Aligning Usability and Security: A Usability Study of Polaris

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42. DeWitt AJ. Kuljis J., Aligning Usability and Security: A Usability Study of Polaris, Palo Alto. ACM.
a. Security software is often difficult to use thus leading to poor adoption and degraded security. This paper describes a usability study that was conducted on the software 'Polaris'.
b. The alleviation of usability problems Acorn security software proposed in this paper are threefold: reducing the burden on file user to make security related decisions, counteracting user's apathy by ensuring that the fast way of doing things is ale secure way, and integrating security software with the operating system throughout development.
c. This quote best illustrates a long-held belief feat security and usability do not go hand-in-hand. Many software designers share the notion that improving security necessarily degrades usability, and vice-versa.
d. It’s important point to note is that usability and security are also blended with legacy, in that Polaris is a retrofit onto Windows Designed to allow 10 millions of users to continue using their established programs
e. By aligning security sixth Usability, the user is less likely to want to circumvent the security system due to frustration, as the easy way should be the secure way.
f. Gearing the tests, participants were alone in a room with a PC They were observed through a one-way mirror by the perimeter in an adjoining room. Their keystrokes and screen activity Revere captured and stored electronically for later analysis.
g. At the end of the testing, participants completed a questionnaire to gather subjective opinions.
h. Effectiveness was measured by the length of time spent referring to documentation; the number of users who remembered how to complete goals after a period of inactivity.
i. The number of errors encountered.
j. Efficiency was measured by
i. The time taken to complete each task;
ii. The number of mouse clicks taken to complete each tasks
k. Satisfaction was assessed through questionnaires and short semi-structured interviews to gather subjective data.
l. When asked to download an application from a website and buy it out securely, most participants considered the goal here was opening the application, rather than protecting their security.