Human-centred identity - rhetoric vs. reality

Many identity systems over the past few years have been labelled as "human-centred". But closer examination reveals that in most cases, the term had been used by technology designers or providers to claim moral superiority for their products, and by those who commission nad run such systems owners - who confuse administrative convenience with benefits for users. Until now, little attention has been paid to the impact that the way identity systems are designed has on the lived experience of citizens and customers.

Based on the analysis of 15 historic national identity management systems, and focus group data with citizens from 3 different nations, we have identified a set of design properties that impact the lived experience of the individuals whose identity is being managed. They capture the practical design aspects of an identity system, from structural aspects that affect the flow of information - Control Points, Subject Engagement, Identity Exposure, Population Coverage – to the metrical aspects that considers how information is used and perceived - Expert Interpretation, Population Comprehension, Information Accuracy, Information Stability, Subject Coupling, Information Polymorphism. Any identity system can be described in terms of these fundamental properties, which affect individuals’ lived experience, and therefore help to determine the acceptance or rejection of such systems.

The talk will explain those properties and apply them to two national identity system – the UK DNA Database and the Austrian Citizen Card - to show how they impact lived experience.