Experiences: Web Experiences

By offboarding process, we refer to the procedure that users must follow to delete their personal account for an online service permanently. Because no design patterns or best practices exist for offboarding user experiences, we decided to conduct a comparative usability study, during which we evaluated the usability of design solutions for the account-deletion processes of four major Web sites: Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon.

When we analyzed each company’s design choices, we found that Amazon has the least usable offboarding experience while Google provides the most usable solution. Our study also suggested some positive and negative design strategies for offboarding users that have their basis in the usability criteria we evaluated for each of these processes. Read More

We refer to narratives that unintentionally “contradict or distort common understandings of verifiable facts,” [1] as misinformation. In contrast, disinformation is a form of propaganda—the deliberate spread of false information to intentionally mislead people, effect changes in their thinking, and ultimately, manipulate society as a whole. Both are rampant on social media and on other less visible parts of the Web.

The multifarious, potential threats that misinformation and disinformation pose to society and public welfare justify our worrying about their spread. In addition to causing polarization in our societies and social conflict, the spread of conspiracy theories and other forms of disinformation often undermine people’s perceptions of the validity of objective or scientific truths, potentially making them prey to liars and con artists or encouraging harmful behaviors. Read More