Is there a better metaphor to represent new identity?
"New identity" is a feature in Tor Browser that prevents your subsequent browser activity from being linkable to what you were doing before (see "Managing identities" for further info). When selected, New identity will create a fresh start by closing all tabs and windows, clearing all private information such as cookies and browsing history, and establishing new Tor circuits for all connections. This feature can be triggered by clicking the broom icon in Tor Browser's toolbar, or by selecting "New identity" in either the system or application menus.
However, it's unclear whether users understand the intended functionality of this feature based on the current name and icon. Previous usability testing has suggested that users treat it more so as a restart button, that can be pushed as a last resort when debugging a technical issue. Some users have also confused the broom for a rocket ship.
In addition, the Tor VPN cannot perform all the steps necessary to establish a new identity, and only takes the final step to establish anew Tor circuits. As such, the parallel feature in the Tor VPN has been tentatively named "Refresh all circuits" with a more traditional refresh icon instead (see Figma, for example).
Similar features and metaphors exist in other browsers too:
- DuckDuckGo includes a "Clear browsing history" button with a fire icon and animation.
- Firefox is experimenting with a similar fire icon in Private Browsing windows with the label "End private session".
- Arc Browser also employs a broom icon for its "Tidy tabs" button.
To conclude, we're unsure whether:
- New identity is the best label to describe this feature, and:
- The broom is the best icon to represent this feature in the toolbar.
Further user research is needed to evaluate the current name and icon, and as a second step, to test the effectiveness of potential alternatives to both.
Accepting contributions
This issue is open to contributions from volunteer UX designers within the community. If you have the skills and experience to propose design changes and research their effectiveness, and are interested in contributing to the Tor Project, please submit a design proposal and research plan in a comment below for review by the UX Team. If you have any questions, please reach out to the UX Team first. Thank you!