login wall

From IndieWeb


login wall (AKA login gate, authwall, or auth wall) is a UI antipattern used by some silos like Medium to prompt returning users with a login UI, sometimes after some number of viewed pages, that blocks viewing or using the site until the user has logged in. When presented immediately (upon first visit), this is a registration wall.

Silo Examples

LinkedIn

LinkedIn redirects any attempt to access a profile with an "authwall" that forces you to login before you can view a profile.

Medium

Main article: Medium

See the Medium page for specific UX examples and criticism.

Quora

Main article: Quora

stub. needs screenshot.

Quora presents a login prompt when trying to read (how many? even just 1? or when scrolled?) answers to a question.

Instagram

Main article: Instagram

stub. needs screenshot.

Instagram will typically load a profile without authentication, but will force a login to scroll through past photos.

Twitter

Main article: Twitter

stub. needs screenshot.

Twitter allows view individual posts, but requires login to scroll through threads, profiles, and to view trending topics.

Articles

  • 2014-03-02 Nielsen Norman Group: Login Walls Stop Users in Their Tracks

    Summary: Demanding that users register or log in before they can use an app or see website information has high interaction cost and defies the reciprocity principle.

    In our many usability tests, we rarely have seen users more annoyed than when they come across a login wall. Login walls are pages that ask the user to log in or register before proceeding.

  • 2017-01-11 9 Ways to Make Login Walls Suck Less

See Also