\nThe following is my perception.<\/p>\n
\nSometimes, when one is starting a new project, or revisiting one, a login is needed to some online account. Yet, what if the user hasn’t logged in there for some time? They may have the password written down, but where? Perhaps more debilitating is when the user can’t recall which email is associated to the account.<\/p>\n
\nI’m not perfect at managing this situation, but getting better. The following are some observations and reflections I can offer. Some might be obvious, but sometimes the most obvious things are what’s forgotten, especially in a panic.<\/p>\n
\nI’ve been in the situation where I knew the password, but forgot which email (username) was associated with it. In such a case, I don’t use trial and error at the login. Instead, I log in to each email, then search for contact with the website in question.<\/p>\n
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\nWhen a person is trying to find something, they may not want subtle cues. When they log into an email and see that web service’s name on one of the storage folders, it’s easy recognition. Moreover, people tend to recall things they always see. The more often one sees that folder when they’re not using it, the more likely (one hopes) they will remember where they saw it when they need it.<\/p>\n
\nIn my case, my memory works against me sometimes. I’ll think “I couldn’t have used that email for that application” when in fact it’s exactly that one I did use. As time passes, contexts can be very hard to reconstruct. If one doesn’t know which email the service is linked to, it could be any of them.<\/p>\n
\nI could be a lot better at this, but I’ve been working on it this year. I hope to offer some hints in this direction in a follow-up post:)<\/p>\n