Website design is a big, multi-faceted digital industry nowadays. It has changed immeasurably just in the past decade, and the internet itself is barely recognizable in its current “2.0” form (with 3.0 coming up in the not-too-distant future). Since the entire internet landscape has boomed in recent years to unprecedented levels of width, breadth, interaction, billions of users and platforms, the digital media industry is a key part of it. However, without security and privacy, forget about launching a website. For these reasons, designing with privacy in mind is a must-do before thinking about launching a website.
To put the importance of web design into perspective, let’s look at some statistics. Today, there are an estimated 300 million active websites, and an estimated 4.5 billion internet users worldwide. Research shows that 75% of people prefer a good-looking website that is also a good user experience (UX). Therefore, the UI (the web design, the interface itself) combined with good UX is crucial for the success of a website. Continuing, research also shows that design has a 75% influence on a website’s actual credibility.
A beautiful, effective, safe, and smooth website experience means understanding security, privacy, and web design and integrating all of these elements from the ground up.
What is Web Design?
Website design is just that, design for websites. It falls under the “web development” industry, a very lucrative industry that also includes software coding which is often directly part of web design itself. The design aspect of it didn’t become that important or sophisticated, to say the least, until the internet itself and technology improved enough that we could interact with web 2.0 elements. This means that protocols, plugins, and computers themselves (GPUs and CPUs) could unravel complex, high-resolution, and highly interactive websites.
Web design can make or break a company, because the digital transformation has moved a giant portion of the world’s economy online. This means that to sell goods and services organizations have to have a great, distinct, functioning, secure and private website. So, it is crucial to understand it, especially if you are building a website of your own.
Web design, simply put, is the look, the works, and the content of a website. From the initial plans to developing the layout to the images, graphics, menus, buttons, and much more, is all encapsulated within web design.
Think about this; websites that do not load smoothly lead to over $2 billion in lost revenue, and almost 100% of customers will not return to a website given a bad experience. Furthermore, human attention spans have shortened to about 6 seconds per website image and text. Adding to that, web developers and designers have to understand that the majority of people use their mobile devices to access websites, so websites must be mobile-friendly and compatible, too.
What is Privacy and Why is it Important?
Online privacy is crucial because it means data safety and our right to privacy. Privacy, in terms of websites, refers to the data stored about customers and how it is processed. We now know that “Big Data” collection algorithms and web publishers track internet users and can even sell their data. The internet constantly profiles us and feeds that to AI (Artificial Intelligence). This is why several global frameworks such as the CCPA and GDPR exist, to protect people from these exact issues. This is also why legitimate websites include Privacy Policies, Terms of Service, and other documentation that supports their credibility and business model.
Today, users are much more sensitive to the privacy and security of their personal information and how it is processed. This is exactly why “consent boxes” exist when visiting websites, where users can consent or decline any tracking or data collection. A website that is not transparent with its privacy measures will not succeed.
How to Integrate Data Privacy Into Web Design?
To integrate privacy into web design properly, there are a few things web developers, designers, and of course company management/boards must consider.
These are:
- Privacy policies
- Password rules and password hygiene
- Encryption and certificates
- Storing sensitive information in a way that deters hackers
- Designing non-invasive consent boxes
- Taking it easy on ads and pop-ups
- Being as fair and transparent/honest as possible
- Ensuring the website complies with cybersecurity and privacy frameworks
Now, for a website to hit it off and be as credible and legitimate as possible, all of the above criteria must be met. This means that a website must comply with privacy policies where design is concerned, and policies will differ from state to state or region to region. Web designers can also create their privacy policy manually.
Secondly, handling user credentials and implementing strict access rules for customers will save you time, money, and a lot of nerves down the line. This means urging customers/clients/personnel to keep up with maximum password hygiene such as using long, difficult to crack passwords.
Third, customers should also be urged to use MFA or Multi-factor Authentication for the protection of their personal information, as well as the transmission between company-clients.
Fourth, a well-designed website must have proper digital signatures/certificates along with solid HTTPS encryption on a secure, encrypted server/cloud.
Fifth, customer data must be stored securely meaning that in the event of a ransomware breach or hack, the data is as “minimal” and as useless as possible for the bad guys.
Finally, a website should be designed with cybersecurity in mind. This is extremely important. This means that conducting a DPIA (Data Protection Impact Assessment) via a DPO (Data Protection Officer) and supplementing that with up-to-date cybersecurity and privacy policy is what all websites worth their salt should aim for. One could even consider contracting with a third-party MSSP security provider to handle website security and integrity, for instance.
Designing with “Privacy by Design” is critical (GDPR) and a great way to start thinking about designing with privacy in mind. Here are the steps for that;
- Proactively preventing breaches before they happen
- Ensuring that data is automatically protected
- Integrating privacy into design in a holistic, non-intrusive fashion
- Providing end-to-end security
- Destroying obsolete information and removing inactive access points
- Conducting external privacy audits regularly
- Utilizing cybersecurity software such as VPNs
