How-to improve the Steemgifts.com Account Creation Experience

In my very first article ever published on the Steem blockchain, I explained - to other aspiring Steemians maybe reading that article of mine - that they should not worry (too much) if their account approval takes a few days or even a bit longer. However, where in my case I needed to wait "only" for about 50 hours from signing up to getting my account approved, in other cases I heard of it took weeks until approval, and other accounts never get approved / activated at all... The feeling of uncertainty if the new account will ever be approved right after signing up, is something I can personally relate to, and that is not a pleasant emotion to experience.

Existing ways for account creation apart from email & phone validation

The Steem blockchain however allows for more ways to create new accounts, for example:

• new accounts could be created via the Python and/or JS Steem APIs, however, a new user still needs to know an existing Steem user willing to create that account,
• or new users could use the Anon Steem website, however that website looks a bit ... shady... to be completely honest. A new user, completely unfamiliar to the Steem ecosystem, might not trust this website, because of its current user interface. And apart from that, a new user might not own any BTC, LTC or Steem yet, making it cumbersome to register via the Anon Steem website;
• then there is the new SteemConnect interface, which is quite alright apart from that it's hard to find, and doesn't have a GUI nor narrative explanation what the website is about.

Enter SteemGifts.com !

In the past week, I spent quite some time talking to my friend @howo over at Discord about the Open Source project he co-founded together with @fredrikaa : https://steemgifts.com.
SteemGifts is still very new (as a Utopian moderator I evaluated its first GitHub code commit even) and under heavy development still. However, SteemGifts addresses all the "account creation problems" I addressed above, at least: it could (IMHO) after implementing the following suggestions:

-1- Create new accounts via Steem account "@steemgifts" as its creator

Currently, SteemGifts.com asks for an existing Steem username and its active key, via which username the new account will be created. However, users trying to help a friend to onboard Steem, or merely seeking for an anonymous way to create multiple self-owned accounts, might prefer to NOT have their own name associated as the new account's creator account. I suggest to change this, by making the account "@steemgifts" the default creator of newly created accounts.

-2- Add a simple invitation card option without direct account creation

Many existing Steem users might just be looking for a way to invite their friends to come to Steem, simply because they like it so much and they want to invite their friends to join in as well. The "gift" is then just the invitation, and the invitation, including a really nice invitation card, can just be sent via email, hence inviting the friend (invitee) to self-decide whether to sign-up or not, and can be directed to either SteemGifts.com or to https://steemit.com/ for regular account sign-up and email & phone validation.

-3- Create accounts via transaction memos instead of signing in via username & ActiveKey

Currently, SteemGifts.com asks for Steem login credentials (username & ActiveKey), which some users might feel unsafe about.

Following the AnonSteem workflow, I suggest changing asking for the username & ActiveKey to simply allowing copy-pasting of transaction memos.

-4- Add the option to delegate Steem for account creation

At the current Steem price levels, people might feel "Cheapio" (my account name has nothing to do with that!) for paying hard-earned Steem coins for account creations. Following the SteemConnect example, it's also possible to create accounts via temporary SP delegation. Let's add that option to SteemGifts.com as well!

-5- Add an option for self-creation of an account

Many people don't actually know any fellow-Steemians! I didn't know anybody active on Steem when I signed up for example, and I'm surely not alone in that. So why not send yourself (as a new Steem user) a SteemGift? Let's add an option to pay for the account creation with the minimum amount of Steem needed, paid for with other crypto assets held on outside exchanges.

-6- Improve the SteemGift Visuals / Animations

Currently, the SteemGifts website displays a nice Christmas card, with snowflakes, a small christmas tree, the Steem logo, a QR-code, a password, and of course the new username. But in a few days time, Christmas 2017 is in the past, and therefore new / more cards are needed. @howo told me that currently a tool called JIMP ("JavaScript Image Manipulation Program") is used for statically processing the SteemGift card. However, we could display multiple self-designed cards to choose from, animate different objects in them via the GSAP animation platform (imagine all those cute snowflakes falling down and the christmas tree lights blinking?)!

Concluding

I really think these SteemGifts.com improvement suggestions can make SteemGifts.com into THE SOLUTION to what Steem needs right now! It lets everybody on-board seamlessly so that the platform grows and grows! Ho Ho Ho! Did Santa just give me some SteemGifts ?

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Posted on Utopian.io - Rewarding Open Source Contributors

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