Proposal: Add a 'Create Account' on login page to lower hurdles for new Users

[tclaus]

Currently a user must already have an account on a pod.
New users may not know what to do when they downloads the app.

What's about making a relative simple 'Create Account' button on sign in page?
This may simply forward to a (random, precoded?) open pod somewhere? No complicated 'Find a pod' procedure, but just forwarding to a set of predefined pod/users/sign_up - URLs?

Bonus:
(Later) this list may be curated externally by reading a file (from Git page?)

[jhass]

I guess we could do, but it might be better to delay this until after the API is in a stable diaspora* release.

The three options I see are linking:

• https://diaspora.podupti.me/go.php?software=diaspora, redirects to a random pod with open sign ups, might be quite confusing
• https://diaspora.podupti.me/, renders a list of diaspora pods, still quite confusing, "what's this?"
• https://wiki.diasporafoundation.org/Choosing_a_pod, annoying wall of text but maybe the best option, as in your scenario a user is likely unaware of what diaspora exactly is and how it works.

[tclaus]

Like the first link in combination to an explanation.
Like also the Idea to delay this a bit after release.

Just a simple link-text (in tint color) and a (?) - Info -Sign that links to a well chosen explanation site.

[jhass]

How about a modal that explains things and gives all three options?

+----------------------------------+
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|     +----------------------+     |
|     |                      |     |
|     |  diaspora* is        |     |
|     |  decentralized       |     |
|     |  bla bla             |     |
|     |                      |     |
|     |  Pick a random pod   |     |
|     |                      |     |
|     |  Choose from  list   |     |
|     |                      |     |
|     |  Learn more          |     |
|     |                      |     |
|     |                      |     |
|     +----------------------+     |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
|                                  |
+----------------------------------+

[tclaus]

Should this appear in front of login?
Triggered by what?

I suggest to have a shirt direct link (see my screenshot) to a random pod and the modal could appear after tapping the (?) button.
This might keep the path short but also has more informations.

[jhass]

It would appear after clicking on a sign up link on the sign in page.

Linking to a random pod on the dominant link and only explaining things on a tiny small link that maybe 5% of the users that would benefit from the explanation would hit on is pretty dark UX IMO. It's actually quite important to consciously decide where you want to sign up ("just give me a random one" being a total legit decision when made consciously), I don't feel comfortable making this decision for the user. Imagine a mail client linking to a literally random mail provider in their onboarding flow.

[tclaus]

Like this. Full agreement.