Page 5 - EUREKA -Fall 2014

Navigating the New World

of human Computer graphic design and psychology.

While several students are
completing degrees in computer
Interactions science, Chiasson adds that she also
has several students completing
interdisciplinary master’s degrees in
human computer interaction (hCI).
“Some of our students come
from traditional computer science Research news
backgrounds and engineering. But
also having students with psychology
and graphic design backgrounds
makes for a really nice mix, and
different perspectives,” said the
professor.
For example, one of Chiasson’s
students with a psychology
background was interested in studying
older adults, deciding to look into
their views on online threats. This
research was then used in Chiasson’s
lab to learn how to design better
interfaces for all ages, and to increase
online security.
“(Older adults) are getting so many
conflicting messages, such as don’t
click on any pop-ups,” said Chiasson.
“As a result, they’re not doing any
updates to their computer either,
so when they don’t click a pop-up
that says please update Java or your
browser, they actually end up more
insecure.”
Other hCI students have
developed a series of online
interactive comics aiming to raise
awareness about computer security
Photo by Luther Caverly
while teaching users how to stay
By Kristy Strauss vigilant against potential threats.
These comics, entitled “Secure
hey’re teaching users how hackers combining the more human side Comics” are intended to improve
Tattack and developing computer of things with computer science,” people’s understanding of computer
password systems that are easier to said Chiasson. security through visualizations. To
remember - Carleton computer science Chiasson then brought her view: www.versipass.com/edusec/.
professor Sonia Chiasson and her team research to Carleton, where she “The idea was to use infographics,
of research students are making users completed her PhD thesis before visual design, and humour to teach
more secure online. going on to become a professor. She people about different security
“With more and more of our world currently leads a team of researchers threats, with the idea that if they
being online, cyber security is incredibly in combining human-computer had a better understanding of why
important,” said Chiasson, who is also interaction with computer security, an we’re asking them to be more secure,
Canada’s research chair on human area of research that Carleton is the they’re more likely to comply,” said
oriented computer security. international leader in. Chiasson.
Chiasson began looking at the “Internationally, there are fewer Computer science students in the
way people approach the design of than 10 labs who are really focusing lab are also looking at alternatives
usable computer systems while she was on this type of research, and we have to CAPTChAs , the little boxes users
completing a master’s degree at the so much,” she says. see on-screen that determine if a user
University of Saskatchewan, working on Chiasson adds that the research is human by asking them to input a
a project involving designing interfaces happening in her lab is a collaboration series of numbers and letters.
for children. across many disciplines, and includes “CAPTChAs are getting more and
“It was a really cool way of students from subjects such as more difficult,” she says. “They are

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