Launchpads are in-app content centers (also known as resource centers or help widgets) that give your users on-demand access to guides, links, and support content. Use Launchpads to surface the right help at the right time — without interrupting your users' workflow.

A Launchpad appears as an icon (floating or inline) in your app. When a user clicks it, a panel opens with the content you've configured.

When to use Launchpads

• Self-service support: Surface help articles, FAQs, and links to your knowledge base so users can find answers without filing a ticket.
• On-demand onboarding: Let users replay onboarding Flows or discover features at their own pace.
• In-app announcements: Share product updates, release notes, or links to blog posts and change logs.
• Contextual guidance: Show different Flows and links on different pages based on where the user is in your app.

How Launchpads work

A Launchpad is made up of a beacon (the icon users click to open it) and a content panel that contains one or more content blocks.

Beacon placement

You choose how the beacon appears on the page:

• Floating: The icon sits on top of the page in a fixed corner position and stays visible as the user scrolls.
• Inline: The icon is embedded into your page's layout, positioned relative to a target element using a CSS selector. Use this when you want the Launchpad to feel native to your app's navigation.

Content blocks

Inside the content panel, you build your Launchpad using two types of blocks:

• Links block: A group of items that can either open an external URL (your blog, changelog, or support page) or trigger a published Flow. You can arrange items as a vertical list or a horizontal grid.
• Flow list block: A dynamically generated list of published Flows that the current user qualifies for. This list respects each Flow's audience targeting, so users only see Flows relevant to them.

Knowledge base search

You can enable search inside a Launchpad to let users search your knowledge base (Freshdesk, Helpjuice, or Zendesk) directly from your app. See Set up knowledge base search for setup instructions.

Checklist icon merging

If a user qualifies for both a Launchpad and a Checklist on the same page, and both icons would appear in the same location, Appcues automatically merges them into a single combined icon.

Launchpad targeting

Each Launchpad has its own page targeting (which URLs it appears on) and audience targeting (which users or segments see it). You configure both when you publish. See Target and publish a Launchpad for details.

Flows inside a Launchpad also respect their own audience and page targeting independently. A user only sees Flows they qualify for.

Common questions

Can I have more than one Launchpad?

Yes. You can create and publish multiple Launchpads. If a user qualifies for more than one at the same time, all of them display simultaneously.

Do Flows automatically appear in a Launchpad?

No. You need to explicitly enable each Flow to show in a Launchpad from that Flow's settings page. See Target and publish a Launchpad for steps.

Do Flows in a Launchpad respect audience targeting?

Yes. Flows in the Flow list block only appear to users who meet the Flow's own audience targeting rules. Flows added as items in a Links block are always displayed regardless of targeting.

Can I show a Flow only through the Launchpad and never by landing on a page?

Yes. Set the Flow's trigger to Only manually in its trigger settings. The Flow will only launch when a user clicks it inside the Launchpad.

Can I localize a Launchpad for different languages?

Yes. Launchpads support localization. You can translate your Launchpad content to serve users in different languages. See Localization for setup instructions.

Legacy Launchpad (v1)

Launchpads replace the legacy Launchpad pattern, which required developer installation and was limited to Growth plans and above. If you previously used the legacy Launchpad, you need to remove the legacy code from your app to prevent both versions from appearing to your users.