[Due for payment 2026-08-05] [$250] Reorder onboarding steps: feature selection before accounting integration

[MelvinBot]

Problem

During onboarding, some "manage my team" users select None in the Accounting integration step, then later toggle Accounting back on in the feature selection step (since it shows as disabled after choosing None). The current step order (Accounting first, then feature selection) leads to confusion because None logically reads as "none of these options, but I still use accounting."

Proposed Changes

1. Switch the order of onboarding steps: Show the feature selection step first, then the accounting integration list. This makes the flow go from broader functionality to more granular, reducing confusion.
2. If the user keeps Accounting enabled in feature selection, show the accounting integration options where:
   • Remove the None option
   • Make Other a free text input

Rationale

Users are selecting None instead of Other, then re-enabling accounting in the next step. Reordering the steps and cleaning up the options should reduce this friction.

Slack thread: https://expensify.slack.com/archives/C07HPDRELLD/p1776855884573059

Upwork Automation - Do Not Edit

• Upwork Job URL: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~022054850490363431325
• Upwork Job ID: 2054850490363431325
• Last Price Increase: 2026-05-14

Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @mallenexpensify

[dylanexpensify]

@MelvinBot propose how you'd implement this.

[MelvinBot]

Proposal

What is the root cause of that problem?

The onboarding step order for "manage my team" users is defined in getOnboardingStepCounter.ts:42 as EMPLOYEES → ACCOUNTING → INTERESTED_FEATURES. This puts accounting integration selection before feature selection, so users see "None" and pick it (thinking "none of these"), then later re-enable Accounting in the feature toggle step. The same order also appears for VSB/SMB qualifier flows at line 55-56.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

1. Swap step order in getOnboardingStepCounter.ts:

• Change MANAGE_TEAM to [EMPLOYEES, INTERESTED_FEATURES, ACCOUNTING]
• Apply the same swap to the VSB and SMB qualifier flows on lines 55-56

2. Update hardcoded navigation in the continue handlers:

• BaseOnboardingEmployees.tsx:74: Navigate to ONBOARDING_INTERESTED_FEATURES instead of ONBOARDING_ACCOUNTING
• BaseOnboardingInterestedFeatures.tsx: Navigate to ONBOARDING_ACCOUNTING instead of completing onboarding (when Accounting feature is enabled)
• BaseOnboardingAccounting.tsx:191: Navigate to the completion/workspace flow instead of ONBOARDING_INTERESTED_FEATURES

3. Conditionally show the Accounting step: If the user disables Accounting in feature selection, skip the Accounting step entirely.

4. Remove the "None" option from BaseOnboardingAccounting.tsx:149-162 — delete the noneAccountingOption object and remove it from the returned array at line 179.

5. Convert "Other" to a free text input: Replace the static "Other" option at BaseOnboardingAccounting.tsx:164-177 with a selectable option that, when selected, reveals a TextInput for the user to type their accounting tool name. Store the typed value (instead of the string 'other') via setOnboardingUserReportedIntegration.

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

An alternative is to keep the step order the same but just remove "None" — however, this doesn't address the broader UX confusion of asking for a specific integration before asking whether the user even wants accounting enabled. Swapping the order makes the flow logically progressive (broad feature selection → specific integration) and naturally eliminates the need for "None."

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Next Steps for Contributor+ team: Reply with @MelvinBot implement this to create a draft PR, @MelvinBot <your feedback> to refine this analysis, or explain why you are rejecting Melvin's proposal.

[melvin-bot]

@dylanexpensify Uh oh! This issue is overdue by 2 days. Don't forget to update your issues!

[dylanexpensify]

Moving forward this week!

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to Contributor-plus team member for initial proposal review - @parasharrajat (External)