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UX Cheat Sheet: Common login patterns
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What ho! What is that on yonder homepage? A returning user? Jimminy cricket! Looks like we have to design a login pattern.
In this article, we will cover the following:
- Terminology: Login vs. Log in
- Generic login flow
- What’s single sign-on (SSO)?
- Login screen approaches
- Page layout
- Feedback
- Security
- Common login fields
- Accessibility
- Do you need to redo your current login process?
- Closing thoughts
- Resources
This article was written in conjunction with UX Cheat Sheet: Common sign-up patterns
1. Terminology: Log in vs Login
I often get this confused, and I have no doubt that I have made this mistake in this article somewhere, but log in, and login are not the same thing
Log in is a verb, e.g., “Please log in to the pet rock collectors website.”
Login in a noun, e.g., “Here is the pet rock collectors’ login page.”
So the elephant in the room; if we use the word sign up, why don’t we use sign in? I’m sure some…