Today I decided to review a journey for something I had to do a few times in the past – changing my password on Skype.com.
I remember it being a rather convoluted process, so much so, that I know more than a few people who actually created a new account just because they couldn’t recover or reset their passwords.
I’m hoping to discover that this has been improved.
Let’s dive right in.
User Persona
Woman, 35+, lives in Switzerland;
Online savvy, with a solid internet connection;
Uses Skype only on occasion, not as the main tool for video calls;
User Task
To visit Skype.com and reset the password for an existing Skype account.
Homepage
Immediately upon landing on the homepage I search for the ‘Log in’ button. My guess is that’s where I’m going to find a link to reset my password. ‘Sign in’ link at the top right will probably be the way to go.
Uhm, why hasn’t the ‘Sign in’ link given me a sign-in form, either on a page or on a drop-down? I went from wanting to take one specific action, to having to choose between 3 different actions. I think I’ll take my chances with the ‘My account’ link.
Oh good Lord, it’s one of those “This product belongs to a bigger business so you should sign in with something else, it’s not branded just Skype anymore, it’s Microsoft, hello!”
I’m not really sure that what I’m doing here is going to get me where I want to go, but it looks like I have no other option so I’m going to cross my fingers and keep going, slightly annoyed.
I click on the “Forgot password” link.
Wait, my Skype account isn’t on this email address, how can I change it? I’ll go with Cancel, although I don’t want to cancel my task, I just want to make changes.
I reach the previous step where I then click “Sign in with a different Microsoft account” – although I don’t want to sign in, I can’t remember my password, remember? Also, I still don’t know if Microsoft account is the same as Skype account!
I play along and use a different email address, then click on the ‘Forgot password’ link again. The screenshot would be repetitive so I’ll spare you.
I’ll chose an option my only option. The “I don’t have any of these” should say “I can’t verify my identity with this method”.
As soon as I select the option, the box expands asking me to provide the last 4 digits of my phone number. Why didn’t you say so before? This is becoming frustrating. And I’m still not sure this is going to get me where I need to go.
Why is there a link to “I have a code” if there hasn’t been any other way of me receiving it until now?
I put my last 4 digits, I’m waiting for the code. In the meantime I’m contemplating how I can reset my password if the code doesn’t arrive. The link to “Use a different verification option” just takes me back to the beginning where I only had this verification option anyway! Looping, anyone?
I received the code and successfully submitted it, to reach the password reset form. Yes, we’re getting there!
I change the password with no issues, and when I try to save it in my Lastpass, I realize that my new password is exactly the same as the old password (which, for this exercise, I pretended not to have). So why did Microsoft/Skype allow me to use the exact same password as the one I’m trying to override? Usually this isn’t allowed. This makes me a bit unsure whether I’ve changed the password for the right account or not. Let’s try to sign in to check.
I successfully sign in and the first thing I see is this notice suggesting that I start using a different sign-in method. Install and set up an app just for one service? No, thanks – which is what I click. (Shouldn’t there be a comma in the “No thanks”? I could be wrong.)
I reach an error page! Should I laugh or cry?
I’m out, I’ve got better things to do. Next time I’m just going to open a new account, it might be easier.