Make It Clear to Users If They’re Joining or Signing In
The principles in this section discuss the confusion of terminology, and in 2022, as I write this, there are few signs that these terms are beginning to standardize. Apps and websites still feature a confusing mix of “Log in,” “Sign in,” “Login,” and so on.
But it’s more than that—the interaction flow of your product should make it clear to users whether they’re joining (for the first time) or signing in (as a repeat user). Seldom-used products will often require a sign-in when you come back to them, and more secure applications need a sign-in every time—often with two-factor authentication. So, let’s make it easy for users to get back into your product.
Figure 91.1: This wireframe shows a clear way to solve this problem—why doesn’t every app do this?
A theory for this “sign-in obfuscation” is that...
