Can a sign-up illustration reduce logins and registrations?
Yes. Ali's Spotify example shows that even adding an illustration to an otherwise plain signup screen lost against the simpler control. The change did not add a new decision, but it added visual competition around the same signup, social-login, and login actions.
- By Ali Abouelatta
- 1 visual
- 1 min read
- signup · onboarding · conversion · illustration
Ali's Spotify example shows that even adding an illustration to an otherwise plain signup screen lost against the simpler control.
The evidence
The Spotify visual isolates a smaller change than the video tests: a plain black signup control against a similar screen with illustrated background portraits.
What changed
- Control: black Spotify signup screen with a clear green primary CTA and social login options.
- Experiment: similar layout with added illustration behind the Spotify mark and headline.
- The experiment changed visual emphasis without improving the action set.
Why it matters
- Delight does not have to be heavy to distract; a simple illustration can be enough.
- Signup screens should earn every decorative element against the cost of weaker action clarity.
Sources
- [1]
Lazyweb Research: Spotify signup illustration test
Ali says the Spotify example shows that adding an illustration to an otherwise plain signup screen hurt logins and registrations.
Methodology
Product-experiment write-up by Ali Abouelatta, dated on August 2, 2024. Source links are listed below.
