diff --git a/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/welcome_screen/example_page.rs b/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/welcome_screen/example_page.rs
index 8bcd4ed2f599..aa3e3c479580 100644
--- a/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/welcome_screen/example_page.rs
+++ b/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/welcome_screen/example_page.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use super::WelcomeScreenResponse;
 use egui::load::TexturePoll;
 use egui::{NumExt, TextureOptions, Ui};
 use re_log_types::LogMsg;
@@ -105,7 +106,7 @@ impl ExamplePage {
         ui: &mut egui::Ui,
         rx: &re_smart_channel::ReceiveSet<re_log_types::LogMsg>,
         command_sender: &re_viewer_context::CommandSender,
-    ) {
+    ) -> WelcomeScreenResponse {
         let mut margin = egui::Margin::same(MARGINS);
         margin.bottom = MARGINS - ROW_VSPACE;
         egui::Frame {
@@ -232,6 +233,8 @@ impl ExamplePage {
                 });
             });
         });
+
+        WelcomeScreenResponse::default()
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/welcome_screen/mod.rs b/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/welcome_screen/mod.rs
index 0c644e1e36a8..6b44c9149788 100644
--- a/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/welcome_screen/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/welcome_screen/mod.rs
@@ -22,6 +22,12 @@ pub struct WelcomeScreen {
     example_page: example_page::ExamplePage,
 }
 
+#[derive(Default)]
+#[must_use]
+pub(super) struct WelcomeScreenResponse {
+    pub go_to_example_page: bool,
+}
+
 impl Default for WelcomeScreen {
     fn default() -> Self {
         Self {
@@ -66,17 +72,18 @@ impl WelcomeScreen {
         // TODO(ab): figure out why that happens
         ui.set_clip_rect(ui.available_rect_before_wrap());
 
-        egui::ScrollArea::vertical()
+        let response: WelcomeScreenResponse = egui::ScrollArea::vertical()
             .id_source(("welcome_screen_page", &self.current_page))
             .auto_shrink([false, false])
             .show(ui, |ui| match self.current_page {
-                WelcomeScreenPage::Welcome => {
-                    if welcome_page_ui(re_ui, ui, rx, command_sender) {
-                        self.current_page = WelcomeScreenPage::Examples;
-                    }
-                }
+                WelcomeScreenPage::Welcome => welcome_page_ui(re_ui, ui, rx, command_sender),
                 WelcomeScreenPage::Examples => self.example_page.ui(ui, rx, command_sender),
-            });
+            })
+            .inner;
+
+        if response.go_to_example_page {
+            self.current_page = WelcomeScreenPage::Examples;
+        }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/welcome_screen/welcome_page.rs b/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/welcome_screen/welcome_page.rs
index f24ecf30dcc0..4050e964b810 100644
--- a/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/welcome_screen/welcome_page.rs
+++ b/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/welcome_screen/welcome_page.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use super::{large_text_button, status_strings, url_large_text_button};
+use super::{large_text_button, status_strings, url_large_text_button, WelcomeScreenResponse};
 use egui::{NumExt, Ui};
 use re_log_types::LogMsg;
 use re_smart_channel::ReceiveSet;
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ pub(super) fn welcome_page_ui(
     ui: &mut egui::Ui,
     rx: &ReceiveSet<LogMsg>,
     command_sender: &re_viewer_context::CommandSender,
-) -> bool {
+) -> WelcomeScreenResponse {
     let mut margin = egui::Margin::same(40.0);
     margin.bottom = 0.0;
     egui::Frame {
@@ -25,9 +25,8 @@ pub(super) fn welcome_page_ui(
         ..Default::default()
     }
     .show(ui, |ui| {
-        let mut show_example = false;
         ui.vertical(|ui| {
-            show_example = onboarding_content_ui(re_ui, ui, command_sender);
+            let show_example = onboarding_content_ui(re_ui, ui, command_sender);
 
             for status_strings in status_strings(rx) {
                 if status_strings.long_term {
@@ -41,9 +40,10 @@ pub(super) fn welcome_page_ui(
                     });
                 }
             }
-        });
 
-        show_example
+            show_example
+        })
+        .inner
     })
     .inner
 }
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ fn onboarding_content_ui(
     re_ui: &ReUi,
     ui: &mut Ui,
     command_sender: &re_viewer_context::CommandSender,
-) -> bool {
+) -> WelcomeScreenResponse {
     // The panel data is stored in this ad hoc structure such that it can easily be iterated over
     // in chunks, to make the layout grid code simpler.
     let panels = [
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ fn onboarding_content_ui(
         .floor() as usize)
         .clamp(1, panels.len());
 
-    // disallow 3 columns
+    // we either display 4, 2, or a single column as 3 column would be ugly with 4 panels
     if column_count == 3 {
         column_count = 2;
     }
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ fn onboarding_content_ui(
                 let mut show_example = false;
 
                 for panels in panels.chunks(column_count) {
-                    if column_count == 4 {
+                    if column_count == panels.len() {
                         for panel in panels {
                             image_banner(re_ui, ui, panel.image, column_width);
                         }
@@ -183,12 +183,10 @@ fn onboarding_content_ui(
 
                     ui.end_row();
 
-                    for (idx, panel) in panels.iter().enumerate() {
+                    for panel in panels {
                         ui.vertical(|ui| {
-                            // don't let the text get too close to the right-hand content, if any
-                            if (idx + 1) % column_count != 0 {
-                                ui.set_max_width(column_width - 8.0);
-                            }
+                            // don't let the text get too close to the right-hand content
+                            ui.set_max_width(column_width - 8.0);
 
                             ui.label(
                                 egui::RichText::new(panel.title)
@@ -212,7 +210,10 @@ fn onboarding_content_ui(
 
                     ui.end_row();
                 }
-                show_example
+
+                WelcomeScreenResponse {
+                    go_to_example_page: show_example,
+                }
             })
             .inner
         })