2
1-800-843-8733 • LearningTree.com SOLUTION BRIEF Personalizing Web Experiences Without Sacrificing Privacy Continued on next page Understanding the Need for Transparency Providing visibility into how you use the data you gather about your web users is becoming extremely important. This is especially true as uses for data gathered online expand and consumers become more wary of what is being done with their personal information. A recent Newsweek report explained that there is a growing move toward data brokers expanding their use of the information they purchase from online sources. Groups have been purchasing personal data from websites to employ for marketing and sales purposes for years, but their horizons are changing. Consumers are accustomed to unique advertisements when they visit websites, but they aren’t necessarily ready to have their web history come up in a job interview, for example, the report said. This may be happening soon, however, as data brokers are starting to gather highly sensitive information like sexual orientation, medical histories, credit records and ethnicities. They are then using this information to project details like how likely somebody is to be able to pay off a loan or fail a drug test, and passing this data off to groups like lenders and job posters. Web designers that want to offer highly personal experiences must ensure that users understand how their data will be used or risk ending up with disillusioned visitors on their website. Approximately 94% of consumers responding to the Deloitte Australian Privacy Index 2016 said that trust is more important to them than convenience. This finding begs the simple question of, “How do web designers build trust with their end users?” The study found that changing global trends surrounding privacy and data protection are creating an operational climate in which web designers must think about their design from a global perspective, not just based around their local markets. Furthermore, they must clearly communicate how information will be gathered and shared if they want to build trust with consumers. The glaring need to create trust within web design collides with a growing desire to create personalized experiences. Gathering the right data about user activities lets you customize the web experience around their trends. For example, being able to automatically reorganize the display of main items on your home site after a frequent visitor has logged in can be a powerful tool. However, how you handle that information is critical and transparency with your users is vital.
