As public administration becomes increasingly dig-
itized, citizens need a clear understanding of how their personal
data is collected and shared. In order to familiarize citizens
with data processing in public administrations, six user-oriented
educational prototypes were developed based on three life events:
the birth of a child, unemployment, and moving to a new place
of residence. The prototypes included interactive and audiovisual
formats that were developed as part of a human-centered design
process. The prototypes were evaluated in randomized controlled
online experiments using a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up
design and compared with a web-search control group. Partici-
pants who interacted with the prototypes achieved significantly
higher knowledge gains than those in the control condition, with
small to moderate effect sizes. Although knowledge declined
over time, retention remained above pre-test levels. These results
demonstrate that user-centered digital formats can effectively
convey data collection and sharing in public administration and
support citizens’ data sovereignty.