Privacy Guidelines For Designing Personalization – Smashing Magazine

For interaction designers, it's becoming common to encounter privacy concerns as part of the design process. Rich online experiences often require the personalization of services, involving the use of people's information. Because gathering information to personalize a customer experience can interfere with the overall experience -- with negative consequences for the business -- how do we navigate this increasingly difficult territory? What are the guidelines to follow when using data to personalize digital experiences, and how can organizations help people feel comfortable with personalization services that research clearly shows people want? Exchanging personal information for things we want, whether physical or virtual, is nothing new. Long before the Internet, we freely published our home phone numbers and addresses in public directories.