Interface Design to Support Informed Choices When Users Face Numerous Privacy Decisions

Applications that collect personal information from users often offer numerous privacy choices. However, providing user interfaces that support multiple informed privacy choices without fatiguing users is challenging. We developed interface variations for the onboarding process of a fictional social media app that included 17 privacy choices. These interfaces varied in several ways, including the number of screens, the way the settings were bundled on each screen, and whether there were “presets” that would pre-load choices. We conducted a 522-participant survey to explore how interface factors influence user sentiment, comprehension, and behavior. We offer guidance to privacy interface designers on approaches to maximizing informed user choice in the presence of numerous user decisions.