ITIS 6010/8010: Usable Security and Privacy
Spring 2010 6:00pm - 8:45pm Tuesdays Atkins 143
Assignments
Assignment 1: due 1/26
Usability issue in a tool
Choose one tool or application, or a group of settings, dialogue boxes, or wizard, pertaining to security or privacy, that you thinks suffers from a usability problem. Take a screenshot and briefly describe the potential problems, a couple of paragraphs should be sufficient. Turn this page in on Moodle. Also, prepare to demonstrate this tool during class. This obviously means you need access to the application or the screenshot during class, so either the interface or screenshots are available online, or put the screenshots on a thumb drive. Be prepared to show or describe a main task with this tool and then describe the usability issues. You will not have more than a few minutes to demo in class, so prepare to be brief. My goal is to get you looking at tools thinking about usability, and to showcase a variety of tools in class, along with their potential issues, that everyone may not already be familiar with.
Assignment 2: due
Observe a user
The goal with this assignment is for you to practice observing and interviewing someone else has doing a security or privacy related task. So there are two parts to this:
1)Observation: you should observe someone doing several tasks with a particular application/tool/interface. You can either choose these tasks ahead of time, or if the user is familiar with the tool they can simply perform the tasks they need to perform. You can have the user think-aloud if you like.
2)Interview: after the tasks, interview the user about their conception of the tasks, what kinds of mental models they have of the tasks and security/privacy requirements of that domain, and their specific opinions and issues with the tasks they just performed.
Turn in a write up (probably 2-3 pages) on Moodle about what you observed, what usability and design issues there are based on your observation and interview. Be prepared to discuss your experiences and results in class.
Assignment 3: due
Redesign an interface
Choose your favorite tool/application/UI related to privacy or security (this could be the same tool you demoed in Assignment 1 if you like). Choose one aspect or feature or screen that you think needs improvement, and suggest how you would redesign it. Keep in mind the guidelines and pitfalls we have discussed in class. Turn in a sketch, mocked up screenshot, etc. to help describe your new design, along with a description of the changes you would make and why. be prepared to discuss or present your ideas in class.