INTERPRETING SECURITY IN HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTIONS - Human-Computer Interaction and Management Information Systems: Foundations - page 263

C HAPTER 13

INTERPRETING SECURITY IN
HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTIONS

A Semiotic Analysis

G URPREET D HILLON AND J EFFREY M AY

Abstract: Although there has been extensive research in the area of information systems security
and human-computer interaction (HCI), security in the context of HCI has not been well under-
stood. This paper proposes a framework for identifying and interpreting the deep-rooted human
and technical issues that deal with security in the context of HCI. The concepts are grounded in
semiotics. This paper argues that analyzing security in the context of HCI from the semiotic per-
spective transcends existing organizational and computer-technical knowledge, thus allowing
HCI designers a better ability to incorporate a more rounded design solution that seeks to mini-
mize actual security threats and maximize user satisfaction when it comes to feeling secure.

Keywords: HCI, Semiotics, Security

INTRODUCTION

Several researchers have attempted to define the field of human-computer interaction (HCI) and
the various research issues that are related to it. In the context of management information systems
(MIS), Zhang et al. (2003) consider HCI to be concerned with how humans interact with infor-
mation, technologies, and tasks, especially in business, managerial, organizational, and cultural
contexts. In identifying HCI research issues, Zhang et al. (2003) discuss seven major areas: rela-
tionship building and management, task modeling and organizational fit, user acceptance, enhancing
HCI measurement, emphasizing the holistic experience of humans interacting with technologies,
emphasizing a broader range of users, and a new taxonomy of MIS/HCI.
Along similar lines, Olson and Olson (2003) define HCI as the study of how people interact
with computing technology. In identifying HCI research issues, Olson and Olson (2003) discuss
six major areas: the science of HCI (e.g., cognitive modeling, distributed cognition), user inter-
face development, usability methods, the workplace, computer-supported cooperative work (e.g.,
voice and video conferencing tools, repositories of shared knowledge, social filtering, trust in
people when communicating via technology), and the larger social context (e.g., psychological
and social costs of the digital divide).
Traditionally, HCI has been the study of how people design, implement, and use interac-
tive computer systems and how computers affect individuals, organizations, and society (Myers
et al., 1996). In identifying HCI research issues, Myers et al. (1996) discuss five major areas of

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