top of page

Permission Slip by Consumer Reports

Permission Slip is a free app on both iOS and Android designed to help users regain control of their personal information and request that companies delete or stop selling their data.

Link to Permission Slip by CR in Apple App Store
Google Play Store Link

Overview 

a cartoon of two coworkers looking at a white board.
a cartoon drawing of a hand pointing to graphs and charts
A cartoon of a happy user uses the app on his phone. He gives us the thumbs up
A cute cartoon of a happy customer service rep looks over her laptop at us. She gives us a

Empower the Product Team

I made sure to tell the product team what users needed in a way that was easy to understand.

 

This helped them make smart data-driven decisions, prioritize and add new features, and directly address issues users faced.

 

Reduce Pain Points for Users

My mission was to alleviate user frustration and enhance their overall experience.

 

I designed a seamless support and feedback system that served as a bridge between users and support agents.

 

This platform made it incredibly easy for users to report issues, request assistance, and offer valuable feedback, all with the end goal of reducing their pain points.

Reduce Pain for Support Agents Too

The feedback system integrated internal reporting tools, empowering support agents to effortlessly identify user issues and collaborate with the product team.

My findings were crucial in driving the prioritization of new features and product improvements. 

​

In follow up research, these changes significantly reduced user frustration.

Results

Higher Completion of the intended User Journey

with over  1 Million  Requests Sent.

Improving Apple App Store Reviews from 

2.7 to 4.7 out 5 Stars  with Over 2.1K Ratings.

a cartoon drawing of a rocket ship speeding upwards. Under the ship if a red arrow pointing upwards. Meant to signify rapid growth.

Feedback System

Front End ---------------------------

Permission Slip Screenshot of Home Screen
Screenshot of Permission Slip Menu
Screenshot of Permission Slip app's feedback feature

Back End ---------------------------

After they submit, the information is stored in a Django-supported admin portal.

django logo

The admin provides a centralized location for agents to conveniently access all the information they need.

User's Email

User1@example.com


User42_realperson@earthlink.net

Submission Text

Hi, I noticed that there's this....


Hey there, I NEED HELP! What...

Submission Type

Bug


User Support

Status

In Contact with
User / Investigating

Resolved

This isn't exactly what it looks like, but it's pretty close. I can't show the actual interface for legal reasons.

Thomas Pynchon with a bag on his head

Next, depending on what the agent fills in, they are directed to the application they need to use next.

Gmail Logo
slack logo
Jira Logo
Google Sheets logo

Corresponding with The User.

Collaborating with Teammates.

Tracking Feature Requests.

Filing Bug Reports.

Additional User Research

To capture a complete understanding of user sentiment and pain points, I integrated insights from usability studies, surveys, and user behavior into my reports for the product team.

UserTesting dot com's logo

Usability Study with

We conducted unsupervised at-home usability studies with 12 diverse users fitting our user personas.

 

Participants, spanning young to recently retired professionals of all socioeconomic backgrounds, had multiple online accounts and wanted insight into how companies used their data.

​

The users sought an easy way to control their info without navigating terms of service or dealing with the time-consuming bureaucracy—no forms, no hunting for the right people to talk to.

google forms logo

Surveys with

google forms logo

We sent out surveys to new users shortly after they began using the app.

 

The survey aimed to encourage open sharing of thoughts, ensuring each question stayed focused for clarity.

 

We kept the survey brief and allowed users to skip questions—our goal was to keep everyone engaged until the end without forcing answers that might affect the results.

Improvements

A two panel comic. The first panel labeled before on the left shows a woman who is mad at
Some users expressed confusion, frustration, or surprise regarding emails from companies that reached out to confirm requests.
 
In response, we decided to introduce a new section to clarify the situations in which a company may reach out to confirm a request.

 Before 

Screenshot of company page in the Permission Slip app.

 After 

a screenshot of the permission slip app now has a new section that explains what happens when a user sends a request
Several users assumed that the companies they saw in the app had their personal data, suggesting the list was curated specifically for them.
 
To clarify, we added text to the on-boarding process and a prompt which prevented users from making data requests from companies they haven't interacted with. 
Several users were surprised to discover that deleting their data meant deleting their entire account for a specific company. They had expected the request to only remove personal information while retaining useful data such as rewards and pending orders.

To address this, we made a clarification by replacing 'Delete Data' with 'Delete Account.' Additionally, we added a warning prompt, requiring users to confirm their intention to proceed with the request.

 Before 

 After 

Permission Slip Screenshot Delete My Account After

Lessons Learned

I thoroughly enjoyed the research process, where I honed my skill of synthesizing extensive user feedback into clear requirements for the product team.
 
This not only made it easier for stakeholders to understand and empathize with users but also bridged the gap between teammates who don't directly interact with users.
 
Witnessing how my contributions reduced the distance between users and the team was particularly rewarding.
 
This shift in understanding helped the team prioritize user needs over our assumptions, ultimately enabling us to enhance the app based on their valuable feedback.
bottom of page