1y ago

What is it with services now separating username and password fields?

Back in the old times, on the sites I log in regularly, my browser filled in both username and password. I clicked "Log in" once, and I was set to go.

But no more. Now it's all first a username, then a password. From what I saw, Apple started this many years ago, but now this bother really spread. And it's not like I can just double-click on the same screen area, oh no. Animations make sure that I have to wait several hundred milliseconds before the password field is there, and depending on the site, I even have to select from my browser, which login I want to use, twice!

Why, oh why?

All my screens are really big enough to display 2 text fields. What are arguments for this behavior? I don't see any.

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57 comments

It still gets filled in by all browsers I have. From usability point of view it’s less chance someone press enter after putting in their login name thus leaving the password field empty and getting refused. This will often lead to a disruption friction of their workflow (don’t know the proper English word)
- The JS to detect an empty password field and only enabling Enter onchange is way simpler than the code for two separate pages. I actually implemented the former once.
  
  Sure - but quite often it’s about doing what’s easy for the users/customers rather than programmers
  
  How is that easier for users? You mentioned one point but I counterargued that the problem can be mitigated in other ways.
  
  I’m not saying it IS a better solution, just that it might be. Did you do any usability testing on the two solutions and want to share some insight?
  And I do think that if your decision on UX comes down to what’s easy to code you are wrong.

57 comments