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Abstract for Seminar
It is increasingly recognised that effective end-user security depends upon features being offered in ways that typical users can understand and use. This in turn leads to the drive to simplify the interface, and work towards more automated and less intrusive solutions that seek to maximise convenience and consequent user acceptance. However, such strategies may not always work to the advantage of protection, and users can sometimes gain reassurance from security that is explicitly visible and conveys a degree of apparent complexity. For example, in contexts such as online banking, many users will welcome the presence of a multi-stage login process that they would not tolerate in other scenarios. This presentation examines the potential conflict between usability and security, and the balance that needs to be struck in order to pitch related features to best effect. The difficulty of achieving it is illustrated by examples from the opposing extremes; with some cases in which automation or simplification seems to have been taken too far, and others where the functionality appears over-complex without good reason.