Short answer
Design information disclosures to be easily understandable and actionable for the intended audience, rather than just technically complete.
- Field
- User-Centred Design
- Source
- 2022 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (2022)
- Method
- Qualitative analysis of existing disclosure practices and literature review.
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Information disclosures are ineffective if they are not designed with the recipient's understanding and needs in mind. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2022 study published in 2022 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency. Using Qualitative analysis of existing disclosure practices and literature review., researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Design information disclosures to be easily understandable and actionable for the intended audience, rather than just technically complete.
Meaningful Transparency Demands User-Centred Information Design
Information disclosures are ineffective if they are not designed with the recipient's understanding and needs in mind.
2022 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency · 2022
Key Findings
- 01Disclosures are often highly technical and fragmented.
- 02This technicality limits the utility of disclosures to experts only.
- 03Ineffective disclosures disempower stakeholders and hinder transparency aims.
Application
Design takeaway
Design information disclosures to be easily understandable and actionable for the intended audience, rather than just technically complete.
How to apply
When designing any system that requires information disclosure (e.g., privacy policies, impact assessments, performance reports), conduct user research to understand the audience's needs and design the presentation accordingly.
Project actions
- 01When presenting data or information in your design project, think about who will be looking at it and how you can make it clearest for them.
- 02Consider using visual aids, plain language, and logical structuring to convey complex information.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Highlights a critical gap in current transparency practices.
- +Emphasizes the user's role in the effectiveness of disclosures.
Limitations
This research is conceptual and doesn't offer specific UI patterns or A/B testing data for disclosure formats.
Reliability & validity
The findings are based on conceptual analysis and literature review, suggesting moderate reliability for the identified problems but lacking empirical validation for specific solutions.
Think critically
To what extent does the 'expert' audience for technical disclosures represent a deliberate design choice to limit scrutiny, rather than an oversight?
Design Principles
"Design for understanding: Information should be presented in a way that is accessible and meaningful to its intended recipients."
Organisations striving for transparency and accountability must move beyond simply providing data. The design of how information is presented directly impacts its utility and the ability of stakeholders to engage with and scrutinize organisational practices. Poorly designed disclosures can disempower users and undermine the very goals of transparency.
What This Means for Your Design
If you want people to understand important information you're giving them, you need to make it easy to read and understand, not just full of jargon.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this research when discussing the importance of clear communication and user comprehension in your design process, especially if your project involves providing information to users.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
The effectiveness of information disclosures is critically dependent on their design, as highlighted by Norval et al. (2022). Disclosures that are overly technical or fragmented fail to empower stakeholders, undermining transparency and accountability goals. Therefore, in the design of [your project's disclosure mechanism], it is imperative to adopt a user-centred approach, prioritizing clarity, accessibility, and the specific needs of the intended audience to ensure meaningful engagement and understanding.
Source
2022 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency
Disclosure by Design: Designing information disclosures to support meaningful transparency and accountability
journal · 2022
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about meaningful transparency demands user-centred information design?
- Design information disclosures to be easily understandable and actionable for the intended audience, rather than just technically complete. Evidence: 2022 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (2022).
- Why does "Meaningful Transparency Demands User-Centred Information Design" matter for design?
- Organisations striving for transparency and accountability must move beyond simply providing data. The design of how information is presented directly impacts its utility and the ability of stakeholders to engage with and scrutinize organisational practices. Poorly designed disclosures can disempower users and undermine the very goals of transparency.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Design information disclosures to be easily understandable and actionable for the intended audience, rather than just technically complete.
- What were the main findings?
- Disclosures are often highly technical and fragmented.. This technicality limits the utility of disclosures to experts only.. Ineffective disclosures disempower stakeholders and hinder transparency aims.
- What research method was used?
- Qualitative analysis of existing disclosure practices and literature review..
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2022 journal from 2022 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing any system that requires information disclosure (e.g., privacy policies, impact assessments, performance reports), conduct user research to understand the audience's needs and design the presentation accordingly.
- What are the limitations?
- The study focuses on the challenges of disclosure design and does not propose specific design solutions or conduct empirical testing of new disclosure formats.