Sign-in form

“Sign in” is used to log into the system, or to recover a lost password.

When to Use

Use this pattern when user needs to sign into the system.

Interaction and Behavior

General

The user may “tab” to navigate the form in the following order:

First tab = active “Username” field
Second tab = active “Password” field
Third tab = focus on “Sign in” button
Fourth tab = focus on hyperlink (“Forgot your password?”)
Fifth tab = return to top of the order.

Initial state

In its initial state the sign-in module consists of

a Welcome message
two text fields – Username and Password
a link to retrieve the user’s password
a button to submit the user’s credentials – Sign in

Error state

In the event that invalid credentials are submitted the sign-in module consists of

an alert message informing the user that either the Username or Password is invalid
two text fields – Username and Password, where the Username field will retain the initial entry as typed by the user and be the active field and the password field will be blank
a link to retrieve the user’s password
a button to submit the user’s credentials – Sign in

Password retrieval

If the user opts to retrieve their password via the hyperlink (“Forgot your password?”) the sign-in module will display

the title Password Help in the style of the Welcome message from the initial state
instructional text explaining the process for retrieving one’s password
a text field to enter the user’s email address used at the time of registration; a button to submit the user’s email address and initiate the process – Retrieve Password
a link to cancel the retrieval and return to the initial state of the sign-in module – “Back to Sign in”

Confirmation of password retrieval

Once a user submits their email address to retrieve their password, the module will provide a confirmation on the action via text in the module.

the title Password Help in the style of the Welcome message from the initial state
text confirming that an email has been sent
a link to return to the initial state of the sign-in module – “Back to Sign in”

Error of password retrieval

In the event that the user enters an invalid email address, either by mistyping or by entering an unregistered email address, the module will display an alert message.

the title Password Help in the style of the Welcome message from the initial state
an alert message indicating the email address failed
a text field to enter the user’s email address used at the time of registration; a button to submit the user’s email address and initiate the process – Retrieve Password
a link to cancel the retrieval and return to the initial state of the sign-in module – “Back to Sign in”

Successful sign-out

When the user signs out of the system they are presented with the sign-in module as follows

an alert message informing the user that sign-out was successful
two text fields – Username and Password
a link to retrieve the user’s password
a button to submit the user’s credentials – Sign in.

Style

Suggested specifications.

The module container should be centered in the browser and should be some percentage of the width viewport (about one-half) but no less that 450px on desktop and tablet form factors.