Accessible authentication : dyslexia and password strategies
Renaud, Karen and Johnson, Graham and Ophoff, Jacques (2020) Accessible authentication : dyslexia and password strategies. Information and Computer Security. ISSN 2056-4961 (In Press)
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Abstract
A significant proportion of the world's population experiences some degree of dyslexia, which can lead to spelling, processing, sequencing, and retention difficulties. Passwords, being essentially sequences of alphanumeric characters, make it likely that dyslexics will struggle with these, even more so than the rest of the population. In this study, we explore the difficulties people with dyslexia face, their general experiences with passwords, the coping strategies they use, and the advice they can provide to developers and others who struggle with passwords. We collected empirical data through semi-structured interviews with 13 participants. Thematic analysis was used to provide an in-depth view of each participant's experience. Our findings are structured around four research questions, encompassing password issues, authentication systems, and broad experiences of living with dyslexia. We conclude by highlighting the need to enhance the accessibility of authentication to accommodate the needs of people with dyslexia, who are increasingly required to access a variety of personalised and work information and online services. The main contribution of this paper is to provide evidence related to the inaccessibility dimensions of passwords as an authentication mechanism, especially for dyslexics, and to recommend a solution direction. Our aim was to highlight the fact that research into viable, pragmatic alternatives is urgently required if legal accessibility requirements are to be met.
Item type: Article ID code: 75071 Dates: DateEvent14 December 2020Published14 December 2020AcceptedKeywords: dyslexia, authentification, qualitative research, passwords, accessibility, Information resources, Human-Computer Interaction Subjects: Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > Information resources Department: Faculty of Science > Computer and Information Sciences Depositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 14 Jan 2021 16:50 Last modified: 16 Feb 2021 02:31 Related URLs: URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/75071