Testing a Blockchain Digital Identity Solution
CLIENT: CONSENSYS uPORT TEAM
ROLE: USER TESTING, USER INTERVIEWS
TEAM: ANIA LIPINSKA (PRODUCT DESIGN, PROTOTYPING)
TIME: 3 WEEKS
The Challenge
uPort is a Consensys product that uses blockchain technology to allow users to securely and privately manage their digital identities. The uPort team approached me to help them run a user research project to prepare for a UK pilot launch with their partner company Onfido, a global identity verification provider.
The concept of a blockchain-enabled “decentralized identity'' that provides users with a “reusable credential” is a popular and long-standing use case in the blockchain world. This innovation would empower users with complete control of their personal data while enabling them to port their digital identity to any participating application and service.
uPort wanted to discover how ordinary UK citizens who might participate in their pilot would respond to this value proposition. Would the concept of reusable credentials be understandable enough for an everyday person?
User Testing
Since the pilot would be held in the UK, our research also needed to be located in the UK. We used the remote recruiting platform Respondent.io to screen and recruit ten UK participants. The sessions were one hour each and held over Zoom video chat. The first thirty minutes of the sessions were semi-structured qualitative interviews with questions designed to discover the users’ general technology usage, online financial service habits, and attitudes and behaviors related to privacy and security. Next, I observed participants using the high-fidelity Figma prototype for thirty minutes while using a “thinking out loud” protocol to evaluate the usability of key tasks in the prototype flow. After each session, I debriefed with the product designer on key takeaways. After five interviews and user tests, we changed the prototype to improve user comprehension and interaction flow. We then retested the changes to the prototype with the remaining five users.
Key Findings
Participants were hesitant to share their personal financial information with an unknown company
Most of the participants said they felt safe sharing their personal data with government agencies, post offices, and well-respected financial institutions like banks but were nervous about sharing their information with an unknown "beta" solution like uPort.
Participants did not understand the value of a user control over their own data
Our interviewees did not understand why uPort’s approach, in which the user controls and stores their data on their phone, is different from other single sign on solutions like Apple, Google, and Facebook provide.
Attitudes towards privacy are nuanced and not mutually exclusive with trust
Most participants didn’t mind sharing their data as long as they understood why it was requested. However, the concept of “privacy” was extremely subjective. Interviewees expressed perspectives ranging from total ambivalence to extreme concern.
Participants did not understand blockchain, technical language and found it confusing
In-app copy referencing the technical, Ethereum blockchain terminology presented such as “decentralized identifier (DID)” was inaccessible for a mainstream audience.
Impact
User testing the prototype led to quick and low-cost identification of usability issues in the interaction design of the prototype . This resulted in iterative design changes, giving the pilot an improved user experience. It provided the team, who now have a deeper understanding of the tradeoffs that mainstream users are willing to make between a service's usefulness, privacy, and security, with valuable insights. The team redesigned the pilot with blockchain-agnostic language and explained more about the value of a uPort's offering. To provide education around the new privacy paradigm and enhance users' trust, the redesign included clear information on what's happening to users' data at each step as they go through the pilot.
“Sharon gave the uPort team invaluable help in facilitating usability studies for our latest pilot with Onfido. This was our first project that targeted users outside the blockchain world. The stakes were high, and we were understandably nervous about how our product would be received. Sharon’s experience, sector expertise, and fresh perspective as an informed outsider helped us run a successful round of interviews and gather invaluable feedback from our potential users. Thanks to Sharon, we are launching a pilot with high-quality UX.”
— Ania Lipinska, uPort Product Designer