How UX Can Strengthen Data Security
Data security remains a major concern for internet users worldwide. As a business on the internet, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety and privacy of your visitors’ and customers’ data.
There are numerous data security measures you can implement, but here we’ll focus specifically on UX design. Here’s how UX design can help you ensure the safety and security of user data.
Use Two-Step Verification
Google made two-step verification mandatory for good reason: It significantly enhances the security of user accounts.
Simply by adding another layer of security (other than the existing username/password combination), you will encourage users to be more careful about their data and protect their information, even if their login information gets stolen.
You won’t have to add this second step to every single interaction. But when sensitive data is available, an extra layer of security should be warranted.
Consider asking for repeat sign-ins from the same device, as well. While logging in each time is the safest option, it can be time-consuming, so look for a middle ground.
Advise Users to Create Strong Passwords
Safe accounts use complex, strong passwords that are not easy to crack. However, most users will likely opt for something that they can easily remember and not pay too much attention to account security.
By pointing out weak passwords or preventing users from registering them in the first place, you’ll be doing a lot to improve data security. It might result in plenty of “forgotten password” requests, but you can also encourage use of a password manager.
Advertise Your Data Security Efforts
Users will want to know what you are doing to protect their sensitive information, and a simple page outlining your privacy policy might not cut it. A privacy policy you’ve generated with a template tool definitely won’t cut it.
Use simple terms and remove as much technical jargon as you possibly can. Users who are more knowledgeable about security will still be able to understand you, as will everyone else—even if they have no idea what an SSL is.
Go into as much detail as possible, especially about what you’ll do if your data storage servers are attacked. Be clear how you will handle any data breaches. Showing you are prepared will improve the user experience and help you establish more trust.
Improve the way you Structure Information
Users often don’t understand the security-related information a business presents. Either the terms themselves are confusing or unfamiliar, or the sentence structures are too complex and redundant. More often than not, the page itself is structured in a confusing way.
To improve the legibility of the data security information you are sharing, try using the card sorting method. It can help you design a new page that will make much more sense to your visitors and customers.
Test different versions of the same page to make sure you have landed on a solution that works. After all, your users might process information in a completely different manner, so you need to ensure you’re reaching as many people as possible.
Prevent Plain Text Password Submission
Whether or not you need to use a hash algorithm when sending and storing passwords is an ongoing debate. Either way, an extra layer of security can never be a bad thing, especially if it doesn’t negatively impact UX.
Hashing passwords as users log in will prevent hackers from gaining plain text access to sensitive information. As hashed passwords are encrypted into random strings, they are the safer choice.
Collect Less Information
Users generally dislike parting with a lot of personal and sensitive information. The less a brand knows about them, the safer they will feel.
To improve both your user experience and your data security efforts, collect as little information about your users as you can. For example, you will most likely need their name and email address. But unless you are shipping products, you don’t also need their physical address. Collecting information about their age and interests will help your marketing efforts, but it may just add to the frustration. Plus, it will enlarge your data clusters.
Consider reducing the number of cookies you’re using, as well, and limit them to what is absolutely necessary. The less potential for a breach there is, the safer your users will be.
Finding the right balance between user experience and data security is not an insurmountable task. You will have to give a little and start collecting less data about each individual who stops by your website. But this shouldn’t affect your marketing efforts, and it will help you boost your data security.
