January 29, 2010 at 12:57Registration on the website. Pros, Cons, Pitfalls
After yesterday’s presentation of the search service for similar photos and an earlier presentation of the ideologue, I realized that a significant number of usabilists or service builders (I intentionally use the word service, not the site) did not realize one simple thing: users do not come to register, but to use the service.
I am sure that each of the readers was faced with a situation where, when switching from a search engine to a forum or service built on a common engine, he is asked to register to download the desired file or, even worse, read the search text.
Let's look at this scenario with a defining example. I am looking for HL2 Alyx Nude Modthrough Google. Google gives me a link to some forum. I go there, I see a post with a link to what I'm looking for, click on it ... And I get a message that I'm not registered and an offer to do it (+1 to Anger). I go to the registration form and see that there are 20 million required fields (+1000 to Anger). Having tormented myself with this form, I finally see that the registration is successful, but I still need to activate my account through a link in the mail. (+10 to Anger). Well, I’m activating the recording, now they ask me to enter with my username and password. (+100 to Anger and the feeling that I’m getting access not to the “another” forum, but to the ancient Mysteries) OK again, I’m entering. Oh, why did I come to this resource? Ah, download the file! And where he? Oops, I'm on the main page of the forum. (Anger has already exceeded the upper limit of unsigned integer and I am in a state of enlightenment). Ok, we go to the search engine and through it I again go to the forum. I click on the link to the file and ... 404 File Not Found ... FFFFFUUUUUUUUUU ...
By the way, evaluate how many letters it took to describe what should fit into the phrase "Clicked on the link - the download started."
Yes, of course this is the most egregious example, but its parts are constantly found on different services. If you think it should be so, then ask yourself why you are doing this.
- Save a user base to brag about? 90% are just dead souls who visited the site once for something specific and will never return again. Unnecessary entries in the database and user table. Pride in the number of registered users, if you do not leave them a choice, is a common self-deception.
- Are you afraid of automatically downloading content? Put a captcha better, as an extreme case. Bots can log in. Although I also consider captcha a sign of helplessness and the transfer of their problems onto the shoulders of users.
Look at registration from a different angle. Your service should naturally be able to recognize the user, and registration / authorization just solves this and only this problem. So ask a person to log in only when you can’t do without it. Insert the login form in front of the form for writing a post or comment or creating a personal playlist or any other attempt to save your information in your service. Do not suggest the user to spend his time and nerves on a pig in a poke (hi Idyynik and Lukeleik).
Time is the most valuable thing a person has; there is no way to make up for it. Respect users and their time.
Peace and hello lany!
I am sure that each of the readers was faced with a situation where, when switching from a search engine to a forum or service built on a common engine, he is asked to register to download the desired file or, even worse, read the search text.
Let's look at this scenario with a defining example. I am looking for HL2 Alyx Nude Modthrough Google. Google gives me a link to some forum. I go there, I see a post with a link to what I'm looking for, click on it ... And I get a message that I'm not registered and an offer to do it (+1 to Anger). I go to the registration form and see that there are 20 million required fields (+1000 to Anger). Having tormented myself with this form, I finally see that the registration is successful, but I still need to activate my account through a link in the mail. (+10 to Anger). Well, I’m activating the recording, now they ask me to enter with my username and password. (+100 to Anger and the feeling that I’m getting access not to the “another” forum, but to the ancient Mysteries) OK again, I’m entering. Oh, why did I come to this resource? Ah, download the file! And where he? Oops, I'm on the main page of the forum. (Anger has already exceeded the upper limit of unsigned integer and I am in a state of enlightenment). Ok, we go to the search engine and through it I again go to the forum. I click on the link to the file and ... 404 File Not Found ... FFFFFUUUUUUUUUU ...
By the way, evaluate how many letters it took to describe what should fit into the phrase "Clicked on the link - the download started."
Yes, of course this is the most egregious example, but its parts are constantly found on different services. If you think it should be so, then ask yourself why you are doing this.
- Save a user base to brag about? 90% are just dead souls who visited the site once for something specific and will never return again. Unnecessary entries in the database and user table. Pride in the number of registered users, if you do not leave them a choice, is a common self-deception.
- Are you afraid of automatically downloading content? Put a captcha better, as an extreme case. Bots can log in. Although I also consider captcha a sign of helplessness and the transfer of their problems onto the shoulders of users.
Look at registration from a different angle. Your service should naturally be able to recognize the user, and registration / authorization just solves this and only this problem. So ask a person to log in only when you can’t do without it. Insert the login form in front of the form for writing a post or comment or creating a personal playlist or any other attempt to save your information in your service. Do not suggest the user to spend his time and nerves on a pig in a poke (hi Idyynik and Lukeleik).
Time is the most valuable thing a person has; there is no way to make up for it. Respect users and their time.
Peace and hello lany!