If by positive, you mean it has a positive effect on the user, probably not. It's not something the user asked for, it serves no extra functionality.
Is it ethical ... ?
Yes. This isn't really a question of ethics though. If you find it annoying, the user might do too but it's more likely a tradeoff between retaining the user and letting them exit without prompting them (analytics could provide insights into this).
wise ... ?
It probably is. If you think about it, most sites do this in one way or another. Assuming the KPI of the site is linked with the number of sign-ups, adding a new route to a successful sign-up can only be a good thing.
Sure, it could frustrate those who would prefer to use the site without signing up, and if your KPIs depend on those users too then not annoying them should be a high priority.
I suspect that a combination of requiring a minimal amount of data from a user (e.g. just an email address) and requiring it only at the point it becomes necessary (i.e. not when the user moves focus to another window, but rather before they need an identity in the system) could be a decent alternative.
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If by positive, you mean it has a positive effect on the user, probably not. It's not something the user asked for, it serves no extra functionality.
Yes. This isn't really a question of ethics though. If you find it annoying, the user might do too but it's more likely a tradeoff between retaining the user and letting them exit without prompting them (analytics could provide insights into this).
It probably is. If you think about it, most sites do this in one way or another. Assuming the KPI of the site is linked with the number of sign-ups, adding a new route to a successful sign-up can only be a good thing.
Sure, it could frustrate those who would prefer to use the site without signing up, and if your KPIs depend on those users too then not annoying them should be a high priority.
I suspect that a combination of requiring a minimal amount of data from a user (e.g. just an email address) and requiring it only at the point it becomes necessary (i.e. not when the user moves focus to another window, but rather before they need an identity in the system) could be a decent alternative.