A framework for the lived experience of identity

This paper presents a framework for the design of human-centric identitymanagement systems. Whilst many identity systems over the past few years have beenlabelled as human-centred, we argue that the term has been appropriated bytechnologists to claim moral superiority of their products, and by system ownerswho confuse administrative convenience with benefits for users. The framework forhuman-centred identity presented here identifies a set of design properties that canimpact the lived experience of the individuals whose identity is being managed. Theseproperties were identified through an analysis of public response to 15 historic nationalidentity systems. They capture the practical design aspects of an identity system, fromstructural aspects that affect the flow of information - Control Points, SubjectEngagement, Identity Exposure, Population Coverage—to the metrical aspects thatconsiders how information is used and perceived—Expert Interpretation, PopulationComprehension, Information Accuracy, Information Stability, Subject Coupling, Information Polymorphism. Any identity system can be described in terms of thesefundamental properties, which affect individuals’ lived experience, and therefore helpto determine the acceptance or rejection of such systems. We first apply eachindividual property within the context of two national identity systems—the UK DNADatabase and the Austrian Citizen Card, and then also demonstrate the applicability ofthe framework within the contexts of two non-government identity platforms—Facebook and Phorm. Practitioners and researchers would make use of this frameworkby analysing an identity system in terms of the various properties, and the interactionsbetween these properties within the context of use, thus allowing for the developmentof the potential impacts that the system has on the lived experience