Security - Visible, yet unseen? How displaying security mechanisms impacts user experience and perceived security

Verena Distler; Marie Laure Zollinger; Carine Lallemand; Peter B. Roenne; Peter Y.A. Ryan; Vincent Koenig

doi:10.1145/3290605.3300835

Security - Visible, yet unseen? How displaying security mechanisms impacts user experience and perceived security

Verena Distler, Marie Laure Zollinger, Carine Lallemand, Peter B. Roenne, Peter Y.A. Ryan, Vincent Koenig

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

An unsolved debate in the field of usable security concerns whether security mechanisms should be visible, or black-boxed away from the user for the sake of usability. However, tying this question to pragmatic usability factors only might be simplistic. This study aims at researching the impact of displaying security mechanisms on User Experience (UX) in the context of e-voting. Two versions of an e-voting application were designed and tested using a between-group experimental protocol (N=38). Version D displayed security mechanisms, while version ND did not reveal any security-related information. We collected data on UX using stan-dardised evaluation scales and semi-structured interviews. Version D performed better overall in terms of UX and need fulfilment. Qualitative analysis of the interviews gives further insights into factors impacting perceived security. Our study adds to existing research suggesting a conceptual shift from usability to UX and discusses implications for designing and evaluating secure systems.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	CHI 2019 - Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Place of Publication	New York
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery, Inc
Number of pages	13
ISBN (Electronic)	9781450359702
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300835
Publication status	Published - 2 May 2019
Event	37th ACM Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2019 - Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow, United Kingdom Duration: 4 May 2019 → 9 May 2019 Conference number: 37 https://chi2019.acm.org

Conference

Conference	37th ACM Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2019
Abbreviated title	CHI 2019
Country/Territory	United Kingdom
City	Glasgow
Period	4/05/19 → 9/05/19
Internet address	https://chi2019.acm.org

Keywords

Usable Security
User Experience
e-voting
security mechanisms
empirical study
Usable security
Empirical study
E-voting
User experience
Security mechanisms

Access to Document

10.1145/3290605.3300835

Cite this

Distler, V., Zollinger, M. L., Lallemand, C., Roenne, P. B., Ryan, P. Y. A., & Koenig, V. (2019). Security - Visible, yet unseen? How displaying security mechanisms impacts user experience and perceived security. In CHI 2019 - Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Article 605 Association for Computing Machinery, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300835

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abstract = "An unsolved debate in the field of usable security concerns whether security mechanisms should be visible, or black-boxed away from the user for the sake of usability. However, tying this question to pragmatic usability factors only might be simplistic. This study aims at researching the impact of displaying security mechanisms on User Experience (UX) in the context of e-voting. Two versions of an e-voting application were designed and tested using a between-group experimental protocol (N=38). Version D displayed security mechanisms, while version ND did not reveal any security-related information. We collected data on UX using stan-dardised evaluation scales and semi-structured interviews. Version D performed better overall in terms of UX and need fulfilment. Qualitative analysis of the interviews gives further insights into factors impacting perceived security. Our study adds to existing research suggesting a conceptual shift from usability to UX and discusses implications for designing and evaluating secure systems.",

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Distler, V, Zollinger, ML, Lallemand, C, Roenne, PB, Ryan, PYA & Koenig, V 2019, Security - Visible, yet unseen? How displaying security mechanisms impacts user experience and perceived security. in CHI 2019 - Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems., 605, Association for Computing Machinery, Inc, New York, 37th ACM Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2019, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 4/05/19. https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300835

Security - Visible, yet unseen? How displaying security mechanisms impacts user experience and perceived security. / Distler, Verena; Zollinger, Marie Laure; Lallemand, Carine et al.
CHI 2019 - Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. New York: Association for Computing Machinery, Inc, 2019. 605.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

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KW - security mechanisms

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Security - Visible, yet unseen? How displaying security mechanisms impacts user experience and perceived security

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Keywords

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