h3

Guest Account at a glance

Site Genre: Pattern Group h

magnify imageFigure H3.1 Pottery Barn Kids lets its customers make purchases as either guests or registered members. When purchasing as a guest, customers are assured that their personal information will be used only for processing the order and will not be kept in the company’s database.

Background

Some customers prefer just to use a Web site instead of having to create an account first. For example, they might want to use the QUICK-FLOW CHECKOUT (F1) without having to go through SIGN-IN/NEW ACCOUNT (H2). This pattern describes guest accounts in detail.

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PROBLEM

Many customers will be put off and possibly leave a Web site if they have to create an account to use it. However, you need information from customers to support them in their tasks.

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SOLUTION

magnify image Figure H3.5 Make account creation optional, and put it at the end of the process.

Give new visitors the option of creating an account at the end of a process, rather than forcing them to create one at the beginning.

Other Patterns to Consider

Guest accounts are an alternative to requiring customers to go through the SIGN-IN/NEW ACCOUNT (H2) process at the beginning of QUICK-FLOW CHECKOUT (F1). To implement guest accounts, use temporary session IDs, as discussed in PERSISTENT CUSTOMER SESSIONS (H5).

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