Customers don’t give much thought when using their username and password for online transactions or internet banking. They trust the website and believe that the transaction will be done right. But today, cyberspace is facing growing concerns of phishing attacks and security breaches that could put a massive amount of sensitive information in the wrong hands. With the help of sophisticated tools, the attackers gain unsolicited access to the computer systems all over the globe, and every security testing company is finding it hard to keep up with them.

The Problem with Traditional Online Security Systems

Let’s imagine two scenarios:

Scenario 1: You don’t require a password to log in to check your email

Scenario 2: You need to authenticate your credentials every few minutes using CAPTCHA codes.

Which one do you prefer?

From a user’s point of view, the first option seems much more preferable but it lacks security. Conversely, the second one is extremely secure but very irritating from a user’s perspective. This is where organizations need to learn how to balance security and user experience.

Cyber Threats to an Organization

Identity theft is one of the biggest online frauds most users are concerned about. It can not only prove to be detrimental to reputations but can also result in major financial losses for organizations. Millions of billions of people are surfing the internet at any given point in time and logging in to access stored information. Hackers and spammers won’t even have to break a swear to hack into users’ personal information. For instance, most websites add a secure socket layer that can be verified by its URL beginning with https:// instead of http://. But this layer is also not fully secure and can be exploited by man-in-the-middle attacks, intercepting confidential user information and is a classic example of identity theft.

Can Security and User Experience Live in Harmony?

Without a doubt, yes. In fact, adhering to user experience guidelines and principles can improve security. Security and user experience are both essential for any system. In fact, according to statistics, approx. 66% of the users abandon a purchase using their mobile device because of security concerns and bad user experience.

Then there’s the opinion of those who say that user experience overrides security. According to some researchers, the primary concerns of security professionals and UX designers lie in the following questions:

The question for UX designers: How do you meet the needs of digital identity by your design?

The question for a security testing company: How do you enable your customers’ business in an environment where user experience overrides security?

The art of achieving the right balance between security and user experience is still evolving. On a positive note, users are also getting more aware and in fact, want their information to be secured, even if they have to compromise a bit on user experience.