I'm working on a new design for the log in or register page, and since we have some very unique constraints, this might be the first time I've done one of these pages that isn't reinventing the wheel.
Here are the goals:
- Make the new version easier/no harder to use than the current version
- Reduce the number of clicks, if possible, for common use cases
- Try not to make the form look too daunting
Here are the constraints:
- All of the open ID buttons (Google/Facebook/Yahoo, etc.) function equally well as sign-up or login buttons no matter how they are labeled
- Because of SSL limitations, embedding any stack exchange sign-up or login forms requires an iframe
- The forgot password feature only really works for stack exchange open IDs, but if you have forgotten how you signed in, the email that you get through this feature will point you in the right direction
- Google, Facebook, and Stack Exchange open ID register/login covers over 95% of cases
So I've done three wireframes that head in different directions. I'm looking for suggestions on how to best balance the above goals and constraints (we definitely plan on split testing, but sometimes split testing doesn't uncover ease-of-use problems)
Option one: Put everything on the page, and duplicate the open ID buttons for clarity
Pros:
- Everything has an explicit label; no chance of a new user wondering where the Google sign-up button is
- Reduces the number of clicks for the stack exchange login and sign up use cases by one
Cons
- Puts a lot of things on the screen; may be intimidating
Option two: remove the redundancy from the open ID buttons
Pros:
- Less intimidating
- Reduces the number of clicks for the stack exchange login and sign up use cases by one
Cons
- Does the two column format work when there aren't explicit labels above the columns?
Option three: minimal
Pros:
- Much less intimidating, at first; reduces the number of decisions that need to be made immediately
Cons
- Stretches the process out over several screens/clicks