Project #9 Consentful Interface
Description
Gaining access to the user’s webcam is a sensitive topic and should be dealt with care, because capturing is a form of seeing, and seeing can either empower or disempower the user in front of the webcam (e.g. CCTV cameras hidden throughout the city and gather pedestrian's data is a bold example that invades privacy and violates consent). For this assignment , I revised my Digital Photobooth and then followed the F.R.I.E.S model from Consentful Tech Zine to add a consentful interface. I aim to communicate consent to my user and give the choice to revoke their consent at any time.
Design Process
The userflow for the interface works as this flowchart. My design process is basically different scenes brought together by the use of switch statements. I created alot of buttons for easy navigation and for actually capturing the Photo while telling them that no information is stored by this camera. I also give them a way to go back to the home screen when they feel free.
Reflection
Consent is so important. My major reflection from these two assignemnts is having fun with camera experimentation but also understanding the serious consequence of being seen through a camera, and capturings pictures. I think using technologies that can track you feel so unsafe these days, with people constantly talking about how siri or google is always ambiently listening to us or watching us through our cameras. These points of anxiety should be made easy to rely on by the use of better consentful technologies. Another domain to explore is the app/software we agree to use by mindlessly agreeing to their terms and conditions. They should find ways to actually inform their users of what they are giving consent to rather than hiding it all under bundles of texts and fine print.