GDPR response: Settings landing page

Information architecture and content patterns

Facebook was at the forefront of the response to the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements. We had to allow users to not only make choices about their privacy settings, we also need to allowt them to access and change them later. That meant a radical re-design of out existing "settings" page. I was brought in to organize our current settings and controls. I also created repeatable patterns and frameworks that could be applied immediately and to future iterations.

At a glance

Goal

Update our current Facebook settings experience to make it easier for users to find the settings they want to control.

Challenges

·Compressed timeline to launch meant limited design and rev time
·High level of scrutiny from internal and external stakeholders
·No existing guidance or framework for content, design or hierarchy

Solution

Develop a cleaner information architecture, define the naming conventions and simplify the text and imagery.

Impact

·Shipped with other scheduled GDPR changes, reducing press cycles and user thrash
·Neutral to positive metrics impact
·No regressions or rollbacks
·Led to creation of centralized "Settings" team for ownership

Process

Audit current settings

Understand available controls and product team needs

Conduct grouping exercises

Find common connections between settings

Identify naming and content needs

Create rules for how we name and describe settings

Create framework and patterns

Build easy-to-follow standards for all products

Get feedback

Validate our decisions with leadership, regulators and users

Iterate and refine

Focus on surfacing the right information at the right time

What shipped

A functional design with clear information architecture, naming conventions and content patterns.

Impact

→Shipped with other scheduled GDPR changes, reducing press cycles and user thrash
→Neutral to positive metrics impact
→No regressions or rollbacks
→Led to creation of centralized "Settings" team for ownership

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