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Why do I have to enter password twice? Well apparently there is a 98% chance that I will enter what I want to. Actually, if you are asked to enter password thrice, the chances are increased to 99.9%. That’s just one simple example of how security dominates usability sometimes.
Users want to follow the path of least resistance. Why can’t the path of least resistance be secured? Why does a user have to accept complications with security?
In the past, tougher and stricter the security is, the less usability there is. However, there have been plenty of cases where both computer security and computer usability went hand in hand with each other and actually improved together. Can the two continue growing together?
In order to begin to try to answer this question, it is important to first define the terms computer security and computer usability so we know exactly what each refers to and there’s no ambiguity.
Computer security is defined as technological and managerial procedures applied to computer systems to ensure the availability, integrity and confidentiality of information managed by the computer system.
Usability is the measure of the quality of a user’s experience when interacting with a product or system – whether a Web site, a software application, mobile technology, or any user-operated device. Usability is a combination of factors that affect the user’s experience with the product or system, including ease of learning, efficiency of use, Memorability, error frequency and severity, and subjective satisfaction.
Examples of How Security and Usability Are Inversely Proportional
P2P networks Good Usability – No Security: Everything from credit card numbers and family photos to bank records and personal letters can be and has been unintentionally shared through P2P networks.
Basic UNIX file permissions – Great security – not so usable: Then we can change the permissions of this file to be only readable and writable by the user nobody, as such:
-rw——- 1 nobody nobody 1242 Aug 14 01:56 data.txt
Examples of How Security and Usability Go Hand In Hand
Xbox Live constantly monitors for users attempting to bypass security measures and gain unfair advantages over other players, and will take additional action as needed. So with newly-added security mechanisms and policies, the Xbox Live service has increased its usability by preventing cheating and improving their service.
Another example of where security and usability grew together is the adware/spyware and pop-up arena. We believe pop-up blockers and anti-spyware applications are one of the most useful recent developments in computing. They have improved usability countless times for countless users.
At the end, I think usability is been added to the security by doing a few simple things really well, instead of a lot of different things poorly. Even though there are really bad but secure solutions, I think eventually designers are thinking of redoing it with a better design.
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