User Friction in Login Flows Erodes Digital Trust Across SaaS Platforms
What Happened — The 2026 Thales Digital Trust Index reveals that repetitive sign‑up forms, multi‑step logins, and opaque access‑request processes are now commonplace, leading 68 % of consumers to report usability issues in the past year. These micro‑frictions cumulatively diminish perceived security and overall trust in digital services.
Why It Matters for TPRM —
- Persistent friction can drive customers to alternative vendors, increasing churn risk for third‑party providers.
- Poor user experience often masks underlying security gaps, making it harder for organizations to assess true risk exposure.
- Trust erosion may amplify regulatory scrutiny around consent, data‑handling transparency, and accessibility compliance.
Who Is Affected — SaaS providers, cloud‑hosted applications, digital identity platforms, and any third‑party services that manage consumer sign‑ups or authentication flows.
Recommended Actions —
- Conduct a usability‑risk assessment of all vendor onboarding and authentication processes.
- Verify that MFA, passkeys, and privacy notices are clearly presented and explained.
- Require vendors to provide metrics on login success rates, latency, and user‑reported friction.
Technical Notes — The report highlights common pain points: slow page loads, repeated CAPTCHA challenges, duplicate data fields, and unclear privacy settings. No specific CVE or exploit is cited; the risk is behavioral and reputational. Source: Help Net Security – Thales Digital Trust Index 2026