Continuing the work of the Me2B Alliance, Internet Safety Labs is on a mission to ensure safety and human dignity in connected products and services. We measure the behavior of technology to catalyze product teams, policymakers, and researchers to take action.
My Role
My role at Internet Safety Labs is twofold: As Director of Validation Research, l developed research operations to provide user experience and other research services to the various working groups, exploring questions around the consumer experience of their relationship with digital technology.
Secondly, I developed the product integrity testing framework (UX audit) for digital technologies, in particular mobile apps and websites. This framework, based on information architecture heuristics and coupled with data integrity and security testing, makes up the requirements for ISL Safe Software Specification.
In 2023, I continued working with ISL as a consulting researcher. I am currently working on a study funded by the Internet Society of consumer perceptions of safety testing of internet-connected products. We expect to publish a research report by year-end.
Methods
Product Integrity Testing
I continued to develop the UX Integrity framework for the ISL Safe Software Specification, a new version of the Me2B Safe Technology Specification. This framework was based on an application of Abby Covert’s Information Architecture Heuristics to ensure that notices of data collection, use and sharing is Clear, Findable, Accessible, Credible and Communicative, or understandable by a wide audience of human and machine readable or accessible devices. I trained a research staff member/developer on how to perform a UX audit.
Data Privacy Audit
I conducted a study of several usability testing and survey packages, using the ISL framework, to understand how these software programs collect, store and whether they share participant data with third parties. I presented my findings in a lightning talk on informed consent at the 2022 Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security.
Qualitative and Quantitative Research
I conducted interviews, focus groups and surveys to discover attitudes and behaviors related to the safety of software and software-enabled products. I documented insights from two focus groups of technology consumers on technology relationships, privacy policies and terms of use. I developed several surveys to further explore insights from qualitative research to understand whether the attitudes discovered in interviews were widely held. The research helped to evolve our understanding of how consumers experience their relationship and risks with respect to digital technologies. I also interviewed and surveyed product developers to discover their attitudes and procedures for product safety.
Sample research questions:
How do people describe their relationship with technology?
Under what conditions is it acceptable for a website or mobile app to know one’s location?
Do people change how they interact with a website when they are familiar with the legal terms of the website? Do they understand who and what these policies protect?
Do people want the ability to send their own legally binding Information Service Agreement to service providers? Do they want (and would they use) a data management dashboard for managing the personal information that gets shared with all service providers?
Tools
Usability Software: SurveyMonkey, Prolific.io, Optimal Workshop, Usertesting.com, Userinterviews.com
Survey Software: SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, Typepad
Collaboration: Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Sharepoint, Excel, OneNote, Trello, Monday
Research Artifacts
Spotlight Report #7: Who Is Responsible for Internet-Connected Product Safety?. (Pending Publication, 2023). Internet Safety Labs.
Spotlight Report #6: Proffering Machine-Readable Personal Privacy Research Agreements: Pilot Project Findings for IEEE P7012 WG. (June 2, 2022). Internet Safety Labs.
Spotlight Report #5: Me2B Alliance Validation Testing Report: Consumer Perception of Legal Policies in Digital Technology. (January 18, 2022). Internet Safety Labs.
Spotlight Report #3: Me2B Alliance Validation Research: Consumer Sensitivity to Location Tracking by Websites and Mobile Apps (November 5, 2021). Internet Safety Labs.
Specifications
ISL Safe Software Specification for Websites and Mobile Apps V1.1. (July 5, 2022). Internet Safety Labs.
Me2B Safe Specification v1.0. (April 29, 2020). Internet Safety Labs.
Presentations
Preventing Digital Harm in Online Spaces (May 26, 2023). UX LX: UX Lisbon.
Informed Consent: Are Your Participants Aware of What They Share? (August 7-9, 2022). SOUPS2022: Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security. USENIX.
Statement on Dark Patterns at the California Privacy Protection Agency Stakeholders Meeting. (May 5, 2022). Internet Safety Labs.
Safe Tech Audit: IA as a Framework for Respectful Design (April 23, 2022). IAC22: Information Architecture Conference.
The Future of the Metaverse with Vint Cerf and Noreen Whysel. (April 12, 2022). Disruptive Technologists.
Shedding Light on Dark Patterns: A Case Study on Digital Harms. (April 28, 2021).
IAC21: Information Architecture Conference.
Webinar: Me2B Research: Consumer Views on Respectful Technology. (January 28, 2021). Internet Safety Labs.
Future Plans
Internet Safety Labs is seeking grant funding to continue its mission to keep tech safe. Visit at https://www.internetsafetylabs.org.
More research projects
Identity Ecosystem Framework Registry