This an article from March 09 by Kevin Vigneault of Viget that explores some techniques using Javascript to create more usable password inputs in forms. The ideas range from using a checkbox or button to temporarily show the password or changing type from text to password when the input is not in focus. Great ideas.
If you're interested in this topic, you might also want to check out Chris Dary's experiments with password masking.
Nice, Pauric. Similar to Identicons, but simpler and smaller.
What I dont like about Identicons & similar is the level of cognitive processing involved.
Agree that it's more work. Simplest thing for most uses is the show/hide checkbox, which is even better than the delayed visibility in mobile devices.
Well, I'm not as keen on the show-hide style either.
Lets divide users in to power & intermediate/novice and think about desktop machines. Power users are predominantly keyboard users who, when interacting with forms such as login, will TAB their way through the interaction (if it's a good design!). As a power user their password is strong and burned hard in to muscle memory. On the other hand the medium to low-end users reach for the mouse more often, they need to look at the keyboard as they cant touch type.
So, with that highly generalised scenario in mind I feel the show-hide checkbox fails as it's not that useful for the High end guys (they dont need it) and demands the Medium to Low end users move attention from Screen to Keyboard (enter password) to Screen (see the checkbox) and back to Mouse (check the box) back to screen and then back to the mouse to either Continue or to the keyboard if a correction is needed. A lot of work!
In short, I think it's better to keep the user on a particular input device as much as possible.
Perhaps it's the novice user who maybe wants to actually see what they type most. Regardless of user type, when you're in you're home, you're most likely not worried about security.
I would consider myself among your power user set, but I feel like seeing my password is actually useful to me because my passwords are complicated. I also wouldn't find it hard to tab to a checkbox and click space to check it, then Shift tab backwards, assuming the checkbox is last in order. But I would also not think it hard to take a second to click a checkbox either.
I think it's not a lot of work to click a checkbox to see what you're typing, and it gives you some confidence that you won't have to fill out the form again. Ever try filling out a password on a TV screen using a remote control? That, for me, has been the worst experience when it comes to making errors in filling out passwords because it takes so long to click directional arrows to fill out. If I could optionally see what I was typing I wouldn't get as frustrated.
Yes, there's a better way. Stop masking passwords.
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/07/the_pros_and_co.html
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