diff --git a/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_login-dialog.scss b/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_login-dialog.scss
index b0ee8ccc0..536f635be 100644
--- a/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_login-dialog.scss
+++ b/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_login-dialog.scss
@@ -113,20 +113,27 @@
   &:focus .login-dialog-timed-login-indicator { background-color: $selected_fg_color; }
 }
 
-.login-dialog-username,
 .user-widget-label {
   color: $osd_fg_color;
+}
+
+.user-widget.horizontal .user-widget-label {
   @include fontsize($base_font_size + 2);
   font-weight: bold;
   text-align: left;
   padding-left: 15px;
-}
 
-.user-widget-label {
   &:ltr { padding-left: 14px; }
   &:rtl { padding-right: 14px; }
 }
 
+.user-widget.vertical .user-widget-label {
+  @include fontsize($base_font_size + 5);
+  text-align: center;
+  font-weight: normal;
+  padding-top: 16px;
+}
+
 .login-dialog-prompt-layout {
   padding-top: 24px;
   padding-bottom: 12px;
@@ -148,4 +155,4 @@
   color: darken($osd_fg_color,30%);
   &:hover,&:focus { color: $osd_fg_color; }
   &:active { color: darken($osd_fg_color, 50%); }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_misc.scss b/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_misc.scss
index 296632b33..387167349 100644
--- a/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_misc.scss
+++ b/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_misc.scss
@@ -37,6 +37,14 @@
   }
 }
 
+.user-widget.vertical .user-icon {
+  icon-size: 128px;
+}
+
+.user-widget.horizontal .user-icon {
+  icon-size: 64px;
+}
+
 // Input Source Switcher
 .input-source-switcher-symbol {
   font-size: 34pt;
diff --git a/js/gdm/authPrompt.js b/js/gdm/authPrompt.js
index 4c0f8d23f..96e9e5559 100644
--- a/js/gdm/authPrompt.js
+++ b/js/gdm/authPrompt.js
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ var AuthPrompt = GObject.registerClass({
         super._init({
             style_class: 'login-dialog-prompt-layout',
             vertical: true,
+            x_expand: true,
+            x_align: Clutter.ActorAlign.CENTER,
         });
 
         this.verificationStatus = AuthPromptStatus.NOT_VERIFYING;
@@ -455,8 +457,7 @@ var AuthPrompt = GObject.registerClass({
             oldChild.destroy();
 
         if (user) {
-            let userWidget = new UserWidget.UserWidget(user);
-            userWidget.x_align = Clutter.ActorAlign.START;
+            let userWidget = new UserWidget.UserWidget(user, Clutter.Orientation.VERTICAL);
             this._userWell.set_child(userWidget);
         }
     }
diff --git a/js/ui/userWidget.js b/js/ui/userWidget.js
index 03d4d6388..22446510a 100644
--- a/js/ui/userWidget.js
+++ b/js/ui/userWidget.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ const { Clutter, GLib, GObject, St } = imports.gi;
 
 const Params = imports.misc.params;
 
+const UNKNOWN_AVATAR_ICON_SIZE = -1;
 var AVATAR_ICON_SIZE = 64;
 
 // Adapted from gdm/gui/user-switch-applet/applet.c
@@ -18,9 +19,11 @@ var Avatar = GObject.registerClass(
 class Avatar extends St.Bin {
     _init(user, params) {
         let themeContext = St.ThemeContext.get_for_stage(global.stage);
-        params = Params.parse(params, { reactive: false,
-                                        iconSize: AVATAR_ICON_SIZE,
-                                        styleClass: 'user-icon' });
+        params = Params.parse(params, {
+            styleClass: 'user-icon',
+            reactive: false,
+            iconSize: UNKNOWN_AVATAR_ICON_SIZE,
+        });
 
         super._init({
             style_class: params.styleClass,
@@ -44,6 +47,23 @@ class Avatar extends St.Bin {
         this.connect('destroy', this._onDestroy.bind(this));
     }
 
+    vfunc_style_changed() {
+        super.vfunc_style_changed();
+
+        let node = this.get_theme_node();
+        let [found, iconSize] = node.lookup_length('icon-size', false);
+
+        if (!found)
+            return;
+
+        let themeContext = St.ThemeContext.get_for_stage(global.stage);
+
+        // node.lookup_length() returns a scaled value, but we
+        // need unscaled
+        this._iconSize = iconSize / themeContext.scaleFactor;
+        this.update();
+    }
+
     _onDestroy() {
         if (this._scaleFactorChangeId) {
             let themeContext = St.ThemeContext.get_for_stage(global.stage);
@@ -52,28 +72,40 @@ class Avatar extends St.Bin {
         }
     }
 
+    _getIconSize() {
+        if (this._iconSize !== UNKNOWN_AVATAR_ICON_SIZE)
+            return this._iconSize;
+        else
+            return AVATAR_ICON_SIZE;
+    }
+
     setSensitive(sensitive) {
         this.reactive = sensitive;
     }
 
     update() {
+        let iconSize = this._getIconSize();
+
         let iconFile = this._user.get_icon_file();
         if (iconFile && !GLib.file_test(iconFile, GLib.FileTest.EXISTS))
             iconFile = null;
 
         if (iconFile) {
             this.child = null;
+
             let { scaleFactor } = St.ThemeContext.get_for_stage(global.stage);
             this.set_size(
-                this._iconSize * scaleFactor,
-                this._iconSize * scaleFactor);
+                iconSize * scaleFactor,
+                iconSize * scaleFactor);
             this.style = `
                 background-image: url("${iconFile}");
                 background-size: cover;`;
         } else {
             this.style = null;
-            this.child = new St.Icon({ icon_name: 'avatar-default-symbolic',
-                                       icon_size: this._iconSize });
+            this.child = new St.Icon({
+                icon_name: 'avatar-default-symbolic',
+                icon_size: iconSize,
+            });
         }
     }
 });
@@ -159,14 +191,23 @@ class UserWidgetLabel extends St.Widget {
 
 var UserWidget = GObject.registerClass(
 class UserWidget extends St.BoxLayout {
-    _init(user) {
-        super._init({ style_class: 'user-widget', vertical: false });
-
+    _init(user, orientation = Clutter.Orientation.HORIZONTAL) {
         this._user = user;
 
+        let vertical = orientation == Clutter.Orientation.VERTICAL;
+        let xAlign = vertical ? Clutter.ActorAlign.CENTER : Clutter.ActorAlign.START;
+        let styleClass = vertical ? 'user-widget vertical' : 'user-widget horizontal';
+
+        super._init({
+            styleClass,
+            vertical,
+            xAlign,
+        });
+
         this.connect('destroy', this._onDestroy.bind(this));
 
         this._avatar = new Avatar(user);
+        this._avatar.x_align = Clutter.ActorAlign.CENTER;
         this.add_child(this._avatar);
 
         this._label = new UserWidgetLabel(user);