[Sigia-l] RE: Designing a site with restricted content

[Sanchez, Mario]

David wrote:
> Should all restricted content be hidden until an appropriate 
> login is used? 
> Or should all items be visible to all users, but with a login 
> page between 
> selecting the link and viewing the actual content?

There seem to be 2 related design considertions here:
* Should "restricted" content be hidden until login, or should they be always visile but inaccessible until login?
* Should the login be required at initial entry, or should it be required when trying to access a specific restricted piece?

I suggest starting by assuming all options are required, and then removing options until you get to the preferred solution:

1. Should any restricted content be exposed to not-logged-in users? This is preferrable if your goal is to entice users to subscribe for higher access levels, like www.gantthead.com. And you can use some kind of icon or "subscribe now" message to both indicate the type of content and to entice the users. 

2. Should any access (links, references, etc) to restricted content be completely hidden until after login? This is preferrable if the displayed metadata for the resticted content is sensitive in nature... for example, if it's a draft of a yet-to-be-released merger announcement on a corporate intranet.

You can then decide the point of login based on your decisions on #1 and #2 above:

3. If you choose to go with #2, you should probably require login before accessing content. Otherwise, how will the CEO ever see the draft of the press release?

4. If you choose #1, you can allow login at initial entry, but you should also allow not-logged-in users to log in when they try to access restricted content.

Based on your situation, you may decide any any combination of the above. It's also possible that you will decide on all 4... many robust ecommerce apps do.

Mario Sanchez