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Do They Understand What They Are Using? -- Assessing Perception and Usage of Biometrics

Lukas Mecke, Alia Saad, Sarah Prange, Uwe Gruenefeld, Stefan Schneegass, Florian Alt

TL;DR

How well users know biometric authentication methods, how they perceive them, and if they have misconceptions about them is assessed to support the design of both further studies to gain deeper insights and future biometric interfaces to foster the informed use of biometrics.

Abstract

In this paper we assess how well users know biometric authentication methods, how they perceive them, and if they have misconceptions about them. We present the results of an online survey that we conducted in two rounds (2019, N=57; and 2023, N=47) to understand the impact of the increasing availability of biometrics on their use and perception. The survey covered participants' general understanding of physiological and behavioral biometrics and their perceived usability and security. While most participants were able to name examples and stated that they use biometrics in their daily lives, they still had difficulties explaining the concepts behind them. We shed light on participants' misconceptions, their coping strategies with authentication failures and potential attacks, as well as their perception of the usability and security of biometrics in general. As such, our results can support the design of both further studies to gain deeper insights and future biometric interfaces to foster the informed use of biometrics.

Do They Understand What They Are Using? -- Assessing Perception and Usage of Biometrics

TL;DR

How well users know biometric authentication methods, how they perceive them, and if they have misconceptions about them is assessed to support the design of both further studies to gain deeper insights and future biometric interfaces to foster the informed use of biometrics.

Abstract

In this paper we assess how well users know biometric authentication methods, how they perceive them, and if they have misconceptions about them. We present the results of an online survey that we conducted in two rounds (2019, N=57; and 2023, N=47) to understand the impact of the increasing availability of biometrics on their use and perception. The survey covered participants' general understanding of physiological and behavioral biometrics and their perceived usability and security. While most participants were able to name examples and stated that they use biometrics in their daily lives, they still had difficulties explaining the concepts behind them. We shed light on participants' misconceptions, their coping strategies with authentication failures and potential attacks, as well as their perception of the usability and security of biometrics in general. As such, our results can support the design of both further studies to gain deeper insights and future biometric interfaces to foster the informed use of biometrics.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 35 sections, 3 figures, 3 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Background and Research Approach
  3. Types of Biometrics
  4. Understanding Biometrics Perception
  5. Research Gap and Summary
  6. Research Questions
  7. Survey
  8. Study Design
  9. Survey Structure
  10. Participants & Recruitment
  11. Ethical Considerations
  12. Data Analysis
  13. Limitations
  14. Results
  15. Definition and Function of Biometrics
  16. ...and 20 more sections

Figures (3)

  • Figure 1: Visual overview of our survey structure. Participants received information and had to answer general- and biometric-specific questions. Biometric questions were repeated, starting with physiological biometrics (except for part C where they were counterbalanced). Part H is omitted for the sake of brevity. Open questions are marked green, and closed questions are marked blue.
  • Figure 2: Known biometrics as mentioned by the participants. We excluded mentions of unrelated methods as well as biometrics that were mentioned by less than 3 participants across both rounds.
  • Figure 3: Participants' ratings on the Likert statements combined for both rounds of our online survey. Participants that did not give a rating are indicated in gray. See Appendix \ref{['app:likerts']} for the full questions.