v2.0.0 to v2.0.0

---

name: suede-signup

description: "Suede-owned signup conversion discipline. Use when auditing or redesigning account creation, registration, or trial-start flows, including field friction, progressive profiling, identity options, mobile behavior, abandonment, and measurement. NOT FOR: post-signup activation (use suede-onboarding), lead-capture forms (use suede-site-alchemy), or deploying auth and compliance changes without review."

metadata:

version: 2.0.0

---

# Suede Signup Conversion

Suede Signup identifies measurable friction between intent and completed account

creation, then turns it into accessible, security-preserving experiments. It

optimizes only the registration boundary and hands post-account activation to

the Suede onboarding lane.

## Initial Assessment

**Check for product marketing context first:**

If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Before providing recommendations, understand:

1. **Flow Type**

- Free trial signup

- Freemium account creation

- Paid account creation

- Waitlist/early access signup

- B2B vs B2C

2. **Current State**

- How many steps/screens?

- What fields are required?

- What's the current completion rate?

- Where do users drop off?

3. **Business Constraints**

- What data is genuinely needed at signup?

- Are there compliance requirements?

- What happens immediately after signup?

---

## Core Principles

### 1. Minimize Required Fields

Every field reduces conversion. For each field, ask:

- Do we absolutely need this before they can use the product?

- Can we collect this later through progressive profiling?

- Can we infer this from other data?

**Typical field priority:**

- Essential: Email (or phone), Password

- Often needed: Name

- Usually deferrable: Company, Role, Team size, Phone, Address

### 2. Show Value Before Asking for Commitment

- What can you show/give before requiring signup?

- Can they experience the product before creating an account?

- Reverse the order: value first, signup second

### 3. Reduce Perceived Effort

- Show progress if multi-step

- Group related fields

- Use smart defaults

- Pre-fill when possible

### 4. Remove Uncertainty

- Clear expectations ("Takes 30 seconds")

- Show what happens after signup

- No surprises (hidden requirements, unexpected steps)

---

## Field-by-Field Optimization

### Email Field

- Single field (no email confirmation field)

- Inline validation for format

- Check for common typos (gmial.com → gmail.com)

- Clear error messages

### Password Field

- Show password toggle (eye icon)

- Show requirements upfront, not after failure

- Consider passphrase hints for strength

- Update requirement indicators in real-time

**Better password UX:**

- Allow paste (don't disable)

- Show strength meter instead of rigid rules

- Consider passwordless options

### Name Field

- Single "Full name" field vs. First/Last split (test this)

- Only require if immediately used (personalization)

- Consider making optional

### Social Auth Options

- Place prominently (often higher conversion than email)

- Show most relevant options for your audience

- B2C: Google, Apple, Facebook

- B2B: Google, Microsoft, SSO

- Clear visual separation from email signup

- Consider "Sign up with Google" as primary

### Phone Number

- Defer unless essential (SMS verification, calling leads)

- If required, explain why

- Use proper input type with country code handling

- Format as they type

### Company/Organization

- Defer if possible

- Auto-suggest as they type

- Infer from email domain when possible

### Use Case / Role Questions

- Defer to `suede-onboarding` if possible

- If needed at signup, keep to one question

- Use progressive disclosure (don't show all options at once)

---

## Single-Step vs. Multi-Step

### Single-Step Works When:

- 3 or fewer fields

- Simple B2C products

- High-intent visitors (from ads, waitlist)

### Multi-Step Works When:

- More than 3-4 fields needed

- Complex B2B products needing segmentation

- You need to collect different types of info

### Multi-Step Best Practices

- Show progress indicator

- Lead with easy questions (name, email)

- Put harder questions later (after psychological commitment)

- Each step should feel completable in seconds

- Allow back navigation

- Save progress (don't lose data on refresh)

**Progressive commitment pattern:**

1. Email only (lowest barrier)

2. Password + name

3. Customization questions (optional)

---

## Trust and Friction Reduction

### At the Form Level

- "No credit card required" (if true)

- "Free forever" or "14-day free trial"

- Privacy note: "We'll never share your email"

- Security badges if relevant

- Testimonial near signup form

### Error Handling

- Inline validation (not just on submit)

- Specific error messages ("Email already registered" + recovery path)

- Don't clear the form on error

- Focus on the problem field

### Microcopy

- Placeholder text: Use for examples, not labels

- Labels: Keep visible (not just placeholders) — placeholders disappear when typing, leaving users unsure what they're filling in

- Help text: Only when needed, placed close to field

---

## Mobile Signup Optimization

- Larger touch targets (44px+ height)

- Appropriate keyboard types (email, tel, etc.)

- Autofill support

- Reduce typing (social auth, pre-fill)

- Single column layout

- Sticky CTA button

- Test with actual devices

---

## Post-Submit Experience

### Success State

- Clear confirmation

- Immediate next step

- If email verification required:

- Explain what to do

- Easy resend option

- Check spam reminder

- Option to change email if wrong

### Verification Flows

- Consider delaying verification until necessary

- Magic link as alternative to password

- Let users explore while awaiting verification

- Clear re-engagement if verification stalls

---

## Measurement

### Key Metrics

- Form start rate (landed → started filling)

- Form completion rate (started → submitted)

- Field-level drop-off (which fields lose people)

- Time to complete

- Error rate by field

- Mobile vs. desktop completion

### What to Track

- Each field interaction (focus, blur, error)

- Step progression in multi-step

- Social auth vs. email signup ratio

- Time between steps

---

## Output Format

### Audit Findings

For each issue found:

- **Issue**: What's wrong

- **Fix**: Specific recommendation

- **Priority**: High/Medium/Low

### Recommended Changes

Organized by:

1. Quick wins (same-day fixes)

2. High-impact changes (week-level effort)

### Form Redesign (if requested)

- Recommended field set with rationale

- Field order

- Copy for labels, placeholders, buttons, errors

- Visual layout suggestions

---

## Common Signup Flow Patterns

### B2B SaaS Trial

1. Email + Password (or Google auth)

2. Name + Company (optional: role)

3. → Onboarding flow

### B2C App

1. Google/Apple auth OR Email

2. → Product experience

3. Profile completion later

### Waitlist/Early Access

1. Email only

2. Optional: Role/use case question

3. → Waitlist confirmation

### E-commerce Account

1. Guest checkout as default

2. Account creation optional post-purchase

3. OR Social auth with single click

---

## Experiment Ideas

---

## Boundaries

- Do not deploy signup or authentication changes, remove security, consent, age,

identity, or legal controls, or alter stored user data without owner review.

- Do not use deceptive defaults, forced consent, hidden costs, or inaccessible

friction reduction.

- Do not claim conversion lift without a current baseline and completed

experiment; keep personal data out of examples and diagnostic output.

## Routing

- Use `suede-onboarding` for activation after account creation.

- Use `suede-site-alchemy` for lead-capture and non-account forms.

- Use `suede-ab-testing` to design and evaluate signup experiments.

- Use `suede-analytics` to instrument funnel stages and read outcomes.