UX REDESIGN
Compound Planning: Redesigning the sign-up & login experience
As Compound Planning scaled and onboarded more users, it became clear that the error-prone sign-up and login flows were creating friction at a critical touchpoint, making an urgent redesign necessary.
Role
UX/ UI Designer
Timeline
3 weeks
Tools
Figma
Methods
User Research, Logo Design, Branding, Wireframing, Prototyping
The Challenge
Remove friction from sign-up/login flows, and prevent account duplications
As Compound Planning scaled and onboarded more users, it became clear that issues embedded within the sign-up and login flows were compromising both user trust and overall experience. Users frequently reported difficulties logging into their accounts, while advisors reported difficulties accessing their clients' accounts.
With engineers continually diverted from their work to merge duplicate accounts, and internal support teams overwhelmed with repetitive login-related requests, it became essential to identify the root causes.
Research
Understanding user pain points and goals
Kicking off my research, I analyzed engineering support tickets and client emails from the past two quarters related to login and account access.
Here's what I learned:
No existing account detection — Many users had previously created accounts but forgot about them. When they later tried to use an advisor referral link, they were met with error messages because the links only worked for new accounts. Since the system didn’t detect or alert them to their existing account, users were left confused and unable to access their advisor-linked dashboard.
Similarities between the sign-up/login screens — pricing, availability, and booking tools build confidence. If these elements were missing from a site, users were less likely to book.
Rigid enforcement of login method — When Auth0 was introduced (e.g. email and password login) many existing users, who had previously signed up with SSO, wished to use Auth0 instead. However, because the system didn’t support linking their existing accounts to the new method, they unintentionally created duplicate accounts - one linked to SSO and one linked to Auth0.
Original Sign-Up and Login Screens
The login and sign-up landing pages were easily confused due to their similar styling and nearly identical SSO button copy, such as “Continue with [Google/Apple].” To address this, it was critical to update the bold headline text to clearly orient users to the page they were on. Additionally, the instructional text beneath the buttons—for example, “I do not have a Google or Apple login”—was often overlooked. If users forgot which email they had previously used, entering a different one would automatically create a new account. This lack of clear messaging and guardrails ultimately led to widespread duplicate dashboards.
Design Strategy
Clear entry points, and account recovery
To explore ways to reduce friction and prevent duplicate accounts, I researched best-in-practice sign-up and login flows, and mapped out the original user journey, identifying bottlenecks and areas of friction.
To improve clarification, the design team updated the language to better differentiate between Get Started and Client Login — to Create Account and Login. Additionally, to add guardrails to prevent duplication, we designed additional account recovery screens.
High Fidelity Wireframes
Prioritizing clear language and guard rails
The updated login and sign-up screens feature clearer header copy to help users orient themselves to the correct flow. Exit pathways were also added, allowing users to easily switch if they land on the wrong screen (e.g., “Log in” instead of “Create Account”).
Updated Sign-Up and Login Screens
To prevent accidental account duplication, the redesigned login screen includes smart email detection. When users enter their email, the system identifies their original sign-up method and routes them to the appropriate login flow (e.g., Gmail for Google SSO, password field for Auth0). If no matching account is found, built-in guardrails gently guide the user to create a new account.
Retaining the SSO options was intentional to address issues with masked Apple emails (e.g., private.relay.com) and forgotten secondary emails, which often caused login errors. Including SSO buttons also taps into user familiarity and muscle memory, making the login experience more seamless and intuitive.
Final Thoughts
This project involved mapping detailed user flows and proactively anticipating potential pain points. I enjoyed the challenge of problem-solving and exploring ways to keep users on the right path while reducing friction at such a critical touchpoint.