From now on, Facebook allow users of applications, using the Facebook Login, an “anonymous” mode, without any data sharing. Long-awaited, the need was obvious. But for applications, what are the impacts?

During F8, on April 30th, Mark Zuckerberg announced a major evolution for the platform: the possibility to use an App anonymously. The management and the personal data sharing was, of course, an important concern for Facebookers impacting in a certain way all Facebook business model (from Ads to developers on platform) this news will be welcomed by more than a billion users.

For user experience/ Technical development/CRM, let’s try evaluated immediate impacts of the anonymous connection.

>> UX <<

For several years, Social Design, the creation of digital interfaces based on users’ graph (interests, friends,etc…) allows to make application more attractive, more profitable and more viral. Like with the Social Gaming. By getting the list of your friends, it is easy to invite them to unlock the next level of your game. By getting the list of your favorite movies, it is easier to propose you a selection of new films which you’ll like, more than others. For the most innovating application in Social Design, there will be two different experiences : one, anonymous, and the other with the Facebook Login.

>> Hacking <<

The anonymous mode, or the management of specific permissions, also announced during the F8 2014, required to developer to take care of more questions. What happen if a user accept to share his email, but not his friend list or his interests? Each of those application features will have to be controllable in the management of numerous exceptions.

>> Data <<

The anonymous mode will not allowed anymore to access to a lot of data, even for something as simple as statistics.

This new mode goes clearly in the good way: not only on the data privacy of applications users, but also on applications quality. In fact, it’s a means for Facebook to boost developers to propose a qualitative experience in anonymous mode, which will be enriched by social data with the Facebook Login. So, we can think that the Apps which will use the Facebook Login only for viral campaign (writing on Timelines, unfriendly friend resquests) will have a big amount of anonymous users. Persuasion will be the motto of UX (User Experience).
To get data, you need to deserve it!

Xavier