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Key Principles

Let Users Explore Before They Commit

Requiring login or account creation too early in a site experience can be detrimental to conversion.

In a research study , participants became frustrated by sites that demanded registration in order to continue - especially if the site was an unfamiliar brand. While getting access to customer information may be integral to your business, asking for it too early may result in fewer registrations, so don’t ask for it too early.

Site with login gates
Placing login or registration too early in a site can be detrimental to conversion.
Allow browsing without sign in.
Allow users to browse the site without requiring sign in.

Before offering their personal information, users want to browse content and get a sense of what a site has to offer. In the study, many of the sites that participants rated the lowest were those where they were forced to create an account upfront in order to continue.

Next Sections

  1. Let Users Explore Before They Commit
  2. Let Users Purchase As A Guest
  3. Make It Easy To Finish On Another Device
  4. Use Existing Information To Maximize Convenience

Updated on 2014-08-07

Authors

Pete LePage

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