CS 101: Signing Up Users

It still amazes me how various companies can mess up the software trial process. Instead of making the process painless and simple, they put up huge barriers before users can actually try the product: lengthy sign up process, two way email authentication, post install product authentication, requiring credit cards for the download, etc... Heck, in some cases companies should be paying users to try out their software. But yet, they forget that users just wants to see if the product is any good, users want to see if the software has value to them past an initial 2 to 4 weeks honeymoon period.

Companies need to remember that first impressions are formed during the sign up, download, and install process - long before the user actually "tries" the product in the first place.

Rick Segal has two great posts on this subject - check it out: ActiveWords - Less Friction for Signing em Up and Another Option on Sign Ups.

I like Rick's two phase approach for "signing up users" the best:

• No credit card/email sign up gets you a five day trial.

• Sign up with just an email address and you get 60 days to kick the tires.

Just about perfect and it shows tremendous confidence in the value of your product.

Cristiano Pierry

Technorati Tags: CS 101, Technology

Comments

[Buzz Bruggeman]

C:

We are always looking for better ways, these are what we have found work best. The reason we ask for more info on the 60 day trial is that we send our users 8 follow on emails about stuff you can do with ActiveWords. We make it very easy to unsubscibe, but only rarely do people do so. Our goal is to be totally transparent with our users.

Try ActiveWords and tell me what you think about what we have done!

Buzz

[Cris]

Hey Buzz - I think the system you guys are using is awesome! As for trying it, my primary system now a days is a Mac, but I keep a windows laptop around to play with Windows Vista - I may give it a try over the next few weeks, does it work ok with Vista?