User-Interface design: an overlooked security matter

Human error is one of the most overlooked threat to most IT systems. A low level of user acceptance of the security features can be one of the most challenging part of the transformation of a company into a secure organization.

KISSS: Keep it Simple, Stupid and Sexy. The last S from this new version of this old acronym comes from Laurence Vanhée, Chief Happiness Officer. Can we make people happy with security? Why not?

Tech companies have invented the WAF, Woman Acceptance Factor. This factor was defined to predict if the woman were ready to accept the purchase of a new home appliance (Smart TV, and so on). The main factor was usability and attractiveness. At that time came the “girly” versions of a lot of appliances and the simplified version of the remote controls. Not that Woman aren’t capable of using complex systems, they just don’t want to bother about some useless complexity. And I don’t think it’s a “woman” thing. We all do, eventually. But in security, we tend to forget that we need to convince our users to be more secure.

Darin Senneff, a creative user interface designer from New-York, has created and shared on Codepen a very nice user login interface that should inspire other website designers.

As you can see, the nice gorilla’s avatar change its behaviour as you type your email and your password. One could add some new behaviour when the password would not be strong enough and some other (positive reinforcement) when the password reach a certain level of complexity. Such interface will likely be more efficient reinforcer of a security aware behaviour than just a message as it will provide a sense of peer pressure and fun, leveraging security without the fear and the stress factors.

Darin shared the code on Codepen. Get inspired, use it, improve it.