1. Streamlining Login with an
Account Chooser
Google Case Study
Adam Dawes
adawes@google.com
http://goo.gl/VKxhkP

2. Google Confidential and Proprietary
How did we realize we needed a different login flow?
Google Apps configured to auth via SAML
“Idiot Box”

3. Google Confidential and Proprietary
How did we realize we needed a different login flow?
50% of users that click sign-up have an account

4. Google Confidential and Proprietary
Authentication ritual: typically performed as a single act
Really has two parts: identifier and credential

5. Google Confidential and Proprietary
What’s possible when you separate them?
Clean federation flows
Enterprise SAML customers
Consumer IDPs

6. Google Confidential and Proprietary
What’s possible when you separate them?
More flexible login challenges

7. Google Confidential and Proprietary
But what’s the UX when you separate them?
But what if you begin remembering the identifier on the device...

8. Google Confidential and Proprietary
What happens when you save the identifier locally?
Better login conversions
● Name and photo for easy account
recognition
● No typing email address!
(millions of cries of thanks from mobile
users)

9. Google Confidential and Proprietary
What happens when people switch user accounts on a device?
Account Chooser
● Simplifies login for users with multiple
accounts and people who share
devices
● Useful in other flows like OAuth
consent

10. Google Confidential and Proprietary
Account Chooser and avoiding double consent

11. Google Confidential and Proprietary
Account Choosers don’t need to be branded

12. Google Confidential and Proprietary
Wouldn’t all sites benefit from having a shared account chooser?
OpenID Foundation accountchooser.com project
● Preserves privacy - all entries
stored locally in HTML5 storage
● Easy for developers to integrate
● Google now bootstrapping entries,
others to follow
● Google to move towards using
accountchooser.com in the future
accounts.google.com

13. Google Confidential and Proprietary
The Account Chooser pattern is taking off
Android
Google
● Preserves privacy - can be called
without any privileges for Google
accounts
● Exploring way to represent all
accounts on the device
Yahoo
● Built directly into their own app

14. Google Confidential and Proprietary
The Account Chooser pattern is taking off
AppleTV

15. Google Confidential and Proprietary
Account Chooser: As complex as you want to make it

16. Google Confidential and Proprietary
More information
www.accountchooser.net