Introduction

At Postman, the community is fundamental to user collaboration and knowledge exchange. However, we observed that despite active participation in forums, many users were reluctant to publicize their profiles. Feedback sessions indicated that usernames, generated from email IDs, were creating cumbersome URLs, which discouraged users from engaging publicly.

Problem identification

Using email IDs as default usernames posed technical and compliance issues against web URL standards, affecting users' full engagement with Postman's community features. The pressing need for URL-friendly usernames catalyzed a strategic revamp of our username generation and management approach.

Data gathering

An initial review of user interactions highlighted that:

• Users were confused by the technical limitations when attempting to make their profiles public. Explaining that it was because of SSO was confusing and hard to explain.

• There was noticeable dissatisfaction with the inability to publish or consumer public resources often discouraged further engagement with community features.

Solution development

Ideations

We considered several approaches to username generation, each of which was ultimately discarded:

• User-defined initial usernames: This approach allowed users too much freedom that could delay the signup process and pose moderation challenges.

• Sequential numbering system: This method lacked personalization and scalability, which could detract from the user experience as our platform grew.

• Integration with social media profiles: Privacy concerns and dependency on third-party platforms made this option unsuitable.

• Email prefixes only: This method did not fully comply with URL standards and risked exposing personal information.

• Random character generation: While ensuring uniqueness, this approach failed to connect with users on a personal level.

Ideal solution

Informed by discarded approaches, we crafted a system to automatically generate compliant usernames, ensuring adherence to technical URL standards while enhancing user identity on the platform:

To address these challenges, we crafted a system to automatically generate compliant usernames, ensuring adherence to technical URL standards while enhancing user identity on the platform.

• Length and characters: Usernames must span between 3 and 64 characters, cannot start with a hyphen, and cannot be purely numerical.

• Consistency across features: We needed modifications across various touchpoints, including signup processes and user profile edits, to enforce these new standards.

Challenges to overcome

Integrating these changes required comprehensive updates across multiple system components:

• Username validation: It had to be unique and adhere to the new constraints to prevent conflicts and maintain system integrity.

• Obfuscation of PII: Ensuring that personally identifiable information was not inadvertently exposed through usernames was a critical privacy concern.

• Conflict resolution: Addressing conflicts between existing usernames and new sign-ups required a sophisticated approach to maintaining user data integrity.

  

Solution implemented

Thematic content approach

Inspired by Postman's existing theme of astronomy, the decision was to harness astronaut ranks, positions, and celestial objects, enriching the usernames with a sense of exploration and discovery.

Username Structure: The structure combined Astronaut Ranks + Astronomical Positions + Random Numbers. This format provided a vast combination of possibilities, ensuring uniqueness and a touch of personal identity.

Semantic choices: The choice to use nouns related to space and astronomy was deliberate to mimic a persona and resonate with users' identities. The incorporation of fictional terms added an element of creativity and fun.

Examples of username combinations:

• Lunar-pilot-00143212

• docking-specialist-20246633

• Orbital-astronomer-30324654

• descent-engineer-40413443

This structure allowed for a flexible yet ordered system of username generation, fitting well within the theme and enhancing the user experience by giving a sense of belonging and excitement.

Technical execution

• Constraint implementation: New constraints for username validation were put in place to ensure compliance with URL standards and uniqueness.

• Frontend and backend updates: Both the signup processes and user profile management interfaces were updated to facilitate the new username standards and handle validation errors effectively.