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Design+ Meaningful digital consent: A VSD study

The tension between professionalism and to approach notices differently, simplifying what needs
approachability further complicated the balance between to be understood in different ways. Universal usability
honesty and helpfulness. Interactive, conversational tones was a value many participants brought up as a need to
like those used by Twitter/X and Google appealed to some be equitable. They emphasized that, for disadvantaged or
participants but were deemed inappropriate by others, vulnerable populations in particular, notices need to be
particularly for serious topics like privacy or healthcare. more compassionate. This meant exploring how design
Participants questioned the credibility of such approaches. can empower individuals by providing clear channels
This tension also intersected with Universal Usability, as for support. These supports can vary from embedding
efforts to appeal to different audiences risked undermining quick access to definitions to a clear display of contact
the gravity of privacy issues while maintaining the status information to clarify privacy implications, to chatbots to
quo in tone has not effectively engaged most users. have a conversation about privacy. Furthermore, there is a
Similar to a hospital, X is acknowledging that need to reflect on the potential unintended consequences
they have users that have a variety of literacy and of design decisions and implement measures to mitigate
understanding of tech savviness. But because this is a those that may cause harm. Some believed that privacy,
social media platform, I’m a little bit more accepting as a core value, can be operationalized through expressed
of the lightheartedness than I wouldn’t be in a hospital consent. They should be able to respond with “yes” or “no”
setting. Because in a hospital setting, if I saw too before proceeding.
much informal language, I would get worried and The empirical investigation supported the
call into question how much I trust this information. recommendations stipulated in the OPC guidelines,
(Interviewee 18) especially the guidelines around design, where notices
There was also a tension between accessibility should emphasize key elements, allow for control of
(universal usability) and cognitive load (helpfulness), detail, and be innovative and creative, as well as take the
which highlighted the challenges of making notices consumer’s perspective into account. These guidelines
inclusive without compromising usability. Multimedia predominantly reflect the value of helpfulness – elements
elements, such as icons, images, and videos were seen as that will bridge the data literacy gaps through information
helpful for some audiences but detracted from clarity for and UX/UI design. Based on these values, this study adds
others. For example, Google’s use of icons and spacing the following recommendations to the OPC guidelines:
was praised for enhancing accessibility, but criticized for (i) Make privacy notices easy to find;
creating inefficiencies: (ii) Be upfront about past privacy and security incidents;
In terms of like the content itself, it seems a little too (iii) Support individuals who are concerned by providing
heavy, like there’s just so much in there that doesn’t clear and discoverable communication channels and
really make you interested in one click [or] scroll down. recommendations;
I see all these like different things. Like even with font (iv) Make the language in privacy notices personable and
size, for example, it seems like it’s not proportionate to professional; and
the page that it’s on. It’s like pretty small, and [I don’t] (v) Be compassionate; provide other options to
understand the use of like little images like that. It’s accommodate marginalized and vulnerable populations,
just making that page way longer than it should be. including considerations for neurodivergence.
(Interviewee 10) Most of the values identified in the empirical
5. Discussion investigation focused on the concept of meaningfulness
rather than consent, which provides little insight into
This VSD study identified honesty, helpfulness, designing the consenting process. This conflicts with a
universality, and privacy as core values of meaningful recent finding that two-thirds of Canadians also believe
consent for privacy notice readers, skimmers, and non- opt-in consent mechanisms should be a requirement for
readers. Honesty was characterized as being “transparent,” sharing data and the common sentiment that patients
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requiring organizations to make privacy notices “upfront” want granular control of their data. 33,37 The growing
and easy to find. The term “upfront” was also used evidence suggests consent type may have a limited impact
to describe the language used in the notice, where it on consent decisions as the volume of consent requests
is clear, straightforward, and candid about points of is increasing, leading to consent fatigue and discordant
concern (e.g., past privacy breaches and data uses). For privacy behaviors (e.g., privacy paradoxes). As seen
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these participants, “upfront” demonstrates integrity and here, digital health privacy decisions are commonly based
respect for the reader. Helpfulness referred to the UX/UI on trust heuristics (e.g., the other party’s reputation,
of the notice. There was a clear desire for organizations familiarity, and legitimacy). 33,37

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2025) 8 doi: 10.36922/dp.8158