Browser Extensions

A literature review into browser extensions.

My role

I conducted a brief literature into the history and practical details of browser extensions.

Literature review, Data Analysis, Insight Presentations

Results

Over 1 week, I conducted a literature review and synthesised insights into a presentation to the product specific UX Design team.

Findings

Major Insight 1:

The extensions with the lowest ratings in the Google Chrome PlayStore are often extensions that are required by institutions (banks, education, work). Therefore, buy adding a browser extension as a default to our products, we might negatively harm trust in users who wish to opt out of the extended experience.

Major Insight 2:

Browser extensions have historically been adopted based on the assumption of the creators good intentions which has paved the way for harmful extentions. By designing and building a similar tool, we must make a concerted effort to show our dedication to user safety and ethical design.

Reflection

Despite being a very short study that informed a larger project, the insights generated were instrumental in framing the following conversations regarding the design and implementation of the project.

I aim to conduct more, similar studies that can be completed quickly but provide huge impact.