Simon Willison's Weblog: registration

Instapaper requiring email and passwords for new accounts

2010-12-15T20:35:00+00:00

Instapaper requiring email and passwords for new accounts

Instapaper are changing from their novel “enter a username or email address, only enter a password if you really want one” registration scheme to a more traditional email and password required model. Messing with registration forms is a risky business—in this case, the non-obvious support issues that resulted were a net negative.

Tags: forms, instapaper, registration, usability, recovered

Stack Overflow Blog: OpenID, One Year Later

2010-04-14T20:46:02+00:00

Stack Overflow Blog: OpenID, One Year Later

Google’s support is a huge deal—61% of Stack Overflow accounts use Google. Google’s implementation of directed identity has caused problems though, since Google provide a different OpenID for each domain making it hard for Stack Overflow, Server Fault and Super User to correlate accounts. Their solution is to require a (verified) e-mail address from Google OpenID users using sreg and use that as a key for the accounts.

Tags: directedidentity, email, google, login, openid, registration, sreg, stackoverflow

Quoting Bruce Tognazzini

2009-11-05T19:22:15+00:00

If you are demanding registration before checkout, you need to cease this practice immediately. It is costing you a fortune.

— Bruce Tognazzini

Tags: bruce-tognazzini, information-architecture, login, registration, signup

Want Proof OpenID Can Succeed? Just Scroll Down

2009-01-16T12:16:03+00:00

Want Proof OpenID Can Succeed? Just Scroll Down

“It’s easier for blogs, which don’t need a lot of demographic information about a user, to let people jump in and start participating socially without filling out a registration form.” Aargh. Repeat after me: supporting OpenID does not mean you can’t require additional registration details through a signup form.

Tags: openid, registration, wired

8 More Design Mistakes with Account Sign-in

2008-01-17T16:35:38+00:00

8 More Design Mistakes with Account Sign-in

Second of a two part series by Jared Spool. I agree with all of them with the possible exception of #15 which advocates providing a non-email password recovery solution. Security “questions” are usually dreadfully insecure, and introduce the need to lock users out of their accounts after just a few tries.

Via Account Sign-in: 8 Design Mistakes

Tags: design, jared-spool, registration, security, signin, usability