Bypass non-required gitlab.com user registration steps for CDot signups
Problem
If a self-managed customer wants to create a CDot account they are required to auth with GitLab.com and our current registration experience requires a trial if the user selects "for company or team use", this is confusing and distracting as these users are only interested in registering for CDot.
User experience today
- Start at customers.gitlab.com, be asked to create a .com account to authenticate
- Get redirected to .com register screen
- User must find their way to register for .com
- Go through required registration questions on step 1 of registration for .com
- Verify email for .com account
- Identity verification
- Be asked .com onboarding questions over several screens (which aren't relevant to this user because they are only signing up for .com to be able to log in to CDot)
- Self-navigate back to CDot and click 'auth with Gitlab.com'
Solution
Similar to how we handle direct purchases from the marketing website, we create the user, avoid the required onboarding questions and bring them back into CDot checkout. In CDot, if the user has an existing cookie for GitLab.com then we direct them to 'auth' or sign in if required. If no cookie is detected, we bring them through a simplified user registration experience where they create a GitLab.com account, verify their email and identity, and then are directed back to CDot to finish the auth process.
This will require two pieces of work
- Fulfillment - logic changes to the CDot auth page to understand if a cookie is present and which path the user should be sent down
- Growth - signup flow where onboarding questions i.e. company questions, group creation etc is skipped and the user is redirected back to CDot