General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect May 25, 2018 after years of public review. The GDPR addresses the process of obtaining and managing user data, giving EU residents more control over their privacy online.
User Right to Manage and Delete Data
GDPR gives users more control over their data and management of their online accounts by providing some level of user consent. They will be able to change preferences up to deleting accounts altogether. In general, this means every user will have the right to request data erasure and get an official acknowledgement from the company within one month.
From a UX perspective, this feature gives users an enhanced privacy experience while still meeting the business goals of keeping customers engaged online. Users, however, will always find a way to stop using a service if this experience doesn’t meet their expectation. So, transparency is key to GDPR and it’s important to not hide this feature.
Companies like Ikea, for example, has gone even further by separating their privacy policy from the website’s general terms and conditions. They also ask users to decide on the preferred means of communication with the brand as part of the GDPR compliance.
For those looking to review your applications for GDPR, here’s a few UX checks to ensure your data collection forms comply with GDPR.
- Revisit your existing consent practices. Are you providing enough context and details as to who and how user data is processed?
- Remove any prechecked consent boxes or any other forms of default agreement.
- Allow users to have the option to easily withdraw consent at any time and clearly tell them how to do it.
- Separate marketing communication from general terms and conditions.
- Keep your consent request simple and specific about the permission is for.
- Disclose the names of those who will be processing the data.
Final Thoughts
GDPR guidelines give users more authentic control over their data and the ability to stay informed of their online experience. The regulations allow for further transparency across online websites and platforms, it’s time to consider how the user experience satisfies our customers’ expectations for this experience.
