child: Text('Skip'),
                  onPressed: _goToHome,
                ),
                Row(
                  children: List.generate(onboardingPages.length, (index) {
                    return Container(
                      margin: EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 3),
                      width: 10,
                      height: 10,
                      decoration: BoxDecoration(
                        shape: BoxShape.circle,
                        color: _currentPage == index ? Colors.blue : Colors.grey,
                      ),
                    );
                  }),
                ),
                TextButton(
                  child: Text(_currentPage == onboardingPages.length - 1 ? 'Done' : 'Next'),
                  onPressed: () {
                    if (_currentPage == onboardingPages.length - 1) {
                      _goToHome();
                    } else {
                      _pageController.nextPage(
                        duration: Duration(milliseconds: 300),
                        curve: Curves.ease,
                      );
                    }
                  },
                ),
              ],
            ),
          )
        ],
      ),
    );
  }
}

Step 5: Final Touch – HomeScreen Placeholder

Create a simple HomeScreen widget as the destination after onboarding.

class HomeScreen extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      body: Center(child: Text("Welcome to Home Screen")),
    );
  }
}

Useful Packages

To enhance the onboarding experience, you can explore packages like introduction_screen which offer built-in functionality for onboarding flows with animations and transitions.

With this setup, your Flutter app will have a fully functional onboarding experience that’s user-friendly, visually engaging, and highly customizable.