CookieStore
CookieStore is the simple solution to the eternal struggle with Internet-Cookies. Understand what happens in the background and streamline your browsing experience.
Leonhard Blickwedel
Erasmus University Rotterdam
BSc International Business Administration
Over het initiatief / About the initiative
CookieStore
In welke fase zit jouw initiatief? / In what stage is your initiative?
Ideefase
Heb je jouw initiatief al gevalideerd? / Did you validate your initiative?
Only on a small scale yet (5 customer interviews). In the process of doing more validation.
Meer informatie over jouw initiatief / More info about your initiative
The current process of accepting or rejecting cookies on websites is cumbersome and outdated. Users frequently accept cookies without fully understanding what they are consenting to, and need to do this manually every time they visit a website.
This problem is reinforced by language barriers that, among others, international students face daily. For instance, I am neither able to understand cookies on a Dutch website – I would not read them anyways – nor know which button I need to click in order to give my blind consent.
This lack of transparency and automation is a significant problem that the EU tried to address two years ago. Fast forward to today, nothing has really changed.
CookieStore is a user-friendly browser extension that offers an automated and transparent method for managing website cookies. Users can create a profile, read through brief summaries of cookie content – synthesized from the most common elements of cookie acceptance forms – , and accept or reject these on an individual basis. These preferences are saved and automatically applied every time the user visits a website, reducing the need for manual intervention, while increasing user awareness and empowerment.
Wat is er anders/nieuw aan jouw idee/oplossing t.o.v. bestaande oplossingen? / What is different/new about your idea/solution compared to existing solutions??
While there are firms addressing data privacy and transparency, none of them have developed a solution quite like CookieStore. Existing solutions only focus on blocking cookies entirely (taking away crucial data from advertisers) or providing general privacy enhancements, but they don’t offer the individual control and understanding of cookies that CookieStore does. All that while not cannibalising the crucial cookie-data that advertisers and the marketing industry strongly rely on. Starting a new company allows us to focus on this specific issue and develop a solution tailored to it. Our unique value proposition and the specific problem we are addressing make us distinct from existing companies in this space.
Wat zijn jouw volgende stappen om het verder te ontwikkelen? / What are your next steps to develop the initiative?
Given that CookieStore is a browser extension, the next step is creating a (digital) prototype of the user interface. The prototype should include the following visualizations: CookieStore landing page (incl. explanation of functionality and pricing schemes), profile page (with brief summaries of common cookie elements and customisable preferences), look of active tool (i.e. how is user ensured that CookieStore is active when browsing through websites).
As a next step, we will test this digital prototype through a combination of user testing and usability testing.
User Testing: Potential customers will be presented with the three prototype visualisations (see first paragraph). First, they would be asked if they can describe how the tool and pricing works, based on the information depicted on the landing page. Next, potential customers would read through the cookie-summaries on their profile page. To test if those brief descriptions are comprehensible, they would then be asked to match a summary with a corresponding key word (“This summary is about a cookie that e.g. gathers analytics data, stores visitor preferences, etc.”). Lastly, the subjects will receive a screenshot of a generic web browser window. This screenshot will include an icon that indicates whether CookieStore is active right now or not. The subjects should spot the icon and answer if the tool is in its active or passive state based on the indicator.
Usability Testing: This involves observing users as they interact with the prototype, noting where they encounter difficulties or confusion. While the user test will highlight points of improvement for the content, the usability test has the objective to examine if users know how to operate the interface intuitively, i.e. know where to click and when to scroll.
Wat heb je nodig om (nog meer) impact te maken met dit initiatief? / What do you need to make (more) impact with this initiative?
As I have a business background and am less tech-savvy , I am currently looking for a partner who could complement CookieStore with web-design and IT skills. Apart from that, I need nothing else to make impact with my initiative, since CookieStore is purely a Software-as-a-Service business.