Onboarding and Reset Password User Flows for Uber and Airbnb
How the flow process for Reset Password and Onboarding works from start to finish
1. Introduction
In this project I attempted to create user flows for both the onboarding and reset password processes of both Airbnb and Uber, the purpose being to understand schematically how these processes work and to recognize their design patterns. I started by creating a simple "Legend", on which I based my flows around. I then proceeded to create the flows themselves by going through the differing onboarding and reset password processes of both Uber and Airbnb.
2. Airbnb
Both the onboarding and recover password processes were intuitive and easy to manage. On the onboarding side, I focused on the "continue with Google" process. While the flow itself might seem a bit complex, the navigation was simple and did not require a lot of brain power. It used a lot of pop-ups to direct the user and at the end an SMS code is required in order to successfully create an account, an added layer of security which is more than welcomed today.
"Recovering your password" was also an easy to use process and the flow itself reflects this by being quite simple. It uses an email system to authenticate the user and allow for the password to be changed.
3. Uber
Uber's onboarding process seems significantly more complex from Airbnb's at first glance. It requires users to choose between three differing account options, with the onboarding process being slightly different for each option. It uses an SMS authenticator feature to preserve the security of the process, and at the end redirects users to specific webpages, in relation to which onboarding option they first chose.
As for the "Forgot your password" process, it is not as intuitive as Airbnb's, requiring users to authenticate themselves using an SMS code or an Email code before allowing them to recover their passwords. While this added layer of security is just as welcomed as it was in the Airbnb process, it sort of needlessly confuses the user as to how their password can be reset. I found myself Googling "Uber Reset Password" a few times before I managed to find out how to reset my password from the process itself.
4. Conclusions
Both websites' ways of onboarding and recovering passwords have advantages and disadvantages. The flows themselves reflect how each of the two processes for both Airbnb and Uber direct the user towards the stated goal. Based on the complexity of the flows, it can be deceiving at first glance which process is more intuitive.
