Eliminating the email confirmation step streamlines the process from sign-up to system engagement. The user will not have to break from the flow of the site, and thus their attention will remain engaged with the system.

The tradeoff, of course, is that the email is not confirmed. But this could be done later, whenever the user naturally logs into their email account. Once the system has the user’s attention and is getting them to sign up, it’s critical to take steps that ensure that the system will retain their attention.

A solution to the tradeoff would be to display the user’s email address prominently on the screen after sign-up that precedes logging into the system, with a “Hey, that’s not my email address!” link so the user can still verify their email without having to log into their email account.

Anything that makes the sign-up process fun and easy should be considered, but the tradeoffs should always be considered as well.

Harvest does not require first-time users to confirm their email address to start using their account, but rather logs them in as soon as they finish the sign-up form. This shortens the path to using the system, creates positive affect and begins the formation of mutual trust—all important elements for first-time users. This screen could include the user's email address so that they could verify the information before logging in.

Unfortunately when I went to the same URL at a later time, http://joshcoe.harvestapp.com/first_login redirected to http://joshcoe.harvestapp.com/home, a page where I could not log in. A link given to first-time users that could be clicked more than once should at least redirect to a page where existing users can log in.