We’re getting really close now. Back in August we previewed 37signals Accounts — our new single sign-on system for Basecamp, Highrise, Backpack, and Campfire. Today we announced that we’re just a few weeks out from official release.
We just put up a 37signals Accounts pre-launch page detailing the basics, the benefits, a few screenshots, and FAQs.
Here are a couple highlights:
Centralized sign-in screen
Since we launched Basecamp back in February 2004, every time anyone wanted to log into to any one of our products they had to go to their own custom URL. It’s been fine, but it’s always made us cringe a little. It’s a lot to remember and we often get emails asking us where to log in. Each time we have to explain the custom URL thing. It’s just not right.
So one big part of the 37signals Accounts transition is to centralize sign-in. You’ll now be able to sign in to any one of your accounts at 37signals.com. Here’s roughly what the universal sign in screen will look like:
FYI, you can still sign in at your own custom URLs too. Those sign in screens will look the same as they do today – with your logo centered at the top.
Launchpad
If you sign in, and you use multiple products (or have multiple accounts on a single product), you’ll see the new Launchpad. The Launchpad lists all your accounts. Click one to instantly sign in to that account. You can drag and drop reorder the accounts and columns to best fit your workflow.
The Launchpad is also where you’ll be able to edit your identity. Change personal information (username, password, avatar, etc) here and it’ll change in all your accounts.
And more…
The 37signals Accounts upgrade is a big deal. We understand it will be a bit of a hassle for everyone to pick a new username and password, but you’ll only have to do it once and it will only take a few seconds. Then you’re good to go.
The new 37signals Accounts system also lays the groundwork for a variety of enhancements and cross-product integrations you’ve been asking for. We’ll begin working on these in 2010.
In the meantime, check out the 37signals Accounts pre-launch page and let us know if you have any questions.
Thanks again for your support!
Anonymous Coward
on 30 Nov 09The hyphen in the heading “Sign-in with confidence” is unnecessary; it is correct in the text. You guys should be better at this by now.
Ed
on 30 Nov 09Guys, this is great.
I love how you take something as complicated as single sign in and make it so simple!
I’m very much looking forward to using this!
Tim Grahl
on 30 Nov 09Do you have any kind of “beta” list to let people in early?
JF
on 30 Nov 09Tim: No beta. Can’t really beta this for a variety of technical reasons. We are going to be flipping it on for our Max and Premium customers first, though, so they’ll have at it a day or so earlier than the rest.
Tim Grahl
on 30 Nov 09Understandable. Very much looking forward to this.
Do you think you’ll have current customers signup for more of your products with this upgrade?
Steven
on 30 Nov 09How is this any different from what http://www.onelog.in/ are offering for logging into all 37signals?
JF
on 30 Nov 09Steven: It’s completely different in every way. Right now 1000 people can have the same username in Basecamp since usernames are scoped by subdomain. Same with Highrise, Backpack, and Campfire. The 37signals Accounts system means everyone has a unique username. This means joe123 in Baseacamp is the same joe123 in Highrise and Campfire and Backpack. And if joe123 is part of 7 Basecamp accounts, then we know it’s the same person. This has far reaching implications including cross product integrations, bulk/suite pricing, moving data between accounts, etc.
Anonymous
on 30 Nov 09Just a heads-up that your (less attractive) new logo hasn’t propagated to SvN yet.
That being said, the pre-launch page looks great, and I love how this is a mandatory change. No need to keep legacy options around for the minority of users who are resistant to change.
Niklas
on 30 Nov 09Looks god! Will my client’s usernames change?
roger wilco
on 30 Nov 09What happens to clients on Basecamp accounts? Do they need to change their usernames/passwords as well?
Also — are you notifying your customers by email as well as your blog? I missed the last big change (dropping the “clientsection.com” from Basecamp accounts) because I was never notified; customer support said the news was posted on the site and on the Basecamp dashboard, neither or which I happened to visit while the notices were posted. Making customers need to actively find out about big changes is bad form, IMO.
Max
on 30 Nov 09So premium accounts will have the priority when choosing a username. Am I right?
Dave Smay
on 30 Nov 09Awesome! I look forward to it.
Also: When you say “The new 37signals Accounts system also lays the groundwork for a variety of enhancements and cross-product integrations you’ve been asking for… We’ll begin working on these in 2010,” I’m hoping that means adding deadline-based to-do’s into Backpack (similar to the way you have it in Basecamp.)
Keep up the great work.
-@dsmay
Jamie, Baymard Institute
on 30 Nov 09Looks promising..
Can we expect a “design explorations” article on this?
Jagath
on 01 Dec 09Love the fact that we don’t have to remember different URLs anymore. Was a struggle to get new users (in my team) to remember which URL stood for what. Great step towards integrating the products. I know I have seen a lot of requests for tighter integration between basecamp and highrise. This is a good step towards that.
JF
on 01 Dec 09Roger: Yes, we will be notifying everyone in the apps tomorrow by posting an announcement on everyone’s dashboard. We’re also investigating sending out an email to everyone.
Yes, everyone will have to change their username and password. Clients too. Just once, and it will only take a few seconds.
JF
on 01 Dec 09So premium accounts will have the priority when choosing a username. Am I right?
Max and Premium, yes. But only by a day or so.
Anonymous Coward Richard B.
on 01 Dec 09Does this change mean that 37signals and, only 37signals, becomes keeper of all 37s services usernames and passwords?
keith Mancuso
on 01 Dec 09What about openID support? I currently use this on basecamp and backpack to keep my accounts links. will i be able to sign into my new 37signals account with openid or are you dropping support for it?
JH
on 01 Dec 09Keith: OpenID is still supported. You can choose to pick a new username/password or use OpenID. It’s up to you.
Matthew
on 01 Dec 09So will Ta-da lists accounts be included in the single signon? I know that users of Basecamp and/or backpack do not have many reasons to still need Ta-da lists seperately, but since that is another 37signals property that makes you get an account for it I was wondering if it will be integrated in this or not.
One other idea is that it might be nice to have the option for people to sign up for more services/accounts right from their launchpad (i.e. they already are using Basecamp, so they can easily sign up for a Backpack account, or they already have a business Basecamp account, so now they can sign up for a personal one.).
Looks great so far!
Jeff Mackey
on 01 Dec 09If one of my clients, who isn’t currently logged into Basecamp, goes to my companyname.basecamphq.com URL, will they get redirected to this new 37signals login page or just be prompted for the (current) Basecamp login screen?
Certainly not trying to steal your thunder or take credit for Basecamp, but I like how I can brand it with my company logo. If my clients go to the new 37signals login page they may get confused.
JH
on 01 Dec 09Jeff Mackey: They’ll see the login screen, complete with your logo and branding, just like they do today. Nothing has changed there. The global login screen is just another option.
matdrewin
on 01 Dec 09The login page has an uncanny resemblance to the initial MobileMe login page when it was first lauched. Was this intentional on your part?
Simon
on 01 Dec 09A bit of basic upfront planning a few years ago might have avoided all this upheavel and changes for customers?
It’s amazing how as a buisiness grows much of the simpleness espoused on this blog and “keeping it real” starts to fall apart.
Nic
on 01 Dec 09What happened to “it’ll be ready when it’s ready”?
brandstrup
on 01 Dec 09A small detail about interface copy: Although most people are familiar with “Remember me on this computer”, I prefer the term Google is now using “Stay signed in” or even “Stay signed in on this computer”, if you need to be more specific. It says what it does.
Deltaplan
on 01 Dec 09Who will be asked to choose their new login ? Is is possible that the admin of a – for example – BaseCamp account picks the new logins for all the users that exist in this account ?
Jens
on 01 Dec 09Centralized sign-in at last. Thanks.
JF
on 01 Dec 09Who will be asked to choose their new login ? Is is possible that the admin of a – for example – BaseCamp account picks the new logins for all the users that exist in this account ?
Each person, when they log in, will be asked to pick a new username and password. They’ll only be asked to do this one and it will only take a few seconds.
This is the most secure way to do it.
Matt
on 01 Dec 09Very excited for the launch. My dept now has 2 Highrise accounts and a Backpack account.
Will this prevent us from being able to set up a team with logins and/or passwords like we can currently? Having one person set up everything/everybody on the account really takes some of the hassle of getting people to log in.
+1 on the question re: TaDa Lists. In some ways, its features are more useful than Backpack’s lists. (Just wish someone would create an iPhone app for offline use!)
DHH
on 01 Dec 09Ta-da List is not going to be part of 37signals Accounts out the gate. We might revisit that in the future, but we wanted to get this out sooner rather than later.
Matt, the new system will be invitation based. So when you want to add someone to an account, you’ll simply enter their email address and they’ll receive a link to setup a username and password. That’s the most secure way (most admins tend to set passwords like “password” for other people who then don’t change it) and it allows people to use their existing 37signals Account.
Kyle Faber
on 01 Dec 09awesome awesome awesome!
this will definitely be a convenience thing for myself, and others in-house.
seeing as how we’re finally [after approx. 5 months of using all the programs] now opening up our internal workflow to our clients, there won’t be much of a change needed! sweet!
props for expanding and improving, yet again, the services and products you provide to us. probably some of the best dollars besides for equipment and beer we’ve spent yet!
Scott
on 01 Dec 09Just a word of warning from someone who’s been there. The instruction to create “a new username and password” will be read by users (especially those with only one account) to mean a new username and password. You might talk more about the expectation that it can or cannot be the same username and password you use today to get into Basecamp, for example.
Especially for people that have only one account in one product, the instruction to create “a new username and password” will be seen only as “I have to change my username and password”. People don’t like to change usernames/passwords they have stamped into their subconsciousness and might cause themselves more trouble than they need to.
Don Schenck
on 02 Dec 09Jason—Good … no, GREAT job of rolling out incremental improvements. That’s the ticket. Don’t stop.
Anonymous Coward
on 02 Dec 09@matdrewin
No doubt, 37S ripped mobile me…not vert original. Biters.
Scott
on 02 Dec 09matdrewin and Anonymous Coward have a point, especially in light of 37signals’ well-known frustrations with sites that copy the 37signals look and feel.
mobileme
37signals Accounts
JF
on 02 Dec 09Today we posted additional details about the 37signals Accounts transition for those who are interested.
SVM
on 02 Dec 09So, does this perhaps mean that highrise and basecamp will be integrated?
Bastian Nutzinger
on 02 Dec 09Too bad the tighter integration of Basecamp+Highrise+etc. is still so far off. I have been pitching 3signals products at my company as a new suite of PM software. Unfortunately the missing integration is the strongest argument against using 37signals and I have to agree.
Good that this is coming though and i hope ill be able to repitch 37signals products to my Boss.
JF
on 02 Dec 09Bastian: Before any integration can happen, we need to get the new accounts system in place. The new system allows us to begin thinking about integration because now we know users across accounts. If there’s a “Joe123” user in Basecamp, and a “Joe123” user in Highrise, then we know they’re the same person. Once we know that we can begin to consider ways to display data between the applications for that person.
Scott
on 02 Dec 09I really like the http://37signals.com/accounts page. It does a great job of touting the benefits and making this change seem painless and worthwhile.
Rick
on 05 Dec 09Funny to see how all the 37s guys seem to avoid commenting on the mobileme-login design choice.
This discussion is closed.