Empowering Users Through Transparent Privacy Controls
PRESTO
OVERVIEW
Rethinking Data Privacy for Public Transit Users
PRESTO is integral to daily commuting in Ontario, yet its privacy settings were opaque and user-unfriendly. Users struggled to understand how their data was collected and used, leading to mistrust and disengagement. Our mission was to redesign PRESTO's privacy interface to prioritize transparency, user control, and trust.
Role
Tools
Team
Timeline
Figma
UX/UI Designer
Researcher
Solo Project
4 Weeks
The Redesign
I redesigned PRESTO’s privacy settings to prioritize clarity, transparency, and user control. By replacing dense legal jargon with plain language, creating a clean, navigable layout, and introducing interactive preference toggles, the new experience helped users feel more in control of their data.
The redesign led to:
📈 65% increase in user understanding of data privacy terms
🧭 40% improvement in navigation efficiency during usability testing
💬 70% boost in positive user sentiment toward PRESTO’s privacy practices
tldr
Understanding the Problem
Navigating Privacy: A Daunting Task for PRESTO Users
PRESTO, a widely-used public transit system, offers convenience in travel but falls short in providing users with clear insights into how their personal data is handled. The existing privacy policy is dense, laden with legal jargon, and lacks intuitive navigation, leaving users feeling overwhelmed and uninformed.
Identifying our key challenges
📢 Complex legal language that hinders understanding.
🧶 Cluttered layout with poor visual hierarchy.
🎮 Limited user control over personal data settings.
🎱 Inefficient navigation leading to user frustration.
This Prompted the Question
How might we create a more transparent and user-friendly privacy experience for PRESTO users so they can easily understand and control their personal data?
Research & Insights
Listening to Users: Uncovering Pain Points
To delve deeper into user challenges, I conducted surveys and interviews with PRESTO users. The feedback highlighted a common theme: users desire transparency and control over their data but are deterred by the complexity of the current privacy policy.
CURRENT
“I just skip these because they’re way too long and complicated to understand.”
User Feedback
“I don’t know what data they’re collecting about me, and there’s no way for me to change it if I don’t like it.”
User Feedback
“I don’t know what half of these terms mean. It’s like they’re speaking another language.”
User Feedback
“If I can’t easily see what’s going on with my data, I don’t feel comfortable using this”
User Feedback
Quantifying Insights
75% of users reported skimming or ignoring the privacy policy due to its complexity.
68% struggled to understand terminology related to data collection and sharing.
82% expressed a desire for clearer options to manage their data.
Key Observations
Users avoid reading privacy policies—Overwhelming length and complexity led many to skim or ignore the content entirely.
Legal terms create confusion—Users struggled to understand terms related to data collection, sharing, and retention.
Users want more control over their data—Many were unaware of what data PRESTO collects and wanted clearer controls over sharing preferences.
Trust is built through transparency—Users felt more confident when they could easily access and understand privacy information.
Designing for Clarity
Transforming Complexity into Simplicity
By observing these pain points, I identified opportunities for improvement in PRESTO’s privacy interface.
Transforming Complexity into Simplicity
Key Observations
Effective Strategies
feature / platform
Ease of navigation
Content readability
direct privacy controls
user empowerment
visual hirerarchy
By observing these pain points, I identified opportunities for improvement in PRESTO’s privacy interface.
YouTube offers some privacy customization but lacks intuitive navigation and hides deeper settings behind several clicks.
Google provides a comprehensive dashboard but overwhelms users with dense content and jargon.
Apple excels in user empowerment and clarity, offering simplified summaries and permission-based prompts.
Presto was significantly behind, lacking visibility, consistency, and control in its privacy section.
Summarized Policies: Clear, concise overviews that are easy to digest.
Interactive Privacy Settings: Allowing users to easily customize their privacy preferences.
Structured Layouts: Well-organized policies with headings, bullet points, and visual cues to highlight key details.
These insights guided the redesign of PRESTO’s privacy interface to simplify language, optimize content structure, and integrate user-friendly controls.
Competitive Analysis: Privacy Settings
youtube
❌ cluttered
⚠️ dense
⚠️ indirect
⚠️ limited
⚠️ inconsistent
⚠️ moderate
⚠️ dense
✅ yes
✅ moderate
⚠️ inconsistent
Apple
✅ clean
✅ simplified
✅ yes
✅ high
✅ strong
Presto
❌ difficult
❌ legal jargon
❌ hidden/unclear
❌ passive
❌ flat/monotone
User Flow: Before and After
A before and after user flow to gain a better comprehension on how the user would navigate through the privacy settings.
BEfore
Users would often leave frustrated before even finding the privacy controls.
The privacy policy was dense and difficult to navigate, leaving users confused.
after
With the redesigned privacy section, users now have a clear path to find what they need, from navigating the privacy dashboard to adjusting settings directly within the interface.
Key Enhancements in the User Flow
👀 Visibility & Accessibility: A dedicated Privacy Dashboard with a vertical navigation bar allows users to quickly access the sections that matter to them.
📑 Readability: Simplified, summarized content with bullet points and a clear visual hierarchy makes it easier for users to scan and understand.
⏩ Efficiency: A searchable content feature and an interactive table of contents help users quickly locate specific information they’re concerned about.
😊 User Empowerment: Direct privacy controls (toggle switches, opt-in/out options) enable users to easily manage their privacy settings without unnecessary steps.
User Testing & Feedback
Validating the Redesign with Real Users
To assess the effectiveness of the redesign, usability tests were conducted with 10 PRESTO users. Participants were tasked with navigating the new privacy policy and adjusting their data-sharing preferences.
Results:
“The new design makes it so much easier to find what I’m looking for.”
“I feel more in control of my data now.”
90% found the redesigned privacy policy easier to understand.
80% appreciated the intuitive navigation and layout.
75% felt more confident managing their data with the new interface.
Final Solution
Empowering Users with Transparent Privacy Controls
The final design presents a user-centric privacy policy that is accessible, navigable, and empowering.
Reflection
Small Changes, Significant Impact
Small, thoughtful adjustments can have a big impact on user trust and experience. It was interesting to see how improving clarity and accessibility in a typically dense, technical space could lead to such positive results. By rethinking the way privacy settings are presented and making the language more approachable, I could see how users felt empowered to manage their data with more confidence.
Empowering Users Through Transparent Privacy Controls
PRESTO
OVERVIEW
Rethinking Data Privacy for Public Transit Users
PRESTO is integral to daily commuting in Ontario, yet its privacy settings were opaque and user-unfriendly. Users struggled to understand how their data was collected and used, leading to mistrust and disengagement. Our mission was to redesign PRESTO's privacy interface to prioritize transparency, user control, and trust.
Role
Tools
Team
Timeline
Figma
UX/UI Designer
Researcher
Solo Project
4 Weeks
tldr
I redesigned PRESTO’s privacy settings to prioritize clarity, transparency, and user control. By replacing dense legal jargon with plain language, creating a clean, navigable layout, and introducing interactive preference toggles, the new experience helped users feel more in control of their data.
The redesign led to:
📈 65% increase in user understanding of data privacy terms
🧭 40% improvement in navigation efficiency during usability testing
💬 70% boost in positive user sentiment toward PRESTO’s privacy practices
Understanding the Problem
Navigating Privacy: A Daunting Task for PRESTO Users
PRESTO, a widely-used public transit system, offers convenience in travel but falls short in providing users with clear insights into how their personal data is handled. The existing privacy policy is dense, laden with legal jargon, and lacks intuitive navigation, leaving users feeling overwhelmed and uninformed.
Identifying our key challenges
📢 Complex legal language that hinders understanding.
🧶 Cluttered layout with poor visual hierarchy.
🎮 Limited user control over personal data settings.
🎱 Inefficient navigation leading to user frustration.
This Prompted the Question
How might we create a more transparent and user-friendly privacy experience for PRESTO users so they can easily understand and control their personal data?
Research & Insights
Listening to Users: Uncovering Pain Points
To delve deeper into user challenges, I conducted surveys and interviews with PRESTO users. The feedback highlighted a common theme: users desire transparency and control over their data but are deterred by the complexity of the current privacy policy.
CURRENT
“I just skip these because they’re way too long and complicated to understand.”
User Feedback
“I don’t know what data they’re collecting about me, and there’s no way for me to change it if I don’t like it.”
User Feedback
“I don’t know what half of these terms mean. It’s like they’re speaking another language.”
User Feedback
“If I can’t easily see what’s going on with my data, I don’t feel comfortable using this”
User Feedback
Quantifying Insights
75% of users reported skimming or ignoring the privacy policy due to its complexity.
68% struggled to understand terminology related to data collection and sharing.
82% expressed a desire for clearer options to manage their data.
Key Observations
Users avoid reading privacy policies—Overwhelming length and complexity led many to skim or ignore the content entirely.
Legal terms create confusion—Users struggled to understand terms related to data collection, sharing, and retention.
Users want more control over their data—Many were unaware of what data PRESTO collects and wanted clearer controls over sharing preferences.
Trust is built through transparency—Users felt more confident when they could easily access and understand privacy information.
Designing for Clarity
Transforming Complexity into Simplicity
By observing these pain points, I identified opportunities for improvement in PRESTO’s privacy interface.
feature / platform
Ease of navigation
Content readability
direct privacy controls
user empowerment
visual hirerarchy
❌ cluttered
⚠️ moderate
✅ yes
⚠️ dense
✅ moderate
⚠️ inconsistent
⚠️ dense
⚠️ limited
⚠️ inconsistent
✅ clean
✅ yes
✅ simplified
✅ high
✅ strong
❌ difficult
❌ hidden/unclear
⚠️ indirect
❌ legal jargon
❌ passive
❌ flat/monotone
youtube
Apple
Presto
YouTube, Google, and Apple
Key Observations
Effective Strategies
To evaluate how Presto’s privacy settings compare to industry standards, I analyzed three major platforms: YouTube, Google, and Apple. These companies offer robust privacy ecosystems, but they each approach transparency, control, and user empowerment differently.
YouTube offers some privacy customization but lacks intuitive navigation and hides deeper settings behind several clicks.
Google provides a comprehensive dashboard but overwhelms users with dense content and jargon.
Apple excels in user empowerment and clarity, offering simplified summaries and permission-based prompts.
Presto was significantly behind, lacking visibility, consistency, and control in its privacy section.
Summarized Policies: Clear, concise overviews that are easy to digest.
Interactive Privacy Settings: Allowing users to easily customize their privacy preferences.
Structured Layouts: Well-organized policies with headings, bullet points, and visual cues to highlight key details.
These insights guided the redesign of PRESTO’s privacy interface to simplify language, optimize content structure, and integrate user-friendly controls.
Competitive Analysis: Privacy Settings
User Flow: Before and After
A before and after user flow to gain a better comprehension on how the user would navigate through the privacy settings.
BEfore
Users would often leave frustrated before even finding the privacy controls.
The privacy policy was dense and difficult to navigate, leaving users confused.
after
With the redesigned privacy section, users now have a clear path to find what they need, from navigating the privacy dashboard to adjusting settings directly within the interface.
Key Enhancements in the User Flow
👀 Visibility & Accessibility: A dedicated Privacy Dashboard with a vertical navigation bar allows users to quickly access the sections that matter to them.
📑 Readability: Simplified, summarized content with bullet points and a clear visual hierarchy makes it easier for users to scan and understand.
⏩ Efficiency: A searchable content feature and an interactive table of contents help users quickly locate specific information they’re concerned about.
😊 User Empowerment: Direct privacy controls (toggle switches, opt-in/out options) enable users to easily manage their privacy settings without unnecessary steps.
User Testing & Feedback
Validating the Redesign with Real Users
To assess the effectiveness of the redesign, usability tests were conducted with 10 PRESTO users. Participants were tasked with navigating the new privacy policy and adjusting their data-sharing preferences.
Results:
“The new design makes it so much easier to find what I’m looking for.”
“I feel more in control of my data now.”
90% found the redesigned privacy policy easier to understand.
80% appreciated the intuitive navigation and layout.
75% felt more confident managing their data with the new interface.
Final Solution
Empowering Users with Transparent Privacy Controls
The final design presents a user-centric privacy policy that is accessible, navigable, and empowering.
Reflection
Small Changes, Significant Impact
Small, thoughtful adjustments can have a big impact on user trust and experience. It was interesting to see how improving clarity and accessibility in a typically dense, technical space could lead to such positive results. By rethinking the way privacy settings are presented and making the language more approachable, I could see how users felt empowered to manage their data with more confidence.
Empowering Users Through Transparent Privacy Controls
PRESTO
Role
UX/UI Designer
Researcher
Tools
Figma
Team
Solo
Timeline
4 weeks
OVERVIEW
Rethinking Data Privacy for Public Transit Users
PRESTO is integral to daily commuting in Ontario, yet its privacy settings were opaque and user-unfriendly. Users struggled to understand how their data was collected and used, leading to mistrust and disengagement. Our mission was to redesign PRESTO's privacy interface to prioritize transparency, user control, and trust.
I redesigned PRESTO’s privacy settings to prioritize clarity, transparency, and user control. By replacing dense legal jargon with plain language, creating a clean, navigable layout, and introducing interactive preference toggles, the new experience helped users feel more in control of their data.
The redesign led to:
📈 65% increase in user understanding of data privacy terms
🧭 40% improvement in navigation efficiency during usability testing
💬 70% boost in positive user sentiment toward PRESTO’s privacy practices
tldr
Understanding the Problem
Navigating Privacy: A Daunting Task for PRESTO Users
PRESTO, a widely-used public transit system, offers convenience in travel but falls short in providing users with clear insights into how their personal data is handled. The existing privacy policy is dense, laden with legal jargon, and lacks intuitive navigation, leaving users feeling overwhelmed and uninformed.
Identifying our key challenges
📢 Complex legal language that hinders understanding.
🧶 Cluttered layout with poor visual hierarchy.
🎮 Limited user control over personal data settings.
🎱 Inefficient navigation leading to user frustration.
This Prompted the Question
How might we create a more transparent and user-friendly privacy experience for PRESTO users so they can easily understand and control their personal data?
Research & Insights
Listening to Users: Uncovering Pain Points
To delve deeper into user challenges, I conducted surveys and interviews with PRESTO users. The feedback highlighted a common theme: users desire transparency and control over their data but are deterred by the complexity of the current privacy policy.
Current
“I just skip these because they’re way too long and complicated to understand.”
User Feedback
“I don’t know what half of these terms mean. It’s like they’re speaking another language.”
User Feedback
“I don’t know what data they’re collecting about me, and there’s no way for me to change it if I don’t like it.”
User Feedback
“If I can’t easily see what’s going on with my data, I don’t feel comfortable using this”
User Feedback
Quantifying Insights
75% of users reported skimming or ignoring the privacy policy due to its complexity.
68% struggled to understand terminology related to data collection and sharing.
82% expressed a desire for clearer options to manage their data.
Key Observations
Users avoid reading privacy policies—Overwhelming length and complexity led many to skim or ignore the content entirely.
Legal terms create confusion—Users struggled to understand terms related to data collection, sharing, and retention.
Users want more control over their data—Many were unaware of what data PRESTO collects and wanted clearer controls over sharing preferences.
Trust is built through transparency—Users felt more confident when they could easily access and understand privacy information.
Designing for Clarity
Transforming Complexity into Simplicity
By observing these pain points, I identified opportunities for improvement in PRESTO’s privacy interface.
feature / platform
youtube
Ease of navigation
Content readability
direct privacy controls
user empowerment
visual hirerarchy
❌ cluttered
⚠️ dense
⚠️ indirect
⚠️ limited
⚠️ inconsistent
feature / platform
Ease of navigation
Content readability
direct privacy controls
user empowerment
visual hirerarchy
⚠️ moderate
⚠️ dense
✅ yes
✅ moderate
⚠️ inconsistent
feature / platform
Apple
Ease of navigation
Content readability
direct privacy controls
user empowerment
visual hirerarchy
✅ clean
✅ simplified
✅ yes
✅ high
✅ strong
feature / platform
Presto
Ease of navigation
Content readability
direct privacy controls
user empowerment
visual hirerarchy
❌ difficult
❌ legal jargon
❌ hidden/unclear
❌ passive
❌ flat/monotone
Competitive Analysis: Privacy Settings
YouTube, Google, and Apple
To evaluate how Presto’s privacy settings compare to industry standards, I analyzed three major platforms: YouTube, Google, and Apple. These companies offer robust privacy ecosystems, but they each approach transparency, control, and user empowerment differently.
Key Observations
YouTube offers some privacy customization but lacks intuitive navigation and hides deeper settings behind several clicks.
Google provides a comprehensive dashboard but overwhelms users with dense content and jargon.
Apple excels in user empowerment and clarity, offering simplified summaries and permission-based prompts.
Presto was significantly behind, lacking visibility, consistency, and control in its privacy section.
Effective Strategies
Summarized Policies: Clear, concise overviews that are easy to digest.
Interactive Privacy Settings: Allowing users to easily customize their privacy preferences.
Structured Layouts: Well-organized policies with headings, bullet points, and visual cues to highlight key details.
These insights guided the redesign of PRESTO’s privacy interface to simplify language, optimize content structure, and integrate user-friendly controls.
User Flow: Before and After
A before and after user flow to gain a better comprehension on how the user would navigate through the privacy settings.
BEfore
Users would often leave frustrated before even finding the privacy controls.
The privacy policy was dense and difficult to navigate, leaving users confused.
after
With the redesigned privacy section, users now have a clear path to find what they need, from navigating the privacy dashboard to adjusting settings directly within the interface.
Key Enhancements in the User Flow
👀 Visibility & Accessibility: A dedicated Privacy Dashboard with a vertical navigation bar allows users to quickly access the sections that matter to them.
📑 Readability: Simplified, summarized content with bullet points and a clear visual hierarchy makes it easier for users to scan and understand.
⏩ Efficiency: A searchable content feature and an interactive table of contents help users quickly locate specific information they’re concerned about.
😊 User Empowerment: Direct privacy controls (toggle switches, opt-in/out options) enable users to easily manage their privacy settings without unnecessary steps.
User Testing & Feedback
Validating the Redesign with Real Users
To assess the effectiveness of the redesign, usability tests were conducted with 10 PRESTO users. Participants were tasked with navigating the new privacy policy and adjusting their data-sharing preferences.
Results:
“The new design makes it so much easier to find what I’m looking for.”
“I feel more in control of my data now.”
90% found the redesigned privacy policy easier to understand.
80% appreciated the intuitive navigation and layout.
75% felt more confident managing their data with the new interface.
Final Solution
Empowering Users with Transparent Privacy Controls
The final design presents a user-centric privacy policy that is accessible, navigable, and empowering.
Reflection
Small Changes, Significant Impact
Small, thoughtful adjustments can have a big impact on user trust and experience. It was interesting to see how improving clarity and accessibility in a typically dense, technical space could lead to such positive results. By rethinking the way privacy settings are presented and making the language more approachable, I could see how users felt empowered to manage their data with more confidence.