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Collect feedback on proposed designs for persistent mode

Context

Currently, there are 2 possible browsing modes for users:

  • Normal mode: the data¹ is saved on disk, which means that the browser will remember browsing information even after it is shut down (e.g. logins and cookies preferences don't need to be done each session).
  • Private mode: the data is saved on memory, but not on disk, which means that the browser will remember information within a session, but not after it is shut down (e.g. the user needs to log in and set cookies preferences every time they start a new browsing session).

We designed a new mode called _persistent mode_². Although it is the same as private mode in essence, persistent mode allows users to add websites to a list of exceptions. This list consists of websites whose data will be saved on disk, being remembered by the browser even across sessions.

This list of exceptions won't be taken into account by the browser on private mode, and can only be edited via a persistent mode window.

Once shipped, persistent mode will replace normal mode and be default.

¹ Cookies, passwords and browsing history.

² The names of the modes will be changed yet.

Additionally: 2025 UX survey results suggest there is an appetite among users (especially new users) for more conventional browser features (e.g., saved browsing history, password manager function). Persistent mode fits squarely into this category and research gives us an opportunity to ‘color’ these quantitative findings.

WIP More details:

Desired Outcomes:

- clarity on perceived value prop of persistent mode from the perspective of end users (this can help us to develop additional informational copy when rolling out/ positioning this feature & developing onboarding flow/copy)

- clarity on how persistent mode should behave [this is my personal take and depends on how fixed persistent mode actually is from an eng perspective] @felicia @donuts

- UI-level recommendations for increased comprehension/ findability


Research Questions:

- How clear or unclear is persistent mode’s 1) value proposition and 2) privacy affordances and limitations?

- How easy or difficult is to enable the feature via Mullvad/Tor Browsers’ ‘chrome’?

- How easy or difficult is to enable the feature via Mullvad/Tor Browsers’ via the settings menu?

Research Objectives:

- Assess user comprehension of persistent mode

- Assess findability of persistent mode functionality

- Assess user mental model mis/alignment with feature onboarding and proposed IA

Proposed Methodology:

- concept testing

- usability testing

- semi-structured interview

Suggested Participants:

- occasional and frequent Browser users [Mullvad or Tor Browser]

Relevant documents

previous description:

Purpose and goals

What will this research focus on?

  • Feature onboarding;
  • Enabling/disabling data persistence from a specific website through the chrome;
  • Adding/removing websites from the list of exceptions through the Settings page;
  • Changing browsing type (i.e. which mode will be global when opening a new window);
  • Burning Panel.

What needs to be learned?

  • Can users find the option to add/remove a website's data persistence from the chrome?
  • Are we being clear about the meaning of "data persistence" (or any other terminology we decide to follow)?
  • Can users identify from the url bar when a website's data is persisting?
  • Do users know how to change the browser from global private to global persistence (and vice-versa)?
  • Do users understand how to add/remove sites from the exceptions list at about:settings?
  • Do users know how to clear data...
    • ...via burn button?
    • ...via "Clear data" button at about:settings?
  • Is the onboarding helpful to understand the new feature?

Out of scope:

  • Passwords management (the browser won't save passwords, usernames or any other kinds of identification, even with data persistence enabled).

Why this study is needed?

Both Mullvad and Tor Browser offer privacy as their main differentiator compared to other browsers. By developing a way to save very specific data such as logins, cookie preferences and browsing history, we aim to make daily browsing easier for casual users, without compromising privacy in any way. With this study, we not only want to measure usability, but also investigate if users understand how and when to use persistent mode.

Participants

TBD [Discuss possible inclusion and exclusion criteria.]

Method and procedure

TBD

Checklist (WIP)

  • Draft research plan
  • Define user flows
  • Draft script/questions
  • Design interactive mockups on Figma
  • Test interactive mockups
  • Run pilot test
  • Recruit participants
  • Schedule tests
  • Run user tests
  • Analyze and document test results
  • Report results

Edited by Alicia Zamora