Asana Heuristics Review: Login & Sign Up Processes
I adore Asana as a platform. They have built a stream lined and easy to use and modify project tracking system. I use it to track both personal projects, team-oriented projects, and freelance projects of various kinds.
Because I love it so, I am a bit critical of one major flaw and one minor flaw in its login and signup user flows. I thought they had fixed this issue, but I find that when I use a totally different email, I'm tossed right back into it. As of 2022 they had not changed this issue, so I am assuming this may be a business need. Since I do not work for the company, nor have any insight into their business requirements, I can only go with what I experience as a user.
Asana, I hope this finds you well and is useful feedback for your company.
Asana, I hope this finds you well and is useful feedback for your company.
Project Cover image detailing the issues, my roles, timeline, and the primary challenge.
Summary:
I use Asana to track my personal and freelance projects. This even includes chores or important to do items if I'm on the go. Since it allows a user to have multiple projects accessed under one user name, it keeps everything neat and organized. I would even compare it to JIRA, which I have the most experience in using to date.
It seems to have a flaw in it's login and sign up processes. It traps a user in a seemingly endless logic loop, supported by either a browser or cookie based memory of the user's last position within the process.
Main Issue - Asana forces the user to sign up if they accidentally use the wrong email address to "sign in", specifically with the Google API.
Even if you Exit the window, clear the browser cache, restart the computer, and start up the *same* browser you used before, it will dropped you right back into that same spot you were at, trying to force you to sign up.
Even if you Exit the window, clear the browser cache, restart the computer, and start up the *same* browser you used before, it will dropped you right back into that same spot you were at, trying to force you to sign up.
Using a separate Browser sometimes worked and sometimes doesn't This make me think it might be an API related issue.
Timeline:
I initially ran across this in early 2019 when I forgot which email I used to log into my account. At the time, for security purposes, I was not using Google's password/login save feature. I tried to contact the company to sort out the issue to no avail.
I allowed a day to go by to see if it was a cookie-related issue. I tried clearing my browser cache. I deleted my cookies. None of this worked. So I tried a different browser, and intentionally used the wrong email to see if I could trigger the issue again in case it was a browser-based issue. Same issues, same attempts to clear the issue with this different browser.
I allowed a day to go by to see if it was a cookie-related issue. I tried clearing my browser cache. I deleted my cookies. None of this worked. So I tried a different browser, and intentionally used the wrong email to see if I could trigger the issue again in case it was a browser-based issue. Same issues, same attempts to clear the issue with this different browser.
It took nearly two weeks of not going anywhere near the site, using my main browser in order to "clear" the issue. Only to trigger it again (because I forgot which email I was using for it).
Frustrated, I opted to use a different method to track my projects until either the issues "cleared" or my inquires were answered. About 6 months later, I tried again. Again I was caught up in the logic loop.
Frustrated, I opted to use a different method to track my projects until either the issues "cleared" or my inquires were answered. About 6 months later, I tried again. Again I was caught up in the logic loop.
After deciding to do a Heuristic review on it for my own purposes, it took me a day to catalogue the issue, map out the user flow, and find the "traps" in the process. Below are my efforts and insights.
Asana Users have two groupings.
Users:
Primary users:
- Project Managers
- Private Designer or developers tracking personal or freelance projects for their clients.
Secondary users:- Project Teammates and Stakeholders
Research Slide discussing some of the work done on the project.
Research:
As I wanted to do a solid evaluation on the site's heuristics successes and failures, I need to capture the step by step process. So I waited until the problem cleared itself up, and went back in with the full intention of triggering the issue.
I captured screen-shots of each step. Documented it using a process chart (seen below) and sat down with my heuristics lists to look over what else might be an issue, besides trapping users in a logic loop.
User Flow Documentation Slide.
Evaluation:
It fully failed 4 out of the 10, and partly failed 2 out of the 10 heuristics. Being slightly more than half, this highlighted the seriousness of the issue.
Issues:
- Error Recovery - Only had two aspects/point in the process that allowed for error recovery. Login with non-api based username and password failure, and non-api based sign up failure.
- User Control - Traps user in loop/return to the same place in process when using the Google api login feature fails due to using the wrong email.
- Help/Documentation - Could not reach the FAQs once trapped in the loop.
- Error Messages - No error message given if using the api with the wrong email. Only error message given was during use of the non-api based login failure.
- Consistency / Real World Match - This is a personal one as they don't have a "trial" to "try out". The button saying "Try it Out" is not consistent with the actual end result of registering for a free-level account when clicked on. That is a big difference.
Try it out, trials, and samples should not require registration.
User Flow / Process documentation of Asana login/register processes.
Solution Slide.
Solutions:
If user uses the wrong email:
- inform the user of the error
- allow them to recover / offer them a way out
- give them the option to sign up, do not force a sign up
- allow the mistake to clear the system upon, at the very least, when the browser closes, when the cache is cleared, or a restart of the computer system.
- offer registration *as* registration
- remove the email capture (sign up for updates) from the register/try it out page as it only leads to confusion.
Extras:
Below are samples of the screen shots I captured.
From the main screens to the login screens, there is no "error or recovery".
Besides this glaring problem, Asana is a great service. I highly recommend it for tracking projects.
Besides this glaring problem, Asana is a great service. I highly recommend it for tracking projects.
