The recent hacking of adultery dating site Ashley Madison has provoked a growing interest in the ways sites deal with user acquisition and user information.
This can certainly be said for Sam Hulick, founder of UserOnboard.com as he shares his Ashley Madison site teardown.
Prompted by his curiosity about how the infidelity site managed to acquire so many users, the American UX designer released a teardown of its sign up process.
Hulick humorously depicts the various stages of a signup to Ashley Madison, picking out the subtle features used to entice new users.
He exposes the science behind Ashley Madison’s sign up process, including the way males users are hooked into paying for credits following a “flirtation” opportunity with a suspected fake female profile.
UserOnboard also notes the style of the site’s discreet marketing copy, pointing out key examples, like the persuasive “See Your Matches” button on the homepage and its reassuring “Add a discreet photo” instruction.
Check out the full teardown here.