Overview
As Compound scaled, authentication flows became a major source of friction. Users frequently created duplicate accounts, forcing engineers to manually merge accounts and increase overhead support.
The Challenge
Confusing Login Flows = account duplication
Users struggled to access their dashboards due to login method confusion SSO vs OAuth, forgotten credentials, and mistyped or unverified emails.
The operational impact over the course of two quarters, included:
65
Duplicate account merge requests
Research
Identifying root causes through support data
I reviewed support tickets, engineering queues, analytics, and interviewed internal stakeholders to understand root causes.
Key Insights
Users accidentally re-registered
Login and sign-up pages looked visually similar.
Authentication was tied to sign-up method
Users attempting a different login method saw a “no account found” error.
Email verification was optional
Users could create accounts with mistyped emails.
No account detection existed
The system failed to identify existing users when emails were re-entered.
Design Constraints
Improve UX without overhauling backend authentication
Working with a small cross-functional team (1 Product Manager, 2 Engineers, 2 Designers), required a front-end first solution:
No ability to update or change a user's email on file
No support for linking multiple authentication methods to one email
Limited engineering resources for backend authentication changes
Design Strategy
Prevent errors before they happen
The design focused:
Clarify entry points -> through distinct login and account creation screens
Detect existing users early -> provide email recognition before authentication.
Introduce preventative guardrails -> add verification and better error messaging.
Design Execution
Key UX Improvements
After reviewing competitor booking flows, I identified patterns that reduced friction and used these insights to restructure the site around user intent.
Findability: Clear Entry Points to Reduce Errors
We made “Create Account” and “Login” screens visually distinct and replaced ambiguous headers e.g. “Get Started” with explicit “Create Account” vs “Login” labels. We also improved the visual hierarchy and microcopy to differentiate between flows, and added clear cross-links to allow users to switch paths easily.
Smart Email Detection and Redirect Logic
After a user entered their email, the system identified if the account existed, and then routed them to the correct authentication method. If no account existed, users were guided to create one. We intentionally retained visible SSO options below the email field to support masked Apple emails and support user muscle memory.
We introduced required email verification for dashboard access and added safeguards like: real-time password strength validation, rate limiting after 3 failed attempts, clear, actionable error messaging, and persistent support links. This decision came from wanting to shift from reactive support fixes to proactive error prevention.
Usability Testing
Validating the new Login experience
Partnering with Engineering and Product, I conducted internal usability testing with 6 participants.
Testing measured:
time on task
path selection accuracy
Outcomes
Significant reduction in support and engineering overhead
Within two quarters:
Reflections
Key Takeaways
Authentication design is not just a UX problem, it’s a systems and operational design challenge.
Small clarity improvements in the interface significantly reduced technical debt, support volume, and engineering workload.