Thanks for the article - it's nice to see a counterpoint to all of the advice that focuses only on a "call to action" on the homepage and trying to get people to take it (yes, like like the rotated angled screenshot that points to the signup button :-)
Seems like the ultimate home page would provide everything a prospect needs to decide before clicking "Signup". Basically no funnel at all - Home Page ->> Signup. Nice.
Yeah, I loved this article especially because of the "mythbusting" it does. We've been working on designing our sign-up page for a while, and a whole lot of the conventional wisdom doesn't seem to take into account actual user behavior.
The logged-out homepage that we have put together should provide potential users with enough information to sell them on the quality of our content and usefulness of our product before they even get to the sign-up page.
Nevertheless, it's always great to get more insight on this all-important element of design.
Seems like the ultimate home page would provide everything a prospect needs to decide before clicking "Signup". Basically no funnel at all - Home Page ->> Signup. Nice.
That's the premise behind the (in)famous "long form", and also why they are so successful (even if generally despised.)
Why the confusion? Why all the cramming of information? Yes! Good Content/Service, but also keep it simple. If I have to read a "chapter" on what you do, or play with four widgets to "learn" more, or visit your blog and troll for topics of interest, then I'm already turned off. I want to know if it's a product I can use/sign up for in less than 30 seconds -- speaking of which, there's a good chance you'll snag me if I'm 30 seconds in and still with you.
Seems like the ultimate home page would provide everything a prospect needs to decide before clicking "Signup". Basically no funnel at all - Home Page ->> Signup. Nice.