Yue Huang ; Borke Obada-Obieh ; Satya Lokam ; Konstantin Beznosov

01 November 2022

Abstract: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 users of Canada’s exposure-notification app, COVID Alert. We identified several types of users’ mental models for the app. Participants’ concerns were found to correlate with their level of understanding of the app. Compared to a centralized contact-tracing app, COVID Alert was favored for its more efficient notification delivery method, its higher privacy protection, and its optional level of cooperation. Based on our findings, we suggest decision-makers rethink the app’s privacy-utility trade-off and improve its utility by giving users more control over their data. We also suggest technology companies build and maintain trust with the public. Further, we recommend increasing diagnosed users’ motivation to notify the app and encouraging exposed users to follow the guidelines. Last, we provide design suggestions to help users with Unsound and Innocent mental models to better understand the app.

Keyword(s): user study ; COVID-19 exposure-notification apps ; mental models ; privacy concerns

Published in: Yue Huang, Borke Obada-Obieh, Satya Lokam, and Konstantin Beznosov. 2022. Users’ Expectations, Experiences, and Concerns With COVID Alert, an Exposure-Notification App. Proceeding of ACM Human-Computer Interact. 6, CSCW2, https://doi.org/10.1145/3555770: