Investigating the accessibility and usability of multi-factor authentication for young people

Lukas Smith; Suzanne Prior; Jacques Ophoff

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-61966-3_15

Investigating the accessibility and usability of multi-factor authentication for young people

Lukas Smith, Suzanne Prior^*, Jacques Ophoff

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Cybersecurity and Computing

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

Abstract

The rapid growth of young online users requires greater attention to balancing security needs with age-appropriate user experiences. Despite the well-publicised benefits of multi-factor authentication (MFA), uptake amongst this group remains low. This study examines young people’s interaction with MFA methods to inform inclusive design for online security.

We present an evaluation involving 19 participants aged 10–14, assessing the accessibility and usability of six MFA methods within an Android mobile application. While traditional methods such as numerical MFA and push authenticators demonstrated high accuracy and faster completion times, the participants favoured the more novel MFA of copying a drawing. This highlights the need to balance speed with a positive user experience, mainly when promoting the uptake of good practices amongst young people.

The findings emphasise the potential for incorporating secure practices like MFA into platforms targeting children, contributing to building secure online habits from a young age.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	HCI International 2024 Posters
Subtitle of host publication	26th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2024, Washington, DC, USA, June 29 – July 4, 2024, Proceedings, Part VI
Editors	Constantine Stephanidis, Margherita Antona, Stavroula Ntoa, Gavriel Salvendy
Place of Publication	Cham
Publisher	Springer
Pages	129-135
Number of pages	7
ISBN (Electronic)	9783031619663
ISBN (Print)	9783031619656
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61966-3_15
Publication status	Published - 2 Jun 2024
Event	26th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction - Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington DC, United States Duration: 29 Jun 2024 → 4 Jul 2024 https://2024.hci.international/

Publication series

Name	Communications in Computer and Information Science
Publisher	Springer
Volume	2119
ISSN (Print)	1865-0929
ISSN (Electronic)	1865-0937

Conference

Conference	26th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction
Abbreviated title	HCI I 2024
Country/Territory	United States
City	Washington DC
Period	29/06/24 → 4/07/24
Internet address	https://2024.hci.international/

Keywords

Inclusive design
Children
Multifactor authentication
Usability

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-031-61966-3_15

Embargoed Document

Prior_InvestigatingTheAccessibilityAndUsability_Accepted_2024
Accepted author manuscript, 390 KB
Embargo ends: 1/06/25

Cite this

Smith, L., Prior, S., & Ophoff, J. (2024). Investigating the accessibility and usability of multi-factor authentication for young people. In C. Stephanidis, M. Antona, S. Ntoa, & G. Salvendy (Eds.), HCI International 2024 Posters: 26th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2024, Washington, DC, USA, June 29 – July 4, 2024, Proceedings, Part VI (pp. 129-135). (Communications in Computer and Information Science; Vol. 2119). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61966-3_15

Smith, Lukas ; Prior, Suzanne ; Ophoff, Jacques. / Investigating the accessibility and usability of multi-factor authentication for young people. HCI International 2024 Posters: 26th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2024, Washington, DC, USA, June 29 – July 4, 2024, Proceedings, Part VI. editor / Constantine Stephanidis ; Margherita Antona ; Stavroula Ntoa ; Gavriel Salvendy. Cham : Springer, 2024. pp. 129-135 (Communications in Computer and Information Science).

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abstract = "The rapid growth of young online users requires greater attention to balancing security needs with age-appropriate user experiences. Despite the well-publicised benefits of multi-factor authentication (MFA), uptake amongst this group remains low. This study examines young people{\textquoteright}s interaction with MFA methods to inform inclusive design for online security.We present an evaluation involving 19 participants aged 10–14, assessing the accessibility and usability of six MFA methods within an Android mobile application. While traditional methods such as numerical MFA and push authenticators demonstrated high accuracy and faster completion times, the participants favoured the more novel MFA of copying a drawing. This highlights the need to balance speed with a positive user experience, mainly when promoting the uptake of good practices amongst young people.The findings emphasise the potential for incorporating secure practices like MFA into platforms targeting children, contributing to building secure online habits from a young age.",

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note = "Copyright information: {\textcopyright} 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG Data availability statement: Not present.; 26th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCI I 2024 ; Conference date: 29-06-2024 Through 04-07-2024",

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Smith, L, Prior, S & Ophoff, J 2024, Investigating the accessibility and usability of multi-factor authentication for young people. in C Stephanidis, M Antona, S Ntoa & G Salvendy (eds), HCI International 2024 Posters: 26th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2024, Washington, DC, USA, June 29 – July 4, 2024, Proceedings, Part VI. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol. 2119, Springer, Cham, pp. 129-135, 26th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, Washington DC, District of Columbia, United States, 29/06/24. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61966-3_15

Investigating the accessibility and usability of multi-factor authentication for young people. / Smith, Lukas; Prior, Suzanne ; Ophoff, Jacques.
HCI International 2024 Posters: 26th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2024, Washington, DC, USA, June 29 – July 4, 2024, Proceedings, Part VI. ed. / Constantine Stephanidis; Margherita Antona; Stavroula Ntoa; Gavriel Salvendy. Cham: Springer, 2024. p. 129-135 (Communications in Computer and Information Science; Vol. 2119).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

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AB - The rapid growth of young online users requires greater attention to balancing security needs with age-appropriate user experiences. Despite the well-publicised benefits of multi-factor authentication (MFA), uptake amongst this group remains low. This study examines young people’s interaction with MFA methods to inform inclusive design for online security.We present an evaluation involving 19 participants aged 10–14, assessing the accessibility and usability of six MFA methods within an Android mobile application. While traditional methods such as numerical MFA and push authenticators demonstrated high accuracy and faster completion times, the participants favoured the more novel MFA of copying a drawing. This highlights the need to balance speed with a positive user experience, mainly when promoting the uptake of good practices amongst young people.The findings emphasise the potential for incorporating secure practices like MFA into platforms targeting children, contributing to building secure online habits from a young age.

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Smith L, Prior S , Ophoff J. Investigating the accessibility and usability of multi-factor authentication for young people. In Stephanidis C, Antona M, Ntoa S, Salvendy G, editors, HCI International 2024 Posters: 26th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2024, Washington, DC, USA, June 29 – July 4, 2024, Proceedings, Part VI. Cham: Springer. 2024. p. 129-135. (Communications in Computer and Information Science). Epub 2024 Jun 1. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-61966-3_15

Investigating the accessibility and usability of multi-factor authentication for young people

Abstract

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Conference

Keywords

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