Having to onboard is an issue in itself. Ultimately it would be perfect if anyone outside of the block chain community could create an account and hit the ground running.

Instead of the white paper being the only source of information for how steemit works there should be a video that explains the main points in layman's terms (this may exist already?). Another hurdle for new users is learning the Markdown formatting system, which is better than raw HTML, but both provide a challenge for the average Joe who wants to start writing immediately.

For those reasons I have never even considered introducing steemit to my circle of friends and family because none of them even know what blockchain is. Steemit will remain a niche product unless it evolves to be more user friendly for the masses.

BTW while I am fan of the alternative interfaces like @SteemPeak I think it makes zero sense that we end up marketing to users to join steemit to then redirect them to a different interface because steemit's is sub par. Not the best first impression.