UX Guidelines

Implementing Firefox Accounts into your service, product or feature

A Firefox Account enables a wide variety of experiences. It is primarily used to connect devices (using Sync) but is also used to access websites (like Add-ons). Because users’ motivations to authentican will vary, the calls to action require accompanying context. At the same time, you should aim to be present these calls to actions consistently.

Communicate the value of accounts consistently

  • Sync  Access your bookmarks, passwords and more on any device connected to your Firefox Account.
  • Firefox Hello  Call your favorite people directly and take your conversations with you on any device connected to your Firefox Account.
  • Find My Device  Locate any phone connected to your Firefox Account — lock it or even erase it remotely.
  • Mozilla Stumbler  Add your contributions to the leaderboard of any device connected to your Firefox Account.
  • Reading List  Access your Reading List and more on any device connected to your Firefox Account.
  • Add-ons  Access your add-ons connected to your Firefox Account.
Context Primary action Secondary action
Choose Appropriate Calls to Action
With ideal amount of space Create a Firefox Account Sign in
With less–than–ideal amount of space Create account Sign in
With only space for one call to action Use a Firefox Account N/A
When existing account is more likely to exist Sign in Create a Firefox Account
With less space Sign in Create account
When user is signed in to other service Sign in as user@domain.com Use a different account
Without value proposition, i.e. low context Sign in to Sync Create account
Context Primary action Secondary action
Accommodate Additional States
User is unverified (has not yet verified their Sync account) Resend verification Remove account
User has a verified Sync account Manage account Sign out
User has Hello account, but not Sync Sign in as user@domain.com Use a different account
User has an unauthorized account Reconnect to Sync Remove account
User was logged in, but signed out Sign in as user@domain.com Use a different account

Be aware of the context of a Firefox Account

  • Required or optional?
    Some experiences, like a website, require authentication for entry, while others can be used without.
  • To enable features or connect devices?
    Sometimes authentication unlocks a feature in a product, like contact import in Hello, while other times it is used for syncing with other devices.
  • Web-only or OS-specific?
    Sometimes you are just logging into a website, and other times you are enabling a feature on an Android app.
  • Low or high context?
    Users sometimes need an explanation for exactly why they should log in (“What does Sign in to Firefox do?”), whereas other times they implicitly understand what signing in does.

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 Contributors to this page: ryanfeeley, desertmonkey
 Last updated by: ryanfeeley,