My #1 Web Usability Complaint

If you were a hair dresser, you probably couldn't help critiquing people's hair everywhere you go -- if only in your head. An interior decorator would probably walk into my place and shudder. And since I'm in the business of making websites, I pick apart of lot of web experiences.

However, there are some things so universally dumb, that everyone should be annoyed by them. The one that tops my list, and always has is this:

Websites that prompt you for your user name when they actually want your email address.

Like most of you I'm sure, I have a series of passwords that I use depending on the requirements of the site in question and the level of security I hope to maintain with it. So when I am unable to login to a site, and I'm presented the following two options, I choose 2 since my user name is the same 9 times out of 10.

1. Forgot Username?
2. Forgot Password?

I go through all of their security questions only to learn that my password is the first one I tried. Now I need to go through everything all over again, choosing option 1, "Forgot Username" instead.

And after all of it... turns out my username is my email address. Cue Incredible Hulk music as the anger starts rising.

Username ≠ Email Address.

If you want a username, ask for it. If you want an email address, ask for that. Make your website better and save me time and frustration.