3 examples of great login screen designs

Editor’s note: This blog was rewritten on 28 February 2025 by Allie Paschal to provide three real-world examples of great login screens, expand on best practices, and cover FAQs.

Oftentimes, login screens feel like an afterthought in UX design — they’re typically not a key part of the user experience and fill more of a functional requirement. However, the login process is a critical touchpoint in your user’s journey as it serves as the place where they enter the product.

Although you might not notice login screens with good design (since you experience no friction), I bet you remember the ones with a poor design. If a user doesn’t feel like their account is well-secured or can’t remember their password, they might get frustrated and abandon the login process altogether. And if less and less users are logging in the website or app, you may not have the website or app much longer.

Users create their first impression with a product through the login process. This first interaction should guide the user to access their account or create a new one. It should also visually reflect the brand’s identity and be simple and intuitive, but also give helpful instructions when needed.

There’s so much more to designing for login screens than you might initially think. But whether you’re designing a new login screen from scratch or refining your current design, these examples and tips will help optimize your designs for an engaging and positive login process.

Examples of login screen designs

To understand what makes a good login screen, pay attention to what these successful products do.

Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Creative Cloud holds the collection of Adobe apps, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. It has both a website and desktop app login:

Adobe Creative Cloud’s login page is minimal, yet includes Adobe’s brand identity of creativity and innovation. The sign-in form has a total of eight buttons and one text field, grouped in a way for a user to quickly understand they have multiple login options to choose from.

If I enter my email in the text field, then select “Continue,” I’m taken to the next screen to enter my password or to continue with Google. Here, Adobe still gives you multiple options to proceed with logging in — whether it be through the standard password, social media, or getting help:

What does Adobe’s login screen do well?

• Flexibility — Users have multiple ways to access their account (enter their email to move on to the next step, use social media channels like Google, or get help) to accommodate to different user preferences
• Balance — Adobe prioritizes both the brand and simplicity for the login screen; the sign-in form is on an all-white card, but the background image shows interesting artwork
• Bold call-to-action — Although the sign-in form has eight buttons, only one is a “primary button,” which is given visual styling to make it look like the most important element
• Assistance — Adobe offers a clear button for help at the bottom of the form that says “Get help signing in” if users aren’t able to access their account from the options given

SoFi

SoFi is a personal financial company that offers services like investments, personal loans, and savings accounts. Since it’s a banking service with people’s hard-earned money on the line, the login process must be easy to use, but also have added layers of security. Similar to Adobe, SoFi has login processes for both the desktop website and native mobile application:

SoFi’s login screen is a simple, straightforward, and accommodates multiple types of users, such as existing users, first-time users, or users who forgot their password. The login form is on an all-white card with two text fields and three buttons. Other than the SoFi logo and the website’s footer, the login form is the only other element on the screen.

When you select the “Log in” button after inputting your login credentials with your email and password, you’re presented with a two-factor authentication screen where you must input a code your mobile phone received via SMS. This gives you a sense of security that your accounts are safe, but you can also select the “Remember this device” checkbox on the two-factor page if you don’t want to authenticate each time you access your account on a certain device.

What does SoFi’s login screen do well?

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• Supports different users — Both new and existing users with different intentions will access this login screen; new users can use the “Sign up” button below the form, while existing users can fill in the input fields and select the “Log in” button
• Security measures — Although this adds an additional step when logging in, SoFi’s two-factor authentication adds greater protection to your account, which helps users trust that their accounts are safe with SoFi
• Logical sequence — This login form arranges the input fields in an intuitive way for users to go through the flow of logging in — they enter their email and password, then select the “Log in” button to authenticate the device

Spotify

Spotify is a music streaming service that provides access to millions of songs, artists, and podcasts. Spotify’s user interface and branding has received a lot of praise, but have you observed if their login screens follow suit?

Since these login screens are for a mobile device, Spotify takes a step-by-step approach compared to Adobe and SoFi. The first screen only has two buttons that display “Sign up free” or “Log in.” After pressing “Log in,” you’re given four methods to log in as well as the choice to “Sign up.” After pressing “Continue with email,” you’re taken to a new page to enter your email and password.

If you fail to login with the correct password, Spotify proactively displays a bottom sheet letting you know they sent help to your email.

What do Spotify’s login screens do well?

• Divides the process — Instead of including all possible paths the user can take on the initial screen, Spotify chunks it into different steps so the user isn’t overwhelmed by too many options on a mobile device
• Clear call-to-action — Each screen shows a distinct green button with its primary call-to-action, such as “Sign up free” and “Continue with email,” to guide the user through the login process
• Proactive help — When Spotify detects that you’ve tried to login a few times without success, it sends help without the user having to ask for it (e.g., sending a link to login versus the user selecting a “Forgot password?” button)
• Balance — Similar to Adobe, the login screens balance both simplicity and Spotify’s branding with negative space and its recognizable neon-green color

UX principles behind good login screens

Now that you’ve explored examples of effective login designs, keep the following UX principles in mind to build a good login screen:

• Consistent and recognizable — Think about how many times a typical user logs into products on a daily basis. If each product has a different login experience, the user’s cognitive load increases from needing to learn a new process each time. Instead, login screens use the same design patterns (like using the same UI components) so users can quickly understand and navigate the login screen
• Simple and clear — Login screens need to be minimal and free from distractions, such as excessive branding or advertisements. The login screen should only have essential elements, like input fields with explicit labels and ways to get help
• Feedback and error prevention — When users are trying to log in a product, the design should work in every way possible to help the user complete the task. This includes giving meaningful feedback when the user succeeds or fails, as well as preventing errors from happening in the first place
• User control and flexibility — Unless your product has strict security measures for access to sensitive data or finances, you should give users multiple ways to log in the product. When users can log in through a standard password, Google, or Face ID, the barriers to access the product decrease
• Accessible and inclusive — Users of different abilities need to be able to log in the product; you don’t want to exclude a user group from experiencing a product because they can’t operate the login screen. Accessibility issues can be minimized by paying attention to color contrast ratios for text and UI components, keyboard functionality with focusable elements, and providing multiple ways to login (similar to user control and flexibility)

FAQs about login screens

This section walks you through the most frequently asked questions about login screens.

What makes a “good” login screen?

Even though the examples of login screens looked different, they have multiple similarities that make each of them effective.

These include:

• Simple and minimal — On each of the login screens, the login form and its UI components are the only things on the page, eliminating distraction and clutter to reduce the user’s cognitive load
• Usable yet secure — Users need to be able to gain easy access to their account with any product while keeping their information secure; providing multiple, safe options for users to login with maintains this balance
• Error prevention: It’s best to notify users before they make a mistake, such as warnings for caps lock or including constraints on inputs fields; this helps users proactively address errors before they occur

Creating a “good” login screen from scratch is challenging – Figma offers login page templates for desktop and mobile screens to give you a jump-start.

How do I reduce login friction while maintaining security?

Providing an easy way to log in with strong security is a delicate balance — the goal is to minimize the user’s effort while making the authentication robust so people can’t access an account that’s not theirs.

Methods to balance login friction and security include:

• Provide multiple login methods — Provide alternative login methods like social logins (Google), but you can also use password-less methods (one-time passcodes) and biometric authentication (Face ID)
• Enhance password usability — If users prefer to use a traditional password over alternative login methods, ensure the password input field supports auto-fill, includes a “show password” toggle, and include real-time validation (checks password length)
• Simplify two-factor authentication — Some industries, like finance and healthcare, require two-factor authentication due to data privacy; streamline this process by providing the user push notifications over manual codes and allow the user to trust their device

Should I include a “show password” toggle?

Yes, include a toggle to show and hide the password because it allows users to confirm their password before submission and improves accessibility for users who rely on screen readers (screen readers may ignore masked characters).

Best practices for including a password toggle include:

• Hide the password on default so the user must turn the toggle on
• Maintain consistency with other password toggle by using the standard “eye” icon
• Position the toggle near the password field so users understand what the toggle controls

What are the best practices for error handling and prevention?

Preventing errors and providing beneficial feedback when errors occur are critical aspects to consider when designing a login screen. Error prevention proactively reduces common barriers to entry like wrong user ID or password.

Best practices to consider for error handling and prevention include:

• Use real-time validation to highlight incorrect email formats or weak passwords
• Allow the user to copy and paste or autofill their password
• Don’t erase the user’s data when errors occur upon submission
• Use clear, simple language to describe an error
• Provide easy access to password or account recovery options

How can I make the login process accessible?

Accessibility is becoming a greater need for digital products. If a user can’t login due to poor accessibility, they’re excluded from the entire product.

Some considerations from including accessibility for login screens include:

• Ensure the login screen is keyboard-accessible (users can tab and interact with all fields correctly)
• Use <label> elements to properly mark form fields and avoid using placeholder text instead of a label
• Provide security alternatives to CAPTCHA (these can hinder users with visual or cognitive disabilities)
• Use clear language for input fields and buttons (use “Log in” versus “Submit”)
• Ensure high color contrast between text and its direct background

To learn more about making your login process compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), check out this video from GOV.UK on accessible authentication.

Conclusion

I get it – login screens feel like a mundane requirement the UX designs must include. The login process isn’t one of the key user flows you worked tirelessly on, and some users don’t really notice it. But it’s a more significant touchpoint than it seems; it’s the first step of the user’s journey and where they create their first impression of a product.

Creating a successful login screen is challenging. It involves balancing the company’s brand with simplicity, as well as usability with security. Not only that, you must account for the different types of users who may be accessing the login, such as new and existing users.

As a designer, you can generate this balance and user accommodation by using UX principles such as consistency, clarity, and accessibility. With these principles, you’ll design login screens that match your users’ mental model, improve usability, and include many user groups – all so the users can access and begin using your product.

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