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Trust and personal information security are very important issues these days when it comes to online accounts, so it is not unusual for people not wanting to create an account (i.e. provide personal information) when making purchases or requesting information.

So it would seem like most cases when users are forced to do so it is due to a business or technical rather than user requirement.

So the question is: what are the design patterns or techniques that creates a smoother user experience when forcing users to sign up or create an account? Bonus points if these techniques are actually ethical design practices as well!

Interesting question. To answer it I think we have to understand whats frustrating to users and then provide some alternate ways of doing things.

Also remember, if you don't need the user to create an account than don't make them!

Lengthy Forms

Users may find it frustrating to fill out a bunch of information in many different input fields. Especially when most of the information isn't going to be used. Try to only collect information you absolutely need and try to collect it in the most efficient way possible. Allow the user to take many shortcuts. While it make take more time and be quite annoying to include these shortcuts, it will make UE much better. For example, if an address field needs to be filled out, instead of making the user type their full address, city, state, country, zip code, etc. have the form automatically search as the user types in the address and fill in the information automatically. Also, have common domains autofill for emails (@gmail.com, @hotmail.com, 65+? @aol.com).

Passwords, passwords, passwords

This is a big one. Nobody likes passwords, nobody can remember passwords, and everyone hates them. Their approval rating is literally 0%. But, unfortunately, we need some way to authenticate a user. So, simplify this as best you can. Don't put extreme requirements (7.5 characters (Yeah you gotta figure out how to type 0.5 of a character), Uppercase, lowercase, numbers, can't have consecutive numbers, must include a Chinese character, etc.) these are extremely annoying to users and many will screw it up a bunch of times before getting it correct. Also, that isn't the best security practices either.

Allowing to the user the option to login with another service (Google, Facebook, etc.) is a good option.

Additionally, when you sign up, you should automatically be signed in. Countless website do this stupid thing where you signup and then are forced to retype your email, username, password just to sign back in.

Lastly, if the user does screw something up, don't clear everything out making the user retype all their information (ehem client side validation).

Verification

Many websites will require verification in some form of a text or an email. Many times emails will be delayed making the user wait extended periods of time. Allow the user to continue with what they were doing BEFORE verification. Make the last step confirming the email/text. Giving time for the user to receive it.

Spamming my email

Simple: Don't do it. If the user wants to buy your product they will go to your site and purchase it, you don't need to send them constant reminders "[RANDOM ITEM THE USER DOESN'T WANT] 50% OFF LIMITED TIME". If you want to send the user emails about discounts have the user tell you they want that. Either have a subscribe button on item pages or something else.

Don't share their information

Don't be Facebook.

Single Sign-On

Heavily utilize SSO services.

Add as much support for as many platforms as possible. Even though this is time consuming and compatibility issues increase as you increase the number you support, look at it like you are supporting more platforms (Android, iOS, Windows, Linux) because odds are the user will have one type of single sign on account that they regularly use.

Generate Passwords By Default

Another practice I've seen is generating the password for the user while still giving them the option to change the password if wanted. If the user wants to come back, then they'll write it down or change it. Odds are if they don't, it won't even bother them. You have their email, and if they want to get a password reset it would already be as easy as having access to their email/phone in most situations, so there is no actual loss of security as long as the password is generated correctly and sent of HTTPS.

Don't Ask Them for A Username

Lastly, don't make them come up with a username and email. One is enough.

If you follow all of these, you'll just need to make the purchase form ask for their first, last name (etc). This will allow for the creation of an account to happen almost transparently, and the user, beyond accepting the terms and conditions and clicking create, will not be hassled. One could even argue that the account is more securely created when the user doesn't have to create their own password, as they will not be prone to reuse a password from another site.

Thought you'd never ask, here are 4 things to look at:

1.Is the user ACTUALLY REQUIRED to create an account?

Many product managers/designers fail to ask themselves this important question, it has become one of the largest trends that every digital product out there needs to identify its users, while it's true we are much more able to achieve things when users create an account, it has to be a conscious decision rather than the intuitive ofcourse. By forcing everyone to create an account you are making an authority bet, which in many cases you lose.

2.Ask only for the relevant information
When the user is creating an account, the user has something in mind, a need to use your product/a task to be achieved, this requirement is merely an interruption to what the user is seeking, it's crucial that we keep the amount of user input as minimal as possible.

3.Ask for the right information at the right time
Imagine having to do your lifetime laundry at once, not so fun instead we prefer to do them on a weekly basis, user input is a similar case on a much smaller scale - considering the exaggeration it's more like microscopic scale. but! it gives the same effect.

Rather than asking for the address at the registration before even trying your product ask it on the checkout, or the more important one should the user register before using your product or at the very end of it.

PS: This is mistake is common at the hands of fullstack developers since if the mindset used for designing the database is the same as designing the forms, lord's mercy.. the poor user..

4.Simplify the User Input
Go as creative as it gets with this one because there are so many ways to approach it a couple of examples:

4.1. Single Sign On, the one click registration

4.2. Fill the form on behalf of the user and let the user correct it-when possible-

I'm sure many of us here know we can guess the country from the IP address, what else can we guess is michael.lai@some-email.com implying First Name Michael & Last Name Lai?

4.3. Question the fields you're asking for, it reflects on the interaction pattern, do i need to ask for the full birthday? or am i only concerned in knowing the user is over 13 years old? the difference is Date Field vs Checkbox i guess you know how much that is in user time/frustration.

4.4. Field grouping and sequence, reflect the user mental model.

4.5 Don't exaggerate password complexity (unless you have a good reason)

and the list goes on..