My final major project is titled The Trap of Consent: A Visual Design Exploration Based on the Default Consent Mechanism in User Agreements. It primarily explores the unconscious behaviors of users in the digital age and the hidden risks behind these behaviors.
A common phenomenon I have noticed is that users often click “Agree” without thinking and without reading the terms of the user agreement. However, as ordinary users, we are often unable to understand the risks our privacy data faces when using various online services. I have realized that people often unknowingly hand over their personal data to systems they trust but do not fully understand. People tend to trust technology because it appears rational, transparent, and efficient.
Therefore, my focus is on user agreements as a medium to highlight the risks, such as personal privacy breaches, brought about by the development of the internet.
Through this project, I aim to provoke the audience to reassess the behavior of “default consent” and its potential risks. Using visual communication and narrative techniques, I hope to encourage the public to make more cautious choices when using digital services.
In my design, I extract keywords from user agreements, drawing inspiration from both my own and others’ shared reading experiences and barriers. I apply visual design to these high-frequency keywords or terms that subtly guide users through language. Finally, based on my personal experience reading user agreements and their contents, I will create a book as the final medium, incorporating some interactive elements.
ICI China 
Shaqi LI | ICI China
