There’s always a difficult task of balancing security with excellent user experience. It’s already established that traditional authentication methods are insecure due to risks of reuse and abuse. In the same vein, the traditional methods of authentication deliver a lackluster user and customer experience.  

As a business that intends to succeed in the long term, you cannot afford to neglect user experience. From the point of enrolment, login, and payments, emphasis should be placed on delivering the best user experience. For most businesses, delivering an average user experience will eventually have significant consequences.

You cannot operate your business relying on a cumbersome environment and authentication processes as obtainable with password authentication. When this happens, a surge in support calls leads to the draining of valuable business resources. If you check through the support call logs of IT teams of most businesses, you’ll realize that they are not getting the best out of their relationship with the business due to security issues.

This is where passwordless authentication comes into the picture, revamping how you’ve been operating as a business. It’s all about embarking on a transformative journey of a user-centric approach to security.

This blog post will focus on how you can attain excellent user experience via passwordless authentication as a business.

Step By Step Approach To User-Centric Security Via Passwordless Authentication

Your customers are at a boiling point due to the plethora of passwords in both their professional and private lives. This is why your business needs to switch to passwordless alternatives like the remote authentication by Kelvin Zero. It’s not that your business will not struggle when you make this switch, but it’s a journey that has to be embarked upon. Let’s do a step-by-step guideline you have to follow in your switch;

1. Understand The Need Of Your Customers

While a salesperson will say that every user is unique, no two customer is the same in need and pattern. Yet, you need to take your time in studying your customer’s preferences and behavior.

The knowledge of their thought system as a group will guide your switch to a passwordless authentication method that aligns with their needs and expectations.

2. Document The Pain Points of Your Customers

To get it right with your switch to a passwordless authentication method, there’s also the need to have a load down of why your customers are struggling with their passwords.

You must look into enrolment, authentication, transaction confirmation, payment processes, and account recovery. You need to be precise about what causes friction and how passwordless authentication can better solve the issues.

Simply put, you need to know the areas where your users face the most challenges in the process of authentication.

3. Involve and Consult Security Stakeholders

In your switch to passwordless authentication methods, it’s not a decision you can make solely as an organization. There’s a need to consult cybersecurity experts, product designers, and even your customer support team on the switch.

Align the expert opinions of all of these stakeholders. This will guide you in designing how to switch to passwordless authentication as a business. Don’t just leave things to your IT team; getting it right with the switch takes a lot.

4. Roll Out In Batches

You cannot wake up one day and throw new authentication methods to all of your customers at once. It takes a holistic approach to testing your target audience in batches and assessing how they respond to the changes.

This also applies to the passwordless authentication features. When you realize that all of your customers are at home with the switch, take it slow with the release of the features.

5. Give Your Users Options

Don’t assume that whatever you throw at your users in the form of passwordless authentication will be consumed by hook, line, and sinker. What you should do is provide them with options.

Allow them to choose between a variety of passwordless authentication methods. This will create an impression of how important they are as your customers. Create an illusion of choice; don’t make it seem like you are forcing a single option down your customers’ throats.

Final Thoughts

We live at a time when users always crave seamless digital experiences. This includes finding a fix to their hate for passwords. A user-centric approach to security is about building trust between you and your users.

Something is standing in the way of your continued progress as a business: the use of passwords. No doubt, passwordless authentication improves user experience. However, you need to adopt a step-by-step approach to the transition. Otherwise, you’ll scare off many of your users, who will be confused about the authentication process.