budding
I've revised this idea a bit, but it's not fully-formed yet.
by Matthew Lyon

Login Bingo

24 anti-patterns which lead to bad user experiences for logging into something • The Game

the bingo card requires javascript

The Patterns So Far

I’m publishing these roughly 2-4 times a week right now. If you’d like to keep up with the series, I have an RSS feed, a newsletter I’ll post to when done, and am active on the Fediverse.

Amazingly Short Sessions

People shouldn't needlessly suffer ridiculously short session times; but if those are justified, it should be clear the session has ended

Apples to Oranges

People should expect that what they entered when setting credentials will be honored when verifying them

But First You Must

People should not be unnecessarily interrupted while logging into a system

Check Your Messages

System users shouldn't have to use separate, less secure contexts in order to log in

Choose Our Client

Website visitors shouldn't have to know which client of yours their interacting with

Choose Your Login Provider

Multiple login providers is a recipe for confusion

Choose Your SubSite

Website visitors shouldn't have to know which sub-website they need to log in to

Context-Ignorant Visibility

People shouldn't have to deal with obscured fields in difficult input situations, or unobscured input in possibly public situations

Do the Two-Step

People shouldn't have to go to additional steps to enter a password just because some other people don't have passwords

Forget This Device

Website visitors should be able to trust the functionality of trust-granting affordances

Hall of Redirects

People shouldn't have to tour your system's infrastructure when logging in

Moved the Entry

People should be able to rely on an external link to the place where they can log in to your system

No Autofill For You

Website visitors should be able to use their tools for managing logins without frustration or exposure to nefarious processes

Only One Session

Website visitors should be able to use multiple open windows across multiple devices

Open a Window

Website visitors shouldn't have to clean up your litter

Sent You a Link

People should be able to use a password to log in to a site without having to check their email

Start at the Beginning

Website visitors shouldn't have to attempt to navigate back to where they wanted to go after logging in

Tease the Preview

Forcing people to log in or create an account to read something that is presented publicly or found on search engines is rude

Trust Me, Bro

People shouldn't have to use their primary credentials to authorize account access in less secure contexts

Type This Way

Don't make people suffer your misguided reimplementation of an input affordance

The Game

In case you’re not familiar with Bingo, the idea is you have a card with a 5 x 5 grid and numbers on it in a random order; someone draws numbers randomly, and if you have that number you mark it off. If you get five squares marked off that form a row, column, or diagonal, then you shout “Bingo!” and win a prize.

This is a satirical game, and really, play it however you want. I came up with the idea after coming up with a list of over a dozen frustrating patterns I noticed around logging into something, just off the top of my head; getting a handful of those in one hour and posting “Bingo!” on my social media. It got me thinking, and I expanded on the idea from there.

Personally, I plan to just keep a running card going and add to it when I encounter a pattern, and to start over every time I get a bingo. You, however, are entirely welcome to do you.

Your browser will store your card’s state, and you can also share a card between devices via the share URL.

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2025 Matthew Lyon