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Why don’t we do email verification in reverse?

blog.yossarian.net

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Re: Why don’t we do email verification in reverse?

#71

Post by switch007 »

melvinmelih wrote: post #14
simonw wrote: post #5

A general rule of thumb I've built up over the years: resist the temptation to innovate around login! Look at the most commonly used flows that are not obviously terrible and try to implement as close a match to them as possible. When I've tried to innovate around login in the past I've found that any clever ideas I come up with inevitably run into road blocks pretty quickly. Here's one example: why have a separate l…

When I started on my first project as a junior engineer I thought I was being clever to build an app without any passwords: every time you wanted to login you received a new email with a link to log you in. Technically, this worked great but after a while I received many complaints from frustrated users who kept looking for the “signup form”…

I love having my access denied while the email systems delay the email arriving in to my inbox

Re: Why don’t we do email verification in reverse?

#72

Post by melony »

weird-eye-issue wrote: post #28
melvinmelih wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I started on my first project as a junior engineer I thought I was being clever to build an app without any passwords: every time you wanted to login you received a new email with a link to log you in. Technically, this worked great but after a while I received many complaints from frustrated users who kept looking for the “signup form”…

ImprovMX does this just fine

Obviously a webmaster knows how a sign up form works.

Re: Why don’t we do email verification in reverse?

#73

Post by nicbou »

gnicholas wrote: post #70

On a related note, when users want to connect with me I use a mailto link instead of a web form. This is because after someone fills out a webform, I have to email them, and my email is not-infrequently marked as spam (even though we send When the user clicks the mailto link, he starts a message chain and my reply almost always goes through appropriately. As others have pointed out, there are some downsides to mailto…

Email links also lets the person choose the client they prefer, instead of a box in a browser tab.

My e-mail client saves my message as a draft as I type, so I can finish my message slowly without fear of losing my progress.

I also know that my email client works. Many web forms are broken and only reveal that once you hit submit, if at all.

Re: Why don’t we do email verification in reverse?

#74

Post by bombcar »

weird-eye-issue wrote: post #68
innocenat wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ImprovMX was extremely confusing to me at first.

Checking your email for the login link was confusing?

I hate the email login link stuff, and any site that has it as the only option, I move on unless absolutely forced to use it.

Especially a pain if I'm trying to login on a device without my email.

Re: Why don’t we do email verification in reverse?

#75

Post by HWR_14 »

osullip wrote: post #60
HWR_14 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For your example, this seems bizarre. Every "sign up" process I can think of ends with you being signed into to your new account. Every "log in" process includes a button or link that says "are you a new user, sign up here". You chose a very streamlined thing to worry about.

I'm not sure. A lot end up sending an email that you need to click on to verify.

That's a step of the signup process. AS this article points out, that link ends up with you back in your browser and logged in. In fact, that's probably the most important reason to bring you back to the browser - so you end in the logged in state and can memorize the password in your browser.

Re: Why don’t we do email verification in reverse?

#76

Post by pmontra »

m00x wrote: post #37
nsgi wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The standard login/sign up form is broken, though. People will just use the same password across websites or write it down. You can't win

Use a password manager. Problem solved.

I do and tell people to do the same. Unfortunately we can't force people to actually do it.

Re: Why don’t we do email verification in reverse?

#77

Post by Avamander »

jcelerier wrote: post #36
melvinmelih wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I started on my first project as a junior engineer I thought I was being clever to build an app without any passwords: every time you wanted to login you received a new email with a link to log you in. Technically, this worked great but after a while I received many complaints from frustrated users who kept looking for the “signup form”…

Oh the few websites that do this drive me absolutely crazy. It makes me immediately look for alternatives, it's unbearable

Revolut does this for app logins and it's infuriating when your (new) phone doesn't have the email account used synchronized.

Re: Why don’t we do email verification in reverse?

#78

Post by fragmede »

melvinmelih wrote: post #14
simonw wrote: post #5

A general rule of thumb I've built up over the years: resist the temptation to innovate around login! Look at the most commonly used flows that are not obviously terrible and try to implement as close a match to them as possible. When I've tried to innovate around login in the past I've found that any clever ideas I come up with inevitably run into road blocks pretty quickly. Here's one example: why have a separate l…

When I started on my first project as a junior engineer I thought I was being clever to build an app without any passwords: every time you wanted to login you received a new email with a link to log you in. Technically, this worked great but after a while I received many complaints from frustrated users who kept looking for the “signup form”…

It's a decent idea! Slack does this, as does a few other services.

Re: Why don’t we do email verification in reverse?

#80

Post by weird-eye-issue »

bombcar wrote: post #74
weird-eye-issue wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Checking your email for the login link was confusing?

I hate the email login link stuff, and any site that has it as the only option, I move on unless absolutely forced to use it. Especially a pain if I'm trying to login on a device without my email.

You don't need to have email on the device you are logging in from

Can take out phone and click link

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