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Clarify just enough about the network model

User research findings

During the usability tests of Tor VPN 0.6.2 (tpo/ux/research#69):

6/6 participants confused bridges and exit location:

  • 6/6 participants tried to change the exit location when configuring a bridge was needed.
  • 2/6 participants tried to use a bridge when changing the exit location was needed.
  • 3/6 participants thought that all the relays were bridges.

As a consequence, participants had troubles understanding what to configure when Tor was being blocked or when a website required a certain exit location.

4/6 participants did not understand that Tor used several intermediaries, unlike a regular VPN. The 2 participants who understood that, already knew this from prior knowledge.

As a consequence, when asked about the benefits of Tor VPN over a regular VPN, no participant mentioned stronger security unless they knew this from prior knowledge.

To both help people troubleshoot issues more easily and understand the security benefits of Tor, we should explain more about how the network works.

Ideas

We could educate users a bit more about the Tor network in different ways:

  • Add a schematic of onion routing to the Connection screen in a panel? (MVP)
  • Consider mini-carousels in content panels instead of dialogs? (MVP)
  • Link to help content, maybe in bottom sheets? (MVP)
  • Think about other ways we could provide just-in-time help? (MVP)