SoK: Usability Studies in Differential Privacy

Differential Privacy (DP) has emerged as a pivotal approach for safeguarding individual privacy in data analysis, yet its practical adoption is often hindered by challenges in usability in implementation and communication of the privacy protection levels. This paper presents a comprehensive systematization of existing research on the usability of and communication about DP, synthesizing insights from studies on both the practical use of DP tools and strategies for conveying DP parameters that determine the privacy protection levels such as epsilon. By reviewing and analyzing these studies, we identify core usability challenges, best practices, and critical gaps in current DP tools that affect adoption across diverse user groups, including developers, data analysts, and non-technical stakeholders. Our analysis highlights actionable insights and pathways for future research that emphasizes user-centered design and clear communication, fostering the development of more accessible DP tools that meet practical needs and support broader adoption.