I understand the premise now, but it took me a while to figure out how it worked. The problem is, what they really need to say is something like:
"You can put any email address in here. If Persona has seen you before you can just put in your password and you're set. If you put in an email address that we have an integration with (like Yahoo) then you're all set. If you put in an address that we dont know, we'll ask you to create an account and then you'll be signed in. We might well have seen you before, so maybe try your 'normal' email address but the chances are you won't know whether we know about you as this is all too new."
Because THAT is basically how it works (AFAICT) but obviously that's a lot of text and no one actually reads text on websites.
The problem is that no one knows WTF persona is. Like my Dad and my wife have no idea what it is. They are also REALLY nervous about just putting their email address and password for a separate account into a website they have never seen before, AND FOR GOOD REASON!
This is a total usability clusterfuck. You expect my Dad (who calls the entire internet "Google") to accept this and not get worried about it?
They need to put MASSIVE INTERNET BRAND LOGOS in that box. Like Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Apple. Brands like that. Brands that, you know, my Dad has actually heard of and might actually have an account with.
I can see they are going in that direction with the Yahoo announcement, and MASSIVE KUDOS to them for that, that's a big step. Bit right now the usability is fucked and will stay fucked until the Persona brand as as big as Apple's or Google's. So never.