It’s really interesting comparing the sign-in screens between Instagram, Notion and Venmo because you clearly see their respective goals and use cases through the initial sign in steps. For example, Instagram clearly prioritizes network size and density. Within seconds, it asks for your contacts and suggests friends, making sure there is as little friction as possible. This may lead to somewhat a risk of small drop-offs but pays off in exponential engagement once users connect. With the Instagram sign-up process there is an immediate value exchange and it is evident that Instagram wants to learn and prioritise who you care about and not what you want to do to maximise on the network system they want to build.
Notion, in contrast, prioritizes productivity, ‘a clean look’ and self-efficacy. Its onboarding skips social data entirely and offers quick templates, letting users create something valuable before giving up their personal information. Because of this, the friction is very minimal which leads to low drop offs during sign-up as the first impression leads to curiosity and a slight sense of empowerement on the ability to be able to create these ‘beautiful’ documents. Thus, Notion learns how you think and organize through use, and because of that doesn’t need to have a tedious sign-on screen. .
Venmo, due to it being somewhat of a ‘bank’, is the most extreme of all. It requires bank verification, identity checks, phone number etc which leads to a lot of friction but which is also unavoidable if you want a safe use. In the case of Venmo, friction is not only necessary but showcases how legitimate it is, avoiding fraud and being very compliant – they need to be 100% sure of your identity before you are able to use the app at all.
Thus, all of these sign-on processes really show us what the goal of each business really is and how for each use case there is a ‘right’ amount of friction or data required to allow the user to properly use the software.
