HCI for PrimeLife Prototypes

Abstract

User-centered design (UCD) processes need to be further extended to the field of privacy enhancing technologies (PETs). The goal of the UCD process for PETs is to provide a means for users to empower them to manage their privacy on the Web. Taking care of privacy and being careful while surfing theWeb are still considered to be cumbersome and time-consuming activities. Hence, PrimeLife aspires to provide easy to use tools for users to manage their privacy. This chapter describes the challenges in UCD that arose during the development of the PrimeLife prototypes. As part of the HCI activities in the PrimeLife project, we have researched the users’ attitudes towards privacy and discovered the main challenges when developing userfriendly PETs. We use two example prototypes to explain how the challenges can be tackled in practice. In general, PETs should neither require much of the user’s attention and time, nor should they require particular technical knowledge. They should, in fact, present the complex methods of privacy enhancing technologies in an easy, understandable and usable way. We will conclude this chapter with a discussion of our findings and implications for further development of user-centered privacy enhancing technologies.