The Dance between Security and Usability

In 2020, 155.8 million individuals were affected by data exposures - i.e, the accidental revelation of sensitive information due to less-than-adequate information security. According to findings from a 2019 Global Identity and Fraud Report, it was revealed that approximately 74% of consumers ranked security as the most important part of their online experience, followed by convenience.

In contrast, users in real life don’t consider security their first priority. Human behavior is such that it expects usability and convenience first instead of security. When it comes to two-factor authentication most of us just leave the website. We are ready to hand over our confidential information easily to thousands of apps and websites. We don’t think twice before getting into a stranger’s rideshare vehicle we have never interacted with before.

For the fact, users want to be safe and secure but for the sake of usability, we choose to settle for less. Users don’t feel like going through the manuals and look for security norms and standards.

Also, users have two major misconceptions:

1. Security is only related to UI component and can be designed separately from usability. 

2. Users believe that usability can be perceived individually and it is all about completing a task correctly without errors.  

Both security and usability can vary depending on the context of the user’s profile or the environment of any organization. Demands are changing now. Consumers expect businesses to build apps that are secure and usable at the same time. Companies are in a major dilemma to understand the core problems of user experience without compromising usability. Users tend to claim for a more secure app but shy away when there is any problem with usability.

From an ‘easy to access’ perspective, we expect things to be easier to use. But it often increases complexity and introduces room to more vulnerabilities. And if we look from a security perspective, we expect things to be highly secure without compromising on usability. But is it possible to build an application that is ‘easy to use’ and ‘secure enough’ at the same time?

At Hashbrown Systems, we build high-performing, cost-effective enterprise mobile applications which are cost-effective and secure at the same time. ‘Machine Dalal’ is a Hashbrown product that doesn’t compromise usability and security. It is a leveraging tool for buyers and sellers of the print industry to get connected across the globe. Our in-built messaging service ensures total privacy. All personal data is stored in a secure encrypted environment and is not accessible unless a buyer ‘requests’ it from within Machine Dalal’s website or mobile app. Only registered users can view and contact sellers to further enquire about the machines.

We help organizations transform their ideas into applications and build high-performing enterprise apps at lower comparative costs. Tap here to know more about us: