General Data Privacy Race
Context - This project was developed as an independent project developed during lockdown, February - July 2020.
This is one of two Graduation Projects from Design Academy Eindhoven and was displayed at the (virtual) Dutch Design Week, 2020.
UI, Future Thinking,
Gamification
Software:
Sketch, Anima, Figma, AfterEffects, Photoshop
01. Research
02. Challenges
03. Iteration
04. Solution
01.
Research
I began this project with an open curiosity towards the frequent obstructions I encountered, and quickly dismissed on my screen.This catalysed my research into GDPR.
How does GDPR manifest in our interfaces?
Why do I keep agreeing?
The Fogg Behaviour Model
Motivation, Ability & Prompts
Why do we click accept, agree, ignore?
- Motivation is high to reach the site we intended to visit
- Ability is easy, button is quick to locate
Why don’t we click read more, adjust options?
- Motiation is high to reach the site, this pop up obstructs our goal
- Option is often less visible, harder to find, suggests further steps
Motivation, Ability & Prompts
Why do we click accept, agree, ignore?
- Motivation is high to reach the site we intended to visit
- Ability is easy, button is quick to locate
Why don’t we click read more, adjust options?
- Motiation is high to reach the site, this pop up obstructs our goal
- Option is often less visible, harder to find, suggests further steps
Who’s responsible?
“Organisations need to consider privacy at the initial design stages and throughout the complete development process”
The responsibility falls on organisations, who have an inherent conflict of interest - there are clear benefits for sites to gather and retain user data.
The responsibility falls on organisations, who have an inherent conflict of interest - there are clear benefits for sites to gather and retain user data.
Questionable Compliance
Though legally required to uphold GDPR, the specific terminology doesn’t specify how. As a result, Dark Patterns are deployed to our interfaces. Our rights are made deliberately more difficult to execute through tactics such obstructing the screen, forcing user action and hiding releveant information.
︎︎︎We’re not sufficiently motivated to engage with our data rights.
02.
Challenges︎︎︎Our ability to act is compromised by the site’s visual design.
︎︎︎Sites can’t be trusted to advocate for our data rights.
03.
Iteration & Sketching
I targeted my solution towards sites that were of heightened importance during the COVID-19 Lockdown. Using zoom as an example, this is a sketch of ‘General Data Privacy Manager’. This concept introduced the idea of managing privacy preferences from a device level, and applying choices to all sites or applications.Benefits:
Provides an easier base for managing data privacy, rather than repeatedly at every individual site.
On reflection:
An automated managent tool doesn’t encourage active, ongoing engagement with data rights
Reframing the Problem
What if manipulative interfaces were challenges, instead of obstructions?
What if eagerness to ‘close the box’, was replaced with eagerness to beat the clock?
Interface Hacks
Inspired by the ‘Critical Interface Toolbox’ & ‘Poetic Deconstruction of The Interface’ (research lead by Joana Moll).I experimented with processes that deconstruct material and immeterial aspects of the interface that we see related when we encounter GDPR. These experiments reflect on the role and purpose of each element of interface design, and how it influences or encourages data sharing.
Basic User-Flow,
Low Fi Wireframing
Style Sketches
Sources of early visual inspiration included retro devices, early game graphics, and early operating systems.
