Skip to content
Log inGet started

Why should sign-up screens be boring?

Ali's review of Ring, AllTrails, Nextdoor, and Spotify signup redesigns found the functional, plain version won in each case. The pattern is that signup is a job-to-be-done moment: decorative videos, illustrations, and animation can distract from the CTA and can add download or bandwidth cost.

  • By Ali Abouelatta
  • 5 visuals
  • 2 min read
  • signup · onboarding · conversion · functional design
Read as Markdown
Functional versus delightful signup screen spectrum from First 1000.
A tall comparison chart ranks signup patterns from simple functional designs through illustrations, carousels, slideshows, background videos, and animations.368 × 1600opens the full image

The evidence

The source frames signup design as a functionality-versus-delight tradeoff, then shows four experiments where simpler UI beat more emotionally expressive signup screens.

What changed

  • Ring, AllTrails, and Nextdoor tested plain signup screens against background-video experiences.
  • Spotify tested a simple signup screen against a version with added illustration.
  • The functional versions focused attention on account creation and login actions.

Why it matters

  • Signup is a conversion step, so visual delight can become attention competition.
  • Heavy media can increase app size and bandwidth requirements, which matters for users on slower networks.

Every visual

  • Ring signup screen experiment comparing a background video control against a plain experiment.
    Ring tested a neighborhood background-video signup screen against a dark, plain signup screen; the visual calls out that the simple version won.1600 × 926opens the full image
  • AllTrails signup screen experiment comparing a hiking video control against a plain experiment.
    AllTrails tested a hiking-trail background-video signup screen against a simpler dark signup screen with stacked auth options; the visual says the simple version won.1600 × 926opens the full image
  • Nextdoor signup screen experiment comparing a neighborhood video control against a plain experiment.
    Nextdoor tested a lively neighborhood background-video signup screen against a white, plain signup screen; the visual says the simple version won.1600 × 926opens the full image
  • Spotify signup screen experiment comparing a plain control against an illustrated experiment.
    Spotify tested a plain black signup screen against a similar screen with added background illustration; the visual says the illustration lost.1600 × 926opens the full image

Sources

  1. [1]

    Lazyweb Research: boring signup screens

    Ali reviews four recent signup-screen redesigns across Ring, AllTrails, Nextdoor, and Spotify and says functional, boring designs won in each experiment.

    Source

Methodology

Product-experiment write-up by Ali Abouelatta, dated on August 2, 2024. Source links are listed below.

Keep reading

Related research