“Your Data, Your Control”

Understanding and Protecting Your Digital Privacy

Nov 20, 2025

Pod #5:

Simon Zhang

Nico Cai

We chose the topic of digital privacy because technology is rapidly changing the way we live, learn, and communicate. The internet has become deeply integrated into our daily lives, whether we like or not. As students in Health Information Science, our team understands how essential data security and privacy are not only in healthcare but also in everyday digital life.

With this project, our goal is to help people recognize the importance of protecting their personal information online and to offer simple, practical strategies for doing so. We want to make digital privacy more understandable and approachable for everyone, so users can feel confident and safe when using the internet.

Understand Phase

The Challenge:

People who use the internet deeply in their daily lives need practical and convenient ways to protect their personal privacy and online security.

Context and Audience:

Typical cases:

People who use the internet as part of their daily routine. They have several popular social media apps and use a single email account. Such as Gmail or Outlook to register for most online services. They often use their real names and personal photo on these platforms. Although they are active online, they rarely think about how their data is collected or shared between different services.

Extreme cases:

People who have experienced personal data leaks or online scams and have become more cautious about their digital privacy. They may also include individuals who strongly dislike having their personal information collected by large technology companies such as Google, Meta, or Microsoft. These users are motivated to find trustworthy, independent tools and methods that allow them to regain control over their data.

Needs, goals, and motivations:

Audiences need simple and clear alternatives that do not disrupt their current quality of life. Their main goal is to reduce dependence on online services that sell or misuse personal information. They are motivated by a desire to maintain convenience while gaining more control over how their data is used and shared.

Demographic, psychographic, and behavioural factors:

The primary demographic includes active internet users who are familiar with modern technology and rely on online platforms for communication, shopping, and entertainment. Psychographically, they value independence, convenience, and personal security. They often underestimate the risks of data collection and sharing. Many have recently become more aware of privacy issues after seeing news about government actions to modify privacy laws, such as the EU’s “Chat Control” proposal, or reports about AI systems using personal data to train models. Behaviourally, they use multiple social media platforms, online services, and cloud storage with the same email or password. They are beginning to look for practical ways to improve their digital safety without giving up convenience.

POV Statement:

A regular internet user concerned about data collection needs accessible and reliable methods to safeguard their personal information so that they can maintain both privacy and convenience in their online activities.

Learning Objectives:

The primary learning objectives of this project are for people to:

• Understand what digital privacy means and how personal data is collected, tracked, and shared online.
• Identify common privacy risks associated with social media, online, accounts, and everyday digital tools.
• Apply simple, practical strategies to protect personal information, such as using strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and privacy-focused software.
• Recognize trustworthy platforms and services that respect user data and support safe online habits.

The secondary objectives are to:

• Encourage greater awareness of how personal information is exchanged and monetized online.
• Promote responsible digital behaviour and informed decision-making about online privacy.
• Inspire long-term habits that balance convenience with data protection and personal control.

Plan Phase

Ideation:

The inspiration for this project comes from both of our academic backgrounds in Health Information Science and from recent reflections on the future of the internet. Today, online connectivity extends far beyond what we consciously open on our computers. It is deeply embedded in our daily lives, from banking apps, navigation tools, and weather services to smart home devices like refrigerators. Avoiding social media alone is no longer enough to stay private.

For example, email has become unavoidable in modern life. Almost everyone we know has a Gmail account, and most use it as their primary email address. Yet very few people ever question why such a powerful service is offered for free. When “Free” often comes at a cost. Similarly, tools such as VPNs are often misunderstood. Some people assume they are used for suspicious reason, when in fact they are legitimate and valuable tools for protecting online privacy.

Our project aims to provide a clear, balanced perspective on these issues. We want to introduce the correct and responsible ways to use privacy tools, raise awareness of how personal data is traded in the digital world, and offer people practical alternatives. In the end, this project seeks not to force change, but to offer a choice, a change for individuals to regain control and reduce their dependence on companies like Meta or Google.

We decided to use Figma to create an open educational website. This way, we can design a simple and accessible resource that introduces practical ways for people to understand and protect their digital privacy.

Plan:

The website “Your Data, Your Control” will be built with Figma and structured into several pages that guide learners step-by-step through the concept of digital privacy. Each page will include short explanations, visual aids, and interactive elements that make the information clear and engaging.

Page 0: Home

Content:

The Home page introduces the purpose of the site: offering a simple and practical guide to digital privacy. Below the main header, several icon-based sections act as navigation shortcuts. Each one links to a different part of the website, such as understanding how data is tracked, learning easy privacy tips, or accessing step-by-step tutorials. The page also includes creator information and the project’s CC BY 4.0 license.

Page 1: What Companies Collect

Content:

This page explains how modern companies gather data from everyday digital interactions. It describes how apps, websites, and online services collect information to build user profiles, often going far beyond what is required for basic functionality. The page highlights the risks of large-scale data aggregation and how this data can be used for advertising, tracking, or sharing with third parties. A simple visual shows how personal actions flow into data collection systems. At the bottom, the page lists different types of data collected.

Page 2: Real-Life Examples

Content:

This page presents short, everyday examples showing how digital privacy issues appear in real life. Each scenario highlights a common situation, such as targeted ads, public Wi-Fi risks, phishing messages, or unnecessary app permissions. And pairs it with a simple, practical action users can take.

Page 3: Protect Yourself

Content:

This page gives users simple and practical steps they can follow to improve their digital privacy. It includes an interactive checklist covering essential actions. When users complete all items, a message appears. At the bottom, a section highlights quick improvements. It makes it easy for users to start improving their privacy immediately.

Page 4: Tools & Alternatives

Content:

This page introduces a set of privacy-focused tools that allow users to protect their data without losing convenience. A short note at the bottom reminds users that these recommendations are suggestions based on privacy practices and encourages them to research tools before switching.

Page 5: Tutorials & How-To’s

Content:

This page provides step-by-step tutorials that help users improve their digital privacy through simple actionable changes. At the top, three quick-access tutorial cards introduce common tasks. Below these cards, the “Full Tutorials” section expands each guide into detailed steps, each tutorial explains why the action matters. Each section ends with a short “Quick Summary” to reinforce key takeaways and help users understand the immediate privacy benefits.

Page 6: Learn more

Content:

This page highlights trusted organizations and resources for users who want to explore digital privacy in more depth. Each one includes a brief description explaining what the website offers and a direct link to their site. A note at the bottom clarifies that these groups are independent and mission-driven.

Principles Applied:

To keep the resource easy to follow, each webpage focuses on one clear topic, such as what data companies collect or practical steps to protect privacy. This reduces cognitive load and aligns with the Coherence Principle by including only essential information. The layout is intentionally simple, with short sections and minimal distractions, so users can quickly understand the main ideas.

The site uses small icons, short labels, and visually separated cards to support the Contiguity Principle. Text and visuals appear close together within each card or tutorial step, helping users see the relationship between the explanation and the tool being described. Because the design is minimalist, visuals serve only to support meaning, not decoration.

Dual-Coding Theory is reflected in how each concept is presented through both concise text and simple iconography. This matches the overall dark minimalist style while still giving users two channels to process the information without overwhelming them.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) also guided the structure. The website uses plain language, colour contrast, readable fonts, and a consistent card-based layout, making it accessible to a broad range of users. Interactive elements like the checklist and tutorials offer multiple ways for users to engage with the content depending on their comfort levels.

Generative Artificial Intelligence Use

For this project, I used Midjourney (Version 7) to create the animated GIF featured on the home page. The goal was to design a visual that matched the website’s digital-privacy theme and minimalist aesthetic. The following prompt was used to generate the image:

“a stylized silhouette of a gazelle built entirely from pixel dots and ASCII-like code fragments, generative data aesthetic, minimal modern layout, digital texture inspired by glitch and halftone patterns, abstract representation of movement and energy, clean grid composition, white symbols on deep green background, conceptual graphic design poster, inspired by early computer visualizations and modern digital brutalism, high contrast, balance between organic form and data structure, typography fragments subtly integrated into the image, cinematic lighting, ultra high resolution, contemporary visual identity style.”

The final image was selected because it visually represents the idea of personal data breaking apart or being analyzed, which aligns with the purpose of the site. No AI tools were used to write the content, AI was only used to generate this graphic element.

Peer feedbacks

Peer reviewers agreed that the topic is important, and the prototype is clear, organized, and accessible for non-technical users. Most suggestions focused on making the resource more practical and interactive, such as adding real-life examples, short activities, and clearer guidance for users with less technical experience. Reviewers also recommended improving the Protect Yourself section’s clarity, refining transitions, and strengthening connections to multimedia learning principles. In the end, the feedbacks encourage a more user-centred and action-focused final version.

Simon Zhang:

Both reviewers responded positively to the prototype and highlighted several strengths. They noted that the topic of digital privacy is high relevant and meaningful. They also appreciated the clear structure and straightforward explanations across the pages. They also mentioned that the content felt accessible, well-organized, and easy to understand. It supports the project’s goal of helping non-technical users protect their privacy.

In terms of improvement, both reviewers suggested adding more depth to help users connect the information to real-life situations. One reviewer recommended including brief scenarios or examples to show how different tools or privacy practices matter in everyday contexts. The other reviewer encouraged expanding on how the design decisions relate to multimedia learning principles, such as explaining transitions between sections and how users move through the content. They also mentioned that adding more personalization or user-friendly tone could enhance engagement.

Both of them found the project very good and felt that the topic was important and well delivered. The suggestions mostly focused on expanding explanations, adding context, and strengthening the connection to learning theories and user experience.

Nico Cai:

Both peers gave us strong suggestions on making the resource more actionable and works for different user needs. One peer focused on the structure and usability of my OER. She suggested making the interactive elements more “solid” by adding simple activities such as checklists or short self-assessment tasks. She also thinks that the Protect Yourself section might be too much and feels messy, and suggested creating a brief “start here” area to guide users toward the most important actions. In addition, she asked me to clarify why I chose Google Sites. The reason to use Google Sites is because of its accessibility and usability, but we also took consideration of it and finally decided to use Figma instead of Google Sites. On top of that, she encouraged us to add brief content on phishing or social engineering since it’s a common risk.

Another peer emphasized active learning and audience refinement. She felt the topic was meaningful and appreciated the real examples in my ideation phase, but encouraged me to add some hands-on sections to let the users easily apply what they just learned. She thinks we can let users check email security settings or confirm two-factor authentication. She also suggested considering users who are less familiar with technology, they might need more clear guidance since they don’t usually use the internet.

Overall, their feedback indicates that the final version of my OER should emphasize clarity, interactivity, and user-centred guidance to achieve refinement.

Reflect and Refine

Team Reflection:

Our project, Your Data, Your Control, grew from both personal experience and the current concerns people have about online privacy. As Health Information Science students, we study how data is handled, protected, and sometimes misused. Because of this background, the topic felt meaningful and relevant to us. Many of the ideas in our OER came from real situations we have seen in daily life, such as how common it is for people to rely on Gmail, Google services, or popular social media apps without understanding how much information is collected. This personal connection helped us design a resource that focuses on simple explanations, practical examples, and steps that anyone can use.

During the design process, we explored multiple tools to find the best way to build a clean and accessible website. We first tested Google Sites and Canva, since they are platforms we used in previous courses. But we found their design flexibility limited. After experimenting, we decided to use Figma because it allowed us to customized layout, colour, and structure more freely and fit the dark, minimal style we wanted. The homepage graphic was created with Midjourney, which helped us maintain a consistent visual tone. Many of the privacy tools we recommended, such as Proton Mail, Mullvad VPN, Bitwarden, and Firefox, are tools we personally use. Other suggested tools, including privacy-focused search engines, are also ones we have experience with. Knowing how these tools work in real life helped us recommend them more confidently and explain their benefits more clearly.

Based on the peer feedback we received, it helped us refine our approach and understand how different audiences might experience the OER. Reviewers liked the clarity of the structure but wanted us to think more about the user journey and how each page connects to practical decision-making. They also highlighted the importance of guiding users who are less familiar with technology by providing clear organization and optional examples. In response to this, we added a simple checklist to help users take action step-by-step, and we created a new “Real-Life Situations” page to give concrete examples of how privacy issues appear in everyday life. These additions made the resource easier to apply and more relatable. Overall, the feedback confirmed that our project needed to stay simple, direct, and easy to navigate, especially for users who might already feel overwhelmed by privacy concerns.

In designing the final version of our website, we also followed a “less is more” approach. Digital privacy is already a topic that can feel overwhelming or technical, so our goal was not to lecture users or overload them with information. Instead, we wanted the website to feel like a clear pathway for people who already know what they want to improve but may not know where to begin. This is also why we chose not to include video content. Short videos often oversimplify the topic, and long videos can feel tiring to watch. In addition, much online privacy content today is filled with sponsorships or discount codes, which can weaken trust. A clean, quiet, text-based design aligned much better with our intention: providing simple, honest, and useful guidance without distractions. We believe that a privacy resource should respect the user’s value and time, and this philosophy strongly shaped our final design choices.

From a design-learning perspective, our project drew heavily on multimedia learning principles. We applied Mayer, R. E. (2024) Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning to reduce cognitive load by focusing on one idea per page, removing unnecessary elements, and keeping visuals minimal. We also followed principles such as coherence and spatial contiguity to help users process information more easily. At the same time, the Universal Design for Learning Framework (CAST, 2018) guided our choices around readability, colour contrast, plain language, and inclusive structure, making the content usable for a broad audience. These frameworks helped shape a resource that is practical, accessible, and aligned with the needs of different learners.

Overall, this project shows how a clear design and relatable topic can work together to support learning. The simple webpage format made it easy to organize the content and present privacy concepts in a nice and approachable way. The biggest challenge was balancing detail with simplicity, since privacy is a large topic and most users prefer quick, direct guidance. The final version reflects our effort to keep the OER concise while still offering meaningful strategies. This project also strengthened our understanding of how theory, design, and real-world relevance come together to create an effective digital learning experience.

Individual Reflections

Simon Zhang:

This project was meaningful to me because it connects closely to my studies in Health Information Science, where data privacy and security are core topics. Choosing digital privacy as our focus felt easy, and it allowed me to apply what I have learned in a more practical and creative way. My main responsibility was designing the website layout and building the pages in Figma. I spent time experimenting with dark, minimalist styles and creating interactive elements that made the resource feel more engaging.

One thing I would improve is my workflow at the beginning of the project. I could try different platforms first, then decided which one I want to use. I started by building the website in Google Sites and later realized that Figma gave me much more flexibility and creative control. When I was using Google Sites to create webpages, the design just made me feel so “old”. Switching platforms took extra time. So planning the design earlier and using Figma from the start would have made the process smoother. Overall, I really like the project’s topic, and the design style of the website.

Nico Cai:

For this project, my main role was developing and editing the written content for the website. As a Health Information Science student, I have learned a great deal about data privacy and the risks that come with everyday digital interactions. So working on this topic felt very meaningful. I focused on organizing the information in a way that was clear, accurate, and approachable for users who may not have a technical background. This included writing explanations, refining page descriptions, and making sure each section connected well to the overall learning goals. I also reviewed the website structure and made sure that the content stayed consistent with the purpose of the OER. If I could improve anything, I would spend more time exploring ways to make the content even more interactive, since privacy concepts can sometimes feel abstract. For me, some of this content can be a bit technical as well, so I needed to research certain concepts, such as how a VPN actually works, to fully understand what’s happening behind the scenes. However, I intentionally did not go into deep detail for VPN on the website. Because the steps we outlined are already enough for most users. Since VPNs require payment, it would not be appropriate to recommend a tool they may not actually need. Any further guidance would involve discussing “threat models”, which is beyond what regular users require, and our website is not designed for that group. In the end, this project helped me strength my understanding of how to translate complex topics into simple and practical guidance. And I really like this project.

Reference

CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org

Mayer, R. E. (2024). The Past, Present, and Future of the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. Educational Psychology Review, 36(1), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09842-1

Midjourney. (2025). Midjourney (Version 7) [Generative image model]. https://www.midjourney.com

Website:

https://sleep-duo-57679516.figma.site

Thank you for reading!

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