What is an account, when it isn't? Apple’s Account Deletion Requirements
The first rule of deletion, is don’t talk about deletion. Or provide a route to do it. Especially in a convenient and transparent way. This tech culture anomaly might be ending with Apple’s new guidelines. Well they were new in January, but had to be put back to June because lots of people were surprised that they had to create an ending to their product. Doh!
Apple says product developers need to provide people “…with greater control over their personal data by stating that all apps that allow for account creation must also allow users to initiate deletion of their account from within the app.”
Wait, What! We need to have an end as well as a beginning! (Sorry, can’t resist the sarcasm). This wild expectation from Apple goes further. “The account deletion option should be easy to find in your app.” Wow, you mean product developers can’t hide the exit anymore, request a phone call too a retention team member, or other dubious versions of entrapment? Ahhh, what are people going to do with their retention targets?
And they go even further, expecting the deletion to be a proper deletion “It’s insufficient to only provide the ability to temporarily disable or deactivate an account. People should be able to delete the account along with their personal data.”
Ok, serious face again… Account creation flow is a key place to start product development. If your digital product is going to live it needs to have accounts. It is one of the most common jobs for any digital product designer. Yet, it is sort of shocking that as part of any account creation activity by the product development team it seems rare to be doing the deletion flow at the same time. Or even at all.
One issue it seems many develops are asking is what is deletion? Full deletion? Starting the deletion process? Lets just take a step back for a moment. After reading a few articles on this account deletion thing. It is somewhat fascinating that this is the level of discussion. Any product developer worth their salt would be clear about what an account is. It seems baffling to have such a foggy version of an account when it is ended. It is a philosophical quandary? Or is it the result of decades of denial in talking about the end of the consumer experience?
