Privacy Settings Redesign

Role

UX/UI Designer

Team

Product manager : Tiago Santos

2 Developers : Tiago Santos Tiago Araujo

Tool & Method

User flows Prototyping Figma Photoshop

Duration

8 weeks

Background

AGIT

Agit is a Portuguese startup that developed a fitness app that uses AI to track your workouts in real time. The app uses your phone's camera to recognize different exercises and count your repetitions. It's available on iOS and Android.

Overview

Agit’s main users are physical education (PE) teachers and students. Typically teachers create groups and schedule workouts, and students can save their activity posts and share media with their teachers and group members. The current app has these features but it doesn't let users clearly specify who can see their posts and media, so we want to redesign the 'Save activity' page to make it easier for users to control their privacy settings.

⚡The challenge

How can I redesign the Save activity page to make it easy for users to set 3 privacy settings without confusion?

My Role

When I joined the team, they had just rebranded and created a design system. I aligned with their brand identity when redesigning the Save activity page. As the sole designer on the team, I was responsible for:

  1. Identified user pain points with privacy settings

    I created user flows and looked for features that made users feel unsafe or confused about sharing their media files or posts.

  2. Redesigned the layout, user flow, and features and prototyped them for testing

    I worked with the PM to prioritize features and remove confusing context when choosing privacy settings.

  3. Created new UI components

    I communicated with developers to make sure the components were feasible to implement and worked well with the rest of the app.

Define Problems

Current Flow Analysis

I was able to easily find ways to improve the user flow by analyzing the current user flow, identifying the features that users want at each stage, and finding the design and features that confuse them.

Find Problems

On the current Save activity page, there are lots of confusing and unclear features regarding to privacy setting that makes users discourage saving their post. And also they don't even have complete feature to share their media files with their PE teacher and private message to him/her.

1.The privacy settings for the media files are unclear.

Especially for the image on the left. This image may be very private to the user, and it is not clear whether it will be shared publicly. Additionally, there is no indication how these images will be used in the post. This lack of clarity can make users feel unsafe and may lead them to abandon the page.

2. No message Feature for Students to Communicate with PE Teachers

A message feature for students to connect with PE teachers after a workout would be more beneficial than the private message feature, as it would allow students to share progress, ask questions, and get feedback.

3. The unusual placement of the privacy setting for the post can confuse users about what it is for.

The settings are typically placed at the top of the page, but in this app they are at the bottom. This can make users wonder if the settings apply to the post, the media files, or the private messages.

Restructure

Breakdown and prioritization

The Save activity page can be overwhelming for users, as they have to make many decisions, such as what to do with their media files (recorded images/videos during their workout) after their session. I broke down the user's expected steps on this page and highlighted the most important things at each step. Media files can be very private to users, so I prioritized safety by highlighting the message "Only you can see the files." I also allowed users to set the privacy setting on the Media file page, not on this page. This is because it can be confusing for users to see two different privacy settings for posts and media files on the same page.

Design solutions

1. A new feature to protect user privacy

Add a preview button

To protect users' privacy, I added a preview to the page where users can save their activity and post it to their group feed. This button would allow users to see what information they are about to share, including personal workout media files and other privacy settings. This would help to prevent users from accidentally sharing sensitive information with their group members.

2. Privacy setting for Post

Place the privacy setting at the top of the page

The current app places the privacy setting for a post at the bottom of the page, which can be confusing for users what it is for. This can make users wonder if the settings apply to the post, the media files, or the private messages. So I have moved the setting to the top of the page, where it is more prominent and easier to find.

3. Privacy setting for Media files

Place the privacy setting for media files to a separate page and Enabling users to hide the media file’s preview

Media files, such as recorded videos and images during workouts, can be very private for users. To protect user privacy, I display a message that says "Only visible to you" when users first see the media file. This message helps to reassure users that their media files are secure. When users click on the media file, they can see the entire file and also change the privacy setting on that page. I also put the media files below larger default images, which makes users think their media files won't be displayed by default. This further protects their privacy. I have also added an option for users to hide the video preview, so that users who do not want to see their video displayed can do so.

4. Privacy message to PE teacher

Design a private message to your PE teacher that is only visible to him/her

It is very important for students to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns with their PE teachers without having to worry about group members seeing them. Whether it's a question, about an exercise, a concern about an injury, or a suggestion for improvement, students can now reach out to their PE teachers directly and privately.

Takeaway

Challenges

The most challenging part of designing the privacy settings for media, posts, and private messages was to prevent users from being confused about the target and range of the three different privacy settings & privacy setting messages. To solve this problem, I first identified the most important and less important things on this page, and designed the most important things with highlights so that users can click on them first. I also laid out the layout with a hierarchy so that users can intuitively understand the target of the privacy settings.

Communication

When I presented my design solutions to the PM and Devs, there was some disagreement and agreement. When they disagreed with me, I listened carefully to their point of view and understood their concerns. Then, I iterated my design until it met everyone's needs. Whenever there was disagreement, I kept in mind that we are all on the same team and we are all working towards the same goal.