#essay{:title        "Don't make users pick a username",       :date         #inst "2013-01-15",       :updated      #inst "2016-10-15",       :reading-time "1 min"}

Don't make users pick a username

2013-01-15, updated 2016-10-15 · 1 min read ·

Who doesn't love being cutekittenprincess87?

Instead, pick a username for them and let them change it later. Better yet, use an existing identity provider.

Even for a reputation-based service where a username matters, get the customer's email first, so you can market to them and help them pick a unique name.