Usability and Acceptance of UF-IBA, an Image-Based Authentication System

Text-based username-password systems have been traditionally used in authenticating users before allowing them access to online services. Psychological studies have shown users' inability to recall random sequences of alpha-numeric strings, which theoretically make the best passwords. Image-based authentication (IBA) systems show great promise in circumventing users' inherent weakness. This paper provides design details of a fully functional experimental IBA system deployed at the University of Florida's CISE department, exposes issues faced by the researchers regarding user acceptance, and suggests how to make such IBA systems more usable. This paper further provides key usability insights gained from analyzing the log files of users using the system over a period of more than two semesters.