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If the signup for a new user account dialog includes an input field to set a custom password which has an option (eye icon) to uncover its current textual contents, should there also be an input field to repeat the password once more which ensures that the user does not mistype it (which uncovering it also does)?

If either a visible password or a repeated password suffices, should the eye icon toggle the repeat password input field?

(This question assumes, of course, that asking the user to repeat their password upon signup is a good UX pattern in the first place. I do not have the possibility to implement a passwordless signup due to organizational restrictions, by the way.)

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    From my understanding, it is not a good UX pattern, to ask for a password twice.
    – Uwe Keim
    May 22, 2019 at 4:33
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    I would be inclined to say "no", but.. It once happened to a colleague - he set a new SSH password on a remote machine located off-site, in a different country, and he accidentally typed an extra letter both times. As a result, the password he thought he set was different from the one he really set. We were locked out of the system. Whatever you decide, consider the importance of the account and the worst thing that can happen if a slip occurred. Is there a password reset feature? Are any consequences potentially irreversible and disastrous?
    – ralien
    May 22, 2019 at 8:33
  • I see mixed reactions to this question. One report suggests lowered conversion rates because of the 'Confirm Password' field.
    – Ren
    May 22, 2019 at 11:08

1 Answer 1

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If either a visible password or a repeated password suffices, should the eye icon toggle the repeat password input field?

Its good practice to have repeat password for two reasons - 1. It confirms what user wants as a password and adding to that complexity of the password pattern can also be confirmed. 2. By repeating it provides some memorability though it is not stored in longterm memory for now, but shorterm memory which will in-turn processed to long-term memory.

eye-icon - is used to show/ hide the charecters as a pattern, so deviating that with best practice may confuse user. If you want, you can create a new pattern for disabling repeat password input, for eg. skip the field.

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