Active choices: Interim findings
The CDEI has published findings from the first of three experiments it has been running with the Behavioural Insights Team to test how digital interfaces can be designed to empower users to make active choices about their privacy and personalisation settings.
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What does this report cover?
Following exploratory research and behaviourally informed prototype design, the CDEI and Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) have been running randomised controlled trials to test whether different interfaces and choice bundles improve the ability of users to make informed choices about their privacy and personalisation settings. This report presents findings from the first of three online experiments, where four different ways to present smartphone settings were tested with participants. The report includes detailed information about the experiment, as well as key findings from the CDEI and BIT’s analysis of the outcomes.
What are the key findings?
- All of the prototyped designs outperformed the control design on the three outcomes measured in the experiment (task accuracy, feelings of control, and understanding of consequences), with one exception: the trusted third party design did not improve feelings of control.
- There is no clear ‘winner’ among the new designs, although the design with a slider performed well across all outcomes.
- Design performance varied depending on persona choice (each of the personas had different data sharing and notification preferences). No single design performed well for all personas.
- None of the designs had a backfire effect on any of the outcomes, so improvements in one metric (e.g. accuracy) do not need to come at the expense of others (e.g. feelings of control).
- The experiment provided evidence that simplified choice bundles can improve the ability of users to choose settings in line with their preferences, better understand the consequences of their choices and feel more in control.
What happens next?
We will publish the final report this summer, which will detail the findings from the second and third experiments. Over the coming months, we will discuss the findings with online services across different sectors, to provide firms operating online with examples of evidence-based tools and techniques to design user-empowering choice environments. The findings will also be used to inform the government’s wider online safety agenda.