User friendly registration process; don’t annoy the user
Do you know that you loose a very high proportion of users just at the time of registration itself ? And I am sure, you must be aware about the conversion rate – site visitor wanting to become a registered user. So when the user has decided to register on your site, do yourself a favour and don’t kick out the guest, whom you youself had invited and is really precious for you.
What the top like items that you should consider at the time of registration.
- Keep registration very simple, clean and neat
- Don’t ask too much of information
- Ask information which is MUST for a user to start using your site.
- Don’t have any fields that won’t be used immediately post registration. Ask it later
Let’s have a look at it one by one
Product Proposition
Make it very clear to the user what’s your site is all about and what benefits you users will get as a registered user. If the product and its benefit should be ‘painfully clear’ to the user. So that he knows what to expect and what to do post login. Post login, he will actively seek out click those items and begin his journey as a user. However, this communication should be sort of benefits and action items
Login ID = Email ID
You can ask the user to create a unique user ID if it is a must for you, but always have you login ID as the Email ID. Users register at so many places, it is easier for them to remember their email ID and not the unique user ID that they create on your site, unless they are using it daily. I completely agree with Guy Kawasaki on this, I have suffered this most as a user
Scenario:
I come to a site and I am asked to create a user ID, I try to register and on every attempt I am told that this ID is already taken up. Post 100 permutations and combinations I come up SK123PQR – which is only available. Do you think I am going to remember this randomly generated ID next time when I try to login to your site.
The bare minimum you will need
Most of the sites can manage their registration just with Username, Email ID, Password, Confirm Password and Simple Captcha field. Anything beyond this, think if it is really necessary
Confirmation Mail
Confirmation mail is the mail you send to the user to validate the email ID. Don’t depend on this, you should keep a check on your mail servers and have a proper MIS so that you know it is working. Otherwise, by the time you will know it is not working, you must have lost 100s and 1000s of users.
Also keep the communication simple in this mail. Keep the mail in plain text and don’t make it heavy with links, communication and other promo. You should also know how to maintain your mails and servers so that they are not marked as spammers.
Welcome Mail.
I don’t find it necessary, I haven’t gone through any confirmation mails in my life. It may be useful for some people who properly go through all their mails but not for majority of the users like me, who use 100s of sites and the delete is the most used button in the mail program. But if you want to keep it limited to top 2-3 things that you have to offer and not to overwhelm the user with plethora of choices. Keep it simple and the make the call to action very clear – ‘now what should I do’ – answer this questions for the new user.
Welcome and Handholding
The first screen for the fresh user should properly guide him – what all is available and what all things he can do. Don’t confuse him with everything that you have, be selective and guide him towards the best of the things that you have and the most logical place where he should begin with.
Never ask any information for the future.
At the time of registration, resist asking any information which is not relevant to the user, but you want it because in future you may come up with certain killer feature / module. User will find it utterly useless and you will get this data 111111 qweqewqwe, which is anyways not useful to you for your now or for your feature. If the user doesn’t find the benefit he will become a keyboard jockey out of frustration.
Divide & rule.
It at all you require multiple information from the user at the time of registration, breakup into sections and clearly communicate to the user why you are asking that information in tone "this will help you to". Again, if the information can be skipped, skip it.
Communication while registration
The communication at the time of registration should be very simple and very relevant to the stage of registration. Don’t pack in information which is not relevant to the process, the registration page cannot be the marketing page – it should only be about the benefits to the user in relation to the registration information that you are asking for.
Most recommended; than this blog post 
:
- Turtle Interactive has covered this in more detail – The Art of the Sign Up Page . Via – Business Ideas
- Registration Usability – 87 Registration Forms Tested . Via – Guy Kawasaki
Related posts:
- Who should be the sender of your company’s email messages
- Top 8 Mistakes Indian Email Marketers Make
- 25 User Experience Videos That Are Worth Your Time – Smashing Magazine
- Privacy – Whatever it is but we can’t afford to believe in it
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