There is little more frustrating than trying to access a website, and not remembering the password. The best web designers understand the annoyance forgotten passwords cause, and how this is responsible for loss of site traffic, even with the best web design. To prevent forgotten passwords from becoming a major problem, great College Station web design must include techniques aimed at helping users create, and more importantly – remember good passwords that serve them well.

The Problem of Forgotten Passwords

The inability to access website accounts because of forgotten passwords slows down site traffic, and reduces website business. It is also a security issue when people write their passwords down, usually on sticky notes and paper scraps, that others could also gain access to. Lost passwords cost a company money in time spent helping users with their login issues, especially when those users get locked out of accounts after many unsuccessful password attempts. The best web designers know the answer to this, and other password memory and recovery problems, is to help users create more memorable passwords.

Creating Memorable Passwords

College Station web design professionals suggest the best password is one that is strong and secure, and one a user will remember. Based on the way people decide things, and how they remember those decisions later, following are some tips to help create the best user password:

  • Make it Meaningful – Passwords should be meaningful, rather than random. Using birth dates is too obvious, but there are plenty of other meaningful things people can use for their passwords. The best web design professionals should provide secret questions for users to fill out to help them remember what their “meaningful” password relates to, in case they forget. Secret questions greatly increase password memory.

  • Keep Passwords Short, Simple and “Chunked” – Passwords should be short enough to remember, but long enough that they are hard to crack. Limit the number of characters used (if the website signup guidelines does not already do so – and include text in “chunks”. These are groups of characters (7 characters or less) that are easily remembered as multiple parts of a larger sequence, rather than one long string of characters.
  • Make Suggestions – Websites should offer suggestions in a call-out or sidebar on what constitutes a strong password. Using a strength gauge can help that, but the website should at least explain how the combination of capital and lowercase letters, combined with numbers and symbols improves password strength. Using these combinations may even be required by the site’s security system, so offer variations and examples of how these choices can be used.

  • Let the User Control PW Guidelines – Encourage users to create a guideline for their password creation that can work not just for one site, but all sites. Offering suggestions like including the same punctuation or capitalization, or the development of a personal password formula, are great ways to do just that.

  • Have Users Repeat their Passwords – Repetition is important to help users create the memory required to remember their password later. During password creation, ask users to re-type their choice to register it. Then, to actually login, ask them to type the new password, once again. Remind users occasionally with sporadic requests for them to re-enter their password to continue use, but ensure this does not happen too frequently or users could become annoyed.

Although it may seem like it has nothing to do with developing the best web design, College Station web design experts must deal with issues such as password creation and memory. If a user cannot login, or must go through a hassle every time they do, all of the effort put forth by the best web designers will be for nothing, since users will not get to appreciate it, and businesses will not gain any benefit from it. Password memory and easy recovery are two important features that must be considered, along with good web design to keep websites functioning efficiently.

Looking For The Best Web Designers In College Station?

Web Unlimited Has Web Design Pros To Help With All Your Website Needs!

Call (979) 599-7530 – Today!

Related Articles:

Website Visual Consistency – 3 Important Areas Of Concern!
Why You Need Mobile-Friendly – What Clients Need To Hear!
What To Avoid Like The Plague When Getting A New Website!
When Making It Simple In Web Design Is Not The Best Choice!
E-Commerce Web Designs Need Great Product Descriptions!