6 ms·

Why does an app like this need to have a sign-up process with email, username and password? It’s enough for me to not try the app because of the mental overhead

by tobr 6y ago

Why does an app like this need to have a sign-up process with email, username and password? It’s enough for me to not try the app because of the mental overhead and risks involved, but it also seems like a bunch of additional development for no (or maybe negative) benefit.

vuciv1 6y ago
Totally understandable. The sign up process is just to store your likes so that you don't need to swipe again on the same movies. Its also so that you can lookup and add your friends. I understand the frustration, though. I'm working on a version with webhooks where you can just join a lobby and start swiping.
- tobr 6y ago
  > The sign up process is just to store your likes so that you don't need to swipe again on the same movies. > Its also so that you can lookup and add your friends. Right, but what about that requires me to type in three magic strings into three (wait, actually probably six?) input fields? Just associate the data on the server with some UUID that you store on my device. Inviting others could work by just sharing a link.
  - vuciv1 6y ago
    I have a bit more to learn :)
    - TeMPOraL 6y ago
      Start from the assumption that you do not need any data from your users, and do not need to form an explicit relationship with them (like by having them create an account), and work from there. Treat it as a challenge - how to make your idea work under such constraints?
      - vuciv1 6y ago
        Noted. I'm definitely going to do this for anything else I build. Thanks for the new perspective.
        john-aj 6y ago
        I think the sign-up is fine, but the password requirements should be done away with. They don't even seem to work. Neither periods or colons count as special symbols. Generally, there shouldn't be any requirements. I use a diceware password, which is very safe, but doesn't fit the requirements.
  - spockz 6y ago
    I like the idea. However I think there is a reason why it typically works like this app does. Now what happens if you switch phones or use multiple devices? The behaviour would be inconsistent. What if I build up a large amount of likes/dislikes? Would they be suddenly gone without way to export them? Additionally, I actually would like it not to store data. Maybe I want to get the recommendation for a movie next time because I’m just not in the mood to watch that Horror movie right now. Edit: this last bit is actually exactly what elliekelly write more eloquently.
    - tobr 6y ago
      > Now what happens if you switch phones or use multiple devices? The behaviour would be inconsistent. What if I build up a large amount of likes/dislikes? Would they be suddenly gone without way to export them? I agree this is a likely reason, but I think it’s a cargo cult design that makes sense on the web, but is the wrong priorities for a trivial/frivolous mobile app like this. I don’t know anything about Android, but with iOS this just isn’t an issue. Everything is backed up and when I get a new phone everything is restored automatically. Even for the quite uncommon case where a poweruser is switching between iOS and Android, it’s not worth blocking the 99% users who just want to try the app as effortlessly as possible and will never end up in that situation. It would certainly be possible to convert an automatic anonymous user account to one that uses password-based login, for users who care a lot about the data in the app.
- elliekelly 6y ago
  Storing likes seems to go against the problem you’re trying to solve: what are we in the mood to watch right now. I might “like” a movie, or even love a movie, and have zero interest in watching it this evening.
jeffgreco 6y ago
FWIW tools like Firebase Auth make the development piece fairly negligible (and also have the concept of anonymous users).
- vuciv1 6y ago
  I haven't used firebase at all. I'll definitely look into it
admax88q 6y ago
Why make it an app at all. A webpage wouldn't have to deal with the play store, and when a bunch of friends gather they wouldn't have to wait for people to install it.
- pacomerh 6y ago
  yes, this would be ideal. However the visibility of the app store is the benefit here.
- ksec 6y ago
  If only they could make the WebPage or WebApp installing on Home Screen as easy as pressing a link. ( Which has all sort of other implications ) Otherwise modern day Web Browsing on Smartphone is mentally incompatible with Apps usage.
  - Dylan16807 6y ago
    I'm not sure if you're joking or if your experience has been very different from mine, but from the couple I've installed it was as simple as clicking a link (or menu) and then confirming.
  - jononor 6y ago
    If you visit a Progressive Web App a couple of times, the browser may ask if you want to add it to the Home Screen. Works for me on Android at least.
  - JimDabell 6y ago
    > If only they could make the WebPage or WebApp installing on Home Screen as easy as pressing a link. When you have the web page / web application open, press the action button, then select Add to Home Screen.
mleonhard 6y ago
Yep. It could just be an app without a server. Keep the data on the phone. The app can find other users on the same wifi network by scanning the subnet or sending a UDP broadcast packet. If you need to support remove users, then provide an "invite link" that you can text and it lets people download the app and then connect with you on the app. You don't need an account on a server for that. To make money: 1. Show an affiliate link to watch the movie on Redbox [0] or another pay-per-view streaming service. 1. Show local theater showtimes with an affiliate link to buy the tickets [1]. [0] https://www.redbox.com/affiliate-program https://www.redbox.com/affiliate-program [1] https://www.fandango.com/affiliate-program https://www.fandango.com/affiliate-program
JimDabell 6y ago
> Why does an app like this need to have a sign-up process with email, username and password? In my experience, this almost always happens when a web developer makes a native application. They ignore the platform conventions and interface guidelines and design it as if it’s a web application instead of designing a native application. So there’s a sign-up process because that’s the way it’s normally done for web applications. The relevant part of Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines: > Delay sign-in as long as possible. People often abandon apps when they're forced to sign in before doing anything useful. Give them a chance to fall in love with your app before making a commitment to it. — https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/ios/user-interaction/authentication/ https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guideline... Please, if you’re building a native application, actually build a native application not a web application. Native applications run in different contexts with different constraints, you can’t just assume that what works well or is necessary for a web application makes sense for a native application. In particular, dumping new users into a registration screen just because you want to persist state is bad design for most native applications. Native applications don’t need that in the same way web applications do.

by tobr 6y ago

vuciv1 6y ago

Totally understandable. The sign up process is just to store your likes so that you don't need to swipe again on the same movies. Its also so that you can lookup and add your friends. I understand the frustration, though. I'm working on a version with webhooks where you can just join a lobby and start swiping.

tobr 6y ago
> The sign up process is just to store your likes so that you don't need to swipe again on the same movies. > Its also so that you can lookup and add your friends. Right, but what about that requires me to type in three magic strings into three (wait, actually probably six?) input fields? Just associate the data on the server with some UUID that you store on my device. Inviting others could work by just sharing a link.
- vuciv1 6y ago
  I have a bit more to learn :)
  - TeMPOraL 6y ago
    Start from the assumption that you do not need any data from your users, and do not need to form an explicit relationship with them (like by having them create an account), and work from there. Treat it as a challenge - how to make your idea work under such constraints?
    - vuciv1 6y ago
      Noted. I'm definitely going to do this for anything else I build. Thanks for the new perspective.
      - john-aj 6y ago
        I think the sign-up is fine, but the password requirements should be done away with. They don't even seem to work. Neither periods or colons count as special symbols. Generally, there shouldn't be any requirements. I use a diceware password, which is very safe, but doesn't fit the requirements.
- spockz 6y ago
  I like the idea. However I think there is a reason why it typically works like this app does. Now what happens if you switch phones or use multiple devices? The behaviour would be inconsistent. What if I build up a large amount of likes/dislikes? Would they be suddenly gone without way to export them? Additionally, I actually would like it not to store data. Maybe I want to get the recommendation for a movie next time because I’m just not in the mood to watch that Horror movie right now. Edit: this last bit is actually exactly what elliekelly write more eloquently.
  - tobr 6y ago
    > Now what happens if you switch phones or use multiple devices? The behaviour would be inconsistent. What if I build up a large amount of likes/dislikes? Would they be suddenly gone without way to export them? I agree this is a likely reason, but I think it’s a cargo cult design that makes sense on the web, but is the wrong priorities for a trivial/frivolous mobile app like this. I don’t know anything about Android, but with iOS this just isn’t an issue. Everything is backed up and when I get a new phone everything is restored automatically. Even for the quite uncommon case where a poweruser is switching between iOS and Android, it’s not worth blocking the 99% users who just want to try the app as effortlessly as possible and will never end up in that situation. It would certainly be possible to convert an automatic anonymous user account to one that uses password-based login, for users who care a lot about the data in the app.
elliekelly 6y ago
Storing likes seems to go against the problem you’re trying to solve: what are we in the mood to watch right now. I might “like” a movie, or even love a movie, and have zero interest in watching it this evening.

jeffgreco 6y ago

FWIW tools like Firebase Auth make the development piece fairly negligible (and also have the concept of anonymous users).

vuciv1 6y ago
I haven't used firebase at all. I'll definitely look into it

admax88q 6y ago

Why make it an app at all. A webpage wouldn't have to deal with the play store, and when a bunch of friends gather they wouldn't have to wait for people to install it.

pacomerh 6y ago
yes, this would be ideal. However the visibility of the app store is the benefit here.
ksec 6y ago
If only they could make the WebPage or WebApp installing on Home Screen as easy as pressing a link. ( Which has all sort of other implications ) Otherwise modern day Web Browsing on Smartphone is mentally incompatible with Apps usage.
- Dylan16807 6y ago
  I'm not sure if you're joking or if your experience has been very different from mine, but from the couple I've installed it was as simple as clicking a link (or menu) and then confirming.
- jononor 6y ago
  If you visit a Progressive Web App a couple of times, the browser may ask if you want to add it to the Home Screen. Works for me on Android at least.
- JimDabell 6y ago
  > If only they could make the WebPage or WebApp installing on Home Screen as easy as pressing a link. When you have the web page / web application open, press the action button, then select Add to Home Screen.

mleonhard 6y ago

Yep. It could just be an app without a server. Keep the data on the phone. The app can find other users on the same wifi network by scanning the subnet or sending a UDP broadcast packet. If you need to support remove users, then provide an "invite link" that you can text and it lets people download the app and then connect with you on the app. You don't need an account on a server for that. To make money: 1. Show an affiliate link to watch the movie on Redbox [0] or another pay-per-view streaming service. 1. Show local theater showtimes with an affiliate link to buy the tickets [1]. [0] https://www.redbox.com/affiliate-program https://www.redbox.com/affiliate-program [1] https://www.fandango.com/affiliate-program https://www.fandango.com/affiliate-program

JimDabell 6y ago

> Why does an app like this need to have a sign-up process with email, username and password? In my experience, this almost always happens when a web developer makes a native application. They ignore the platform conventions and interface guidelines and design it as if it’s a web application instead of designing a native application. So there’s a sign-up process because that’s the way it’s normally done for web applications. The relevant part of Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines: > Delay sign-in as long as possible. People often abandon apps when they're forced to sign in before doing anything useful. Give them a chance to fall in love with your app before making a commitment to it. — https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/ios/user-interaction/authentication/ https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guideline... Please, if you’re building a native application, actually build a native application not a web application. Native applications run in different contexts with different constraints, you can’t just assume that what works well or is necessary for a web application makes sense for a native application. In particular, dumping new users into a registration screen just because you want to persist state is bad design for most native applications. Native applications don’t need that in the same way web applications do.