Thank you to everyone contributing to the Simply Secure Slack channel. If
you’re interested in joining, email slack@simplysecure.org for an
invitation. I’m especially eager to get more UX people in privacy and security
involved, so spread the world. Here are some highlights from our recent Slack
conversations.
Sharing the Rationale for UX Decisions
Check out Gabriel Tomescu’s The
Anatomy of a Credit Card Form sharing the Wave design team’s process for arriving at
an elegant, easy-to-use form. It includes a quote that spoke to me, “Given the
existing mental model of paying with credit cards online, we felt the presence
of one lock icon was sufficient.” Indeed.
Subtle improvements to Wave’s
credit card form
Communicating Technical Benefits vs. User Benefits
Stewart Butterfield wrote We
Don’t Sell Saddles Here, which speaks eloquently to selling benefits of
horseback-riding, not saddles. A technically savvy crypto audience
will happily geek out about the details of different saddles. Meanwhile
everyday computer users are still puzzling, “This helps me ride a horse? But
why? And how does this help?”.
Security: Cuddly and Fierce
Tunnel Bear’s brand is more about
horseback-riding than saddles. Their website doesn’t lead with “VPN” to
describe what it is. Instead of shields, locks, or keys they use bears.
Bears!
Tunnel Bears are approachably cuddly, but also fierce
Look for me at SOUPS in Ottawa this
week. I’ll be presenting a lightning talk on ”Security is Not Enough: Design
for Security Engagement” on Thursday afternoon. I’d love to chat if you’re
there.
Related
Your Software Can Help At-risk People, Too
Blog post by
Sara “Scout” Sinclair Brody
on 02 Aug 2016
Web browsers are utility software; they are designed to work for all people. Not only must their features meet the needs of average members of a population, they must also work for people with special needs. As Firefox says on its mobile accessibility features page, the browser has been "designed to meet the needs of the broadest population possible," but "sometimes that is not enough." In particular, software that is built for everyone can too often leave people with specific security or privacy needs at risk.
Design Matters: 2016 Design in Tech Report
Blog post by
Ame Elliott
on 29 Apr 2016
For the past two years John Maeda (whose previous roles include Professor at the MIT Media Lab and President of the Rhode Island School of Design) has issued a Design In Tech Report. This influential analysis, which Maeda presents at SXSW and has also been picked up by outlets like Wired, has helped Silicon Valley understand how design is valuable to companies and their customers. It is situated in the context of venture capital, as Maeda is currently Design Partner at VC firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.
Lessons from Architecture School: Part 2
Blog post by
Ame Elliott
on 11 Jun 2015
This continues Part 1 of a series of posts drawn from a talk I gave at O’Reilly’s online conference Experience Design for Internet of Things (IoT) on “Lessons from Architecture School for IoT Security.” You can find the slides for the original talk here. The talk encourages designers to think about security and outlines some ways UX design can support privacy in IoT applications.
When designing IoT applications for the home, we can take advantage of how much time we spend there by looking critically at the unspoken assumptions homes reveal.