Security UX -
work process
Research & Design, 2021 -
Simple representation of a
Complex Security feature
1. Information gathering
I incorporated information from multiple sources:
Users
Domain experts
Product managers
Product owners
Customer support
Legal
2. Synthesizing
Once I had the necessary information, I started to make sense of it. I wanted to answer questions like:
How do users work currently?
Where in their workflow would this feature fit well?
How does the feature contribute to or take away from their workflow?
3. Ideation
I continuously worked with security/domain experts to ensure that anything I created fits the security concept.
Paper sketching or designing in low-fidelity
Quick validation of feasibility and accuracy with security/domain experts
Iteration
Repeat
4. Testing
Usability testing with users was essential to see if the feature makes sense for the user and if they can make informed decisions about their system.
I wanted to answer these questions:
How well does the users' mental model of the feature fit the system model
If they understand:
what the feature protects
what isn't protected
what will be taken care of by the system
what has to be taken care of by them
what steps do they have to take to achieve a secure system
what steps do they have to take if they don't need a secure system
5. Final iteration
Takeaways from the usability testing were prioritized. Depending on severity and feasibility, they were implemented in the final iteration step.
Supporting implementation
Tracking the real usage of the feature after the release
Potential adaptations based on the actual usage data