Background
Passwordless authentication
We got rid of passwords and introduced magic links instead. Imagine getting instantly logged via your email—it's like, well, magic.
Passwordless authentication allows Curology users to log in to their account without having to type their password. They instead authenticate by clicking a “magic link” sent to their email, which will then instantly log them in.
This is what I was given to play with. Let’s break this down:
“What’s a magic link?” This copy doesn't tell me what the heck a magic link is.
The body copy makes no sense. I had to reread it a couple times, and even then I had to ask my PM to explain it to me. I still don’t really know.
Message Support for what? Should I message support for a link? To ask about the “verified account” bit? ???
Starting point
Verification screen
Version 1
Approach
I wanted to make sure that users could figure out their next steps with little effort, even if they still didn’t quite understand what a magic link was.
Tone
Friendly and clear.
A new addition
We were asked to add an error message to this screen, in the case that there was something iffy going on on the backend. Someone else on the team mocked up what the copy might look like, and passed it to me for revision.
Final
Approach
While there was nothing wrong with the error message, per se, I saw an opportunity to bring out more of the Curology brand voice.
Tone
A lot more human.
"Log in" screen
There wasn’t that much wrong with the original version, really. The copy was direct and very clear about what actions were being taken, and why. But damn, was it cold. The new version on the right cuts out the extra bits (“your email address is used to login [sic]” should be pretty self-explanatory) and warms up the tone a lot.
After
Before
Buttons
Starting point
Version 1
Final
This is another case of “nothing wrong with it, but…” I felt the first option was too long, especially for an alert. I pared it down to a short and sweet 2 lines, with a clearer CTA.
However, I still wasn’t completely satisfied. “Link” and “email” are both repeated twice in the space of two sentences, which made the whole thing sound a bit too repetitive.
This is what we settled on. While it’s not as warm as either of the other options, it’s the most clear and direct, and the user immediately knows what to do.
bay area, ca