The main GitLab web site says "Sign in" and "Register" when one is already registered and signed in.

Problem to solve

The main GitLab web site says "Sign in" and "Register" when one is already registered and signed in. This is problematic for at least a few reasons:

  • It does not communicate the current authentication state to the user.
  • It results in the "Sign in" link not leading to authentication (good for URL-handling, but unexpected for a link).
  • It results in the "Register" link not leading to registration (good for URL-handling, but unexpected for a link).
  • It slows down navigation between the various GitLab sites.
  • It makes the sites feel disconnected and thus less related than they really are.

Intended users

This affects all users who view both the product and anything on the main GitLab site, including the blog and the handbook.

Proposal

If the user is signed into GitLab, that authentication should persist across all production sites (but possibly not test or staging sites) and those sites should offer interface elements to indicate state and offer user-relevant actions (e.g., view settings, log out, and possibly product-related actions such as view issues) similarly to how Google's authentication persists across their various domains and subdomains.

If feasible, it might make sense for authentications to apply to particular site groups: e.g., all production sites, all staging sites, and all sites for testing a particular feature or release.

What does success look like, and how can we measure that?

Navigation between GitLab production sites is seamless.

  • GitLab authentication persists across every GitLab production site.
  • The user menu appears on every GitLab production site, including the main GitLab web site, when the user is signed in (authenticated and not timed out).
  • "Sign in" links do not appear when the user is signed in.
  • "Register" links do not appear when the user is signed in.
  • A+ Success: Other high-impact product UI elements such as the "Issues", "Merge requests", and "To-Do List" elements allow fast access to common actions from any production site in the GitLab ecosystem.

Links / references

cc @gl-website